Previous versions of LEED strived to create buildings that were less damaging to the environment than the standard construction practices. Today many of these practices and materials have found their way into the marketplace with little or no effect to the bottom line. As a…
In recent years, in an effort to protect valuable trees in the inner city and to further protect heritage trees, the City of Austin has established guidelines for building in close proximity to “protected trees”. The City Arborist has defined a protected tree as one…
There is a general misunderstanding among homeowners about the services that are provided by foundation repair companies. Most foundation “repair” companies do not necessarily repair a foundation as part of their service. Most foundation repair companies only re-level a home to a level of better…
Balconies and Elevated Decks As you are probably aware, there has been a rash of deck and balcony collapses that have been making headlines in recent months, including the Wood Ridge Apartments, Structures was called out to assess. In general, there is far more news of…
With more people moving to the Austin area it is quite evident to any new home builder that most of the flat sites are already developed. Many avoid the difficult sites because it immediately implies higher costs. Indeed there are challenges with building on a…
We get asked quite frequently by homeowners whether it’s a good idea to “water their foundations”. The short answer is “No”. Here’s why… When differential movement is observed in a foundation a number of considerations come into play; what are the prevalent soil conditions in…