BE Structural, PC

Very poor and unfair inspection. I have water coming into my house due to a contractor putting shorter gutters than what I originally had and the rain diverter is short too. I have water flowing into my house because there is nothing to take the water away. I never had any problems with my leaks in my house until this. The inspector, Robert Push, took pictures of other things other than the cause of the problem. When I pointed to him the evidence of what the cause of the issue showing the water marks streaming down from the roof in between the short gutter and short diverter, he ignored what I showed him and began to find other things to take photos of that had no relation or was even in the vicinity of the problem area to make his report look “professional”. He was hired by the contractor and was biased to what evidence I had. I even had video of that day and told him and he said nothing. The jargon in the report was constantly beating around the bush to what the problem was, saying that I should do a water test and then his conclusion was that it was wind driven rain that caused the problem. How can he make an analysis like that when he performed no tests and was at my house on a sunny day. The day I had the water come in there were no strong winds and I have video proving everything. If you are a contractor that wants to get away with some shady stuff, then these may be the people for you. But their inspection was very unprofessional, poor, and lacked integrity.

prompt, professional

It didn't, the was no chance to begin a process.

The contact person is Melissa. She insisted I pay for the service prior to doing the inspection, so I went to the link they provided and made the payment. She called the next morning to tell me that the payment did not go through. So I went on line and paid it again. Melissa asked that I send any pictures I had so that the engineer could see what the situation looked like; I sent the pictures that I had. She set up an appointment with the engineer and said that once he had reviewed the pictures he would contact me to confirm the appointment and let me know if it was necessary for me to remove any drywall or excavate prior to the appointment. As the appointment time drew near and I had not heard anything from the engineer, I called the office back and told Melissa that I hadn't had a call and needed to confirm the appointment. She called back and said that it was not necessary to excavate or tear out drywall. She then called back and said that the engineer had called her back to say that he did not feel competent to do the job (this is less than 24 hours before the scheduled appointment). She said she had another engineer that could do the work over the weekend, but that he was tied up on another project during the week. Because I had to coordinate the time with my tenant for the inspection, I asked her when was available. She said since the engineers work in the field that she can only contact them by email if there is no cell reception and that she had sent him an email asking about his availability. As it turned out, my tenant made special arrangements to be available for the original appointment and was not available on the weekend to reschedule. When I asked if I could speak directly with the engineer to find a mutually agreeable time, she said that they did not permit customers to do that. I told Melissa that I wanted a refund of my $650. She said she would send an email to her accountant and let her know. I think everyone who works at this firm is a subcontractor

When I contacted their office, I spoke to Melissa Colestock. She was friendly and answered many of my questions. Although the company is located in Pennsylvania, they are licensed in other states and have employees working for them in those states. Melissa found a structural engineer located 30 minutes from my home and was able to schedule an inspection on a Saturday, only four days after my phone call. Wesley Culver inspected my home. He was punctual and very easy to talk to. He answered my questions and was able to put many of my concerns to rest while he was there. I received the report of his findings four days after his visit. The report was easy to read and easy to understand what repairs needed to be done on my home. The report also mentioned items that, although they pose no problems now and may never do so, should be monitored. I would not hesitate to use BE Structural again or recommend them. I found them to be professional, knowledgeable, their fee reasonable and the staff a pleasure to work with.

Before I joined Angie's List, I could not find anyone who would/could do this evaluation. I was absolutely surprised and grateful!

The specific representative was Keith Hull, Professional Engineer. He was courteous, professional, and thorough and, to the point, provided an analysis which saved us a lot of money. The written report included appropriate photographs, a description of the structure of the house (and of its integrity), and recommendations with regard to how to repair the foundation wall to prevent the intrusion of water in the future.

The receptionist/office manager - Brenda Himes, was always very responsive. She was a pleasure to talk to on the telephone, although most of the communications were via email. Bruce Ensor, the owner called personally to check on progress and get clarification. Bruce even talked directly to the Manager at the county Building Department to ensure he was taking all the issues into consideration. I also worked with Nitin Bajracharya, who was very helpful in making alternative solutions to the roof part of the project. I am very happy with the outcome of this project, and highly recommend using this company for your engineering needs.

He just walked around the house took some pictures and went away. He came on time.

They were very nice people to deal with, and they had the report done within about 4 days.

Were not licensed in WV and if they did come out, it would be too expensive because of travel.

He was friendly and patient. we talked about the issues that i was concerned with. He suggested someone local.

