Structural Condition Assessments of Existing Buildings
Older buildings do not come with drawings, and when they do the drawings rarely match what is there. Rise Structural Group performs structural condition assessments of existing buildings, garages and site structures across Pittsburgh, western Pennsylvania and the surrounding region, and produces reports you can act on.
What we assess
- Commercial, institutional and multi-family buildings
- Parking garages and parking decks
- Facades, parapets, cornices and masonry
- Sidewalk vaults, areaways and below-grade structures
- Canopies, balconies, decks and exterior stairs
- Historic and century-old downtown buildings
- Mezzanines, floors and roofs where loads or use are changing
- Water damage, fire damage, settlement and cracking
What you receive
A sealed written report with photographs, a description of the structural systems as found, observed deficiencies, their likely cause, and repair recommendations ranked by priority. Where you need it, we follow with repair drawings and specifications for bidding and construction, and we provide construction phase services while the repairs are made.
When owners call us
- Before buying or refinancing a property
- When a facade, balcony or garage shows cracking, spalling or displacement
- When a tenant wants to add load, cut an opening or change use
- When a code official, insurer or lender asks for an engineer’s letter
- When a historic building is being brought back into service
- For periodic maintenance assessments of garages and facades
Our approach
We do a visual assessment first and recommend testing, probes or monitoring only where the visual findings justify it. We write for the audience: a property manager needs a priority list and a budget range; a lender needs a clear statement of condition. We avoid alarm where it is not warranted and we say plainly when something needs attention now.
Recent work
Rise is currently engaged in a multi-phase assessment and repair program for a downtown Pittsburgh high-rise, beginning with sidewalk vaults and sub-basement repairs and continuing to the full building. We have also assessed clubhouse canopy framing, industrial floors for new equipment, and residential foundations and framing throughout the region.
Who we work with
Building owners, property managers, condominium associations, architects, lenders, buyers conducting due diligence, and municipalities.
Schedule an assessment
Call 412-230-3583 or contact us with the address and what you are seeing.