When should the structural engineer come?

[veryconfused8888]

I have builders coming early next month to repair a wall damaged by subsidence and the man from the insurance company said to me last year to ask the structural engineer to come while they are here to confirm that they are putting the right sort of bars in the wall. I am having problems coordinating this. The structural engineer said on the phone that he has a meeting that morning and as I don't know exactly when on that day they are putting the bars in the wall, (they couldn't give me a definite answer), I am really stressed. I don't know whether to ask him to come at midday or what . The engineer did say that he normally only comes when the work is done to sign it off, but as the man from the insurance said to get him to come while it is being done as well, I had to ask him to come.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Has your engineer designed the remedial work?

 

[veryconfused8888]

He did a report on what needs doing and he included the exact bars to use in the report and he drew a diagram of how the bars are to be inserted

 

[^woody^]

Give the builders the engineer's number and tell them to sort out the arrangements.

 

[veryconfused8888]

I emailed it to them earlier. They just want to call him on the actual day and tell him to come when they get to the part of the job he is to see, but as he is busy for half of that day would he want to hang around waiting for them to call after his meeting, especially if something else comes up for him to do? .

 

[Newboy]

Tell your insurance company to get on the case and organise the people that they have appointed - that's what you're paying them for.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

You can't expect an engineer charging prolly £75+ an hour to hang around at their beck and call, just do as woody said. Bizarre!

 

[veryconfused8888]

The insurance company are not paying for the repair as the cost is too near their £1000 subsidence excess. I'm paying for it. I found the structural engineer and builders myself. The builders are trading standards approved. The insurance company did pay for the drain repairs which caused the subsidence.

 

[Ian H]

Take photos and keep a sample of the bars they use.

 

[^woody^]

I emailed it to them earlier. They just want to call him on the actual day and tell him to come when they get to the part of the job he is to see, but as he is busy for half of that day would he want to hang around waiting for them to call after his meeting, especially if something else comes up for him to do? .

If the engineer is busy, then they need to sort out a day when he is not busy

 

[John D v2.0]

If the engineer is happy to inspect afterwards then do that, just make sure things haven't been covered up/redecorated. You can ask the builders to take photos as well. The SE won't sign it off unless he's seen it with the work done and is happy with it, so half way through wouldn't really work anyway.

 

[veryconfused8888]

I called the insurance company and they said that they had nothing written down about the structural engineer having to come while the work is being done. I will still call him on the day though see if he can come. One of my friends was with me when the builders came to give a quote and she asked them if they could use cheaper bars (I was upstairs at the time getting a copy of the structural engineer's report for them and would not have asked them this question.) They told her that the insurance companies all insisted (rightfully) on better quality bars being used an that they never used the cheaper ones. It makes me uneasy that she asked though.