My meeting with Bruce went very well. I have had 8 companies come out to bid for this job. Bruce and Pier Magic are clearly at the top of their field. I have a full report from a Structural Engineer, Dennis Sieg. This has helped all of the foundation companies with their analysis of my home. Bruce and Pier Magic are very knowledgeable about the work they do. I would trust them to do the work. The estimate I received is right in line with the other foundation companies I have acquired quotes from. This company seemed like the most knowledgeable and responsible. I have not had this work done yet. The range of quotes for this work is $13,000-$18,000. Pier Magic is at the top of my list because I feel I can trust them the most. Their quote is $16,500. This is reasonable for this type of work with a reputable company like Pier Magic. I will put out a review when the work is completed, by whomever I choose to do the work.

He was about thirty minutes late. But, he was extremely professional and knowledgable.

Philip came out within a week and evaluated the property in a single visit. Pointed out a number of things but especially a couple important details about improvements we could make. We followed his improvement suggestions and upon removal of a brick patio struck paydirt, finding a large hole under an old concrete walk against our foundation. There was no way to see the hole under the brick and there were no signs of standing water against the house. Was worth every penny to make sure we spent money only on those activities that would address the problem. We feel like we spent money on the right things as a result of our consultation and saved $10,000 from those that might dig up our basement so we could be more effective at NOT solving our problem.

The evaluation and subsequent report were very high quality. Given that the house was occupied at the time of the structural inspection, the information gleaned was fairly thorough. The inspector was himself a structural engineer and very open in discussing his observations and answering my questions. The inspection took a couple of hours, focusing on the foundation and basement. The basement was unfinished and this provided an opportunity to inspect the floor joists and other structures that tied into the foundation. This is important since if these types of structures are concealed, the inspection is likely to be incomplete, even though other observations may suggest no structural issues are present. The other floors (3 total not including the basement) were also inspected, with extra time devoted to cracks (on walls and tile floors) and disjointed structures (such as window and door frames). Miscellaneous floor sections, steps, and walls were checked for level and plumb. After the full inspection, the engineer discussed his observations and noted some key areas to keep watch on and/or look into repairing. These were also mentioned in the final written report. This final report was provided within a few days of the inspection and signed off on by a PA licensed engineer. Although the report did provide pictures to supplement the text, they did provide higher resolution pictures on request. Overall an excellent experience and it provided me with a good amount of information. I would certainly recommend BE Structural. Anyone buying an older house, it is worth the investment in this inspection (in addition to your regular home inspection).

It went great. The staff was responsive to me needs. I received emails, follow-up calls and more in a timely fashion. I would recommend this company to someone. I was really pleased with the professionalism of this organization.

A Structural Engineer, from Bruce's office, arrived on time. He stated that he was only to look at the basement wall that had the water intrusion. I said that wasn't my understanding when I made the appointment and paid on-line. After glancing around, the engineer said we could have hired a home inspector and saved ourselves some money. He finally did go around the entire basement and took pictures of the walls. He never checked the walls for moisture or to see if they had bowed. We also went outside with the engineer to look around the house. At the conclusion of his inspection, the engineer said we had no current issues with the basement walls, at this time. The engineer said he would have to go over his notes & pictures with Bruce for the written report. A week and a half later, my husband received the written report & pictures from Bruce, via e-mail. We were horrified over the written report. The next day, I called Bruce's office and left a message to have him call me. Bruce called back and my husband and I discussed the report with him. We asked how can you go from a verbal, no current issues with the basement walls to a major problem. Bruce said that he and another engineer, in his office, didn't agree with the engineer who came to the house. We were on the phone for over an hour with Bruce and he wouldn't budge. At this point, we decided we needed a second opinion! We did get a second opinion and this Structural Engineer mostly agreed with the engineer who came to the house. We were told there's no current issues with our basement walls, at this time. However, there is an area we need to watch for any changes. THE FOLLOWING IS AN UPDATE TO MY ORIGINAL REPORT. I was contacted by Bruce's office. I was told that Bruce wanted his clients to be 100% satisfied with his company. My payment was refunded in full. I feel this restores Bruce's integrity to his clients. Also in my original report, the grade for the 'Price' category should have been a 'B', instead of a 'C'. My husband recently informed me that another Structural Engineer's price was $600, at the time we hired Bruce Ensor's Company. I feel by losing sight of the price comparison, it was unjust to grade his price with a 'C'. AS A SIDE NOTE: I feel it appropriate to commend Brenda Himes, Project Coordinator, for her interaction on Bruce's behalf. Given the circumstances, it was truly a pleasure to communicate with her.

It went well but it was a little bit misled as to their service. They're probably fired for commercial use for residential but the quality was fine. They also were very responsive and very punctual. They seem professional.

Provider was professional and thorough in their explanation of services. They wanted to understand the issue we were having and were very easy to work with.

After receiving the report I spoke with the home office of BE. They answered several questions and advised how to best evaluate the foundation proposals received and questions to ask to verify company credentials, etc.

The company was very responsive. I was contacted within hours of sending an e-mail by two of the employees at the company. When I responded we scheduled a meeting time for the contractor to come up and evaluate the site. Michelle was very personable and friendly. She came in and thoroughly inspected the room where a wall had been removed and a header needed to be installed. She too thorough measurements and took multiple pictures. She crawled under the porch in order to properly inspect the foundation that the header would need to be supported by. She took pictures of the outside of the home and explained to me how the weight was being distributed. She involved me in the evaluation process so that I knew what she was looking at. Michelle explained what parts of the structural plans may confuse contractors because of the way the foundation of the house is it may be a little complex. Michelle stated that she would be available for any questions I had or a future contractor. She left and about a week later she e-mailed me the plans she came up with and offered to provide further assistance if it was needed.

went fine - came/checked/sent me the report

The Home Improvements - construction done on our home created several construction defects and damage to my home that were not present "prior" to the construction. The inspection included conditions of the existing structure and only what was available without demolition of finish materials or areas that were inaccessible. His report included photographs Bruce took during his inspection and photographs I also provided Bruce used the photo's and his professional engineering back ground, professional judgment, and a record of the conditions he observed at the time of his visit to do his inspection and generate his report . Bruces report included a "estimate" for recommended repairs that will be needed to consult a contractor to bring my home up to code standards and repair damage so we can once again live in a safe and stable home. Me knowing that this damage to my home was created by the Home Improvement Contractor, having to live and see this damage and the emotional toll it placed upon me, when you can actually read a professionl's unbias report with fact the defects do exeist, It is hard to express the impact of a feeling of some kind of relief this has given me. I can honestly state this construction has been a nightmare I would not want anyone to endure. Now being able to look to the future to finley get these issues resolved has helped give me hope. I highly recommend Bruce BE Structural, P.C. I look forward to future consulations with Bruce, I am quite sure I will be in need of his service to help with the over sight of proper repairs to my home and when the time for more in depth inspections that he was unable to presently perform.

I called Bruce Ensor after my home inspector noticed that a large number of joists in the basement had been "repaired" in an unconventional manner. We were concerned because the affected area was extensive and there was evidence of floor movement and sagging in the floors above. Approximately sixteen joists in the basement appeared to have been repaired using a smallish metal bracket apparently for the purpose of adding strenght to the connection between 3"x10" hardwood joists and the stacked rock foundation wall. In addition my home inspector found about 4 joists that had evidence of rot. B E Structural Engineers are HEROES! They promptly answered my phone call. I was able to describe my predicament to Bruce and we scheduled a visit by one of his engineers for the following day. Ken arrived exactly on time and spent a generous amount of time inspecting, photographing and mapping out the affected areas. He immediately was able to determine that the brackets were simple aluminum angle bars. Clearly these were inadequate to take the amount of weight and stress required if a joist became badly rotted. For more than an hour, Ken and I jointly inspected the basement, the two floors above and a walkway on the north side of the building which was where water was entering the building and had begun to affect the joists. Ken outlined two potential methods for making repairs. He estimated costs in a methodical manner and we agreed that the repair would need about 120 man-hours to accomplish. This, we realized would exceed $10,000. He told me that he would write up his inspection report, discuss his findings with Bruce, and that I would receive a written report in about 48 hours. Subsequently, I called and spoke with Bruce Ensor in an effort to speed up the written report. Bruce spent a half hour on the phone discussing the problem that the proposed solutions. The cost estimates were slightly revised and Bruce sent along his report, cost estimates, a drawing of the affected area and the photographs. The documentation received was used as the basis for negotiations in the purchase. Bruce's estimate of $12,000 to $15,000 for repairs were added to certain other repair costs. Ultimately, the Seller offered to discount the selling price by $18,000 which was slightly short of the figure we proposed. In the meantime, we decided to look elsewhere. So the house was never actually purchased. But I could not have asked for better negotiation support than we received from Bruce Ensor. Had we purchased the home, Bruce's firm could have written specs on the problem that would have been given to the contractors bidding and otherwise have assisted with the solution. We are well pleased with the services received, money well spent. Thank you Bruce.