Turnover inspection report may include the following items:
Visual Examination must be conducted throughout all habitable and non-habitable areas of the building, as deemed necessary by the Licensed Engineer to establish compliance. Surface imperfections such as cracks, distortion, sagging, excessive deflections, significant misalignment, signs of leakage, and peeling of finishes should be viewed critically as indications of possible difficulty.
Testing Procedures and quantitative analysis will not generally be required for structural members or systems except for such cases where visual examination has revealed such needs or where apparent loading conditions may be critical.
SCOPE OF ELECTRICAL INSPECTION. The purpose of the required inspection and report is to confirm with reasonable fashion that the building or structure and all habitable and non-habitable areas, as deemed necessary by the inspection professional to establish compliance, are safe for continued use under present occupancy. As mentioned before, this is recommended procedure, and under no circumstances are these minimum recommendations intended to supplant proper professional judgement.
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Department, contact us for a complimentary presentation:
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PHASE 1 STRUCTURAL SAFETY ASSESSMENT (2 WEEKS)
Condition Assessment of Exterior Facade and Common Areas
Inspection of interior units
Testing Report and Meeting with Client
PHASE 2 STRUCTURAL SAFETY TESTING (2 WEEKS):
Exterior walls testing for bid quantities / schedule of values
Engineer’s structural compliance report
PHASE 3 SPECIFICATIONS (3 WEEKS)
Specifications for Structural Repairs
Roofing Specifications (if needed)
Electrical Specifications (if needed)
PHASE 4 BIDDING (2 WEEKS)
Project management during bidding and construction.
PHASE 5 PERMITTING (6 WEEKS)
Code Compliance Design Drawings.
PHASE 6 CONSTRUCTION
Engineer of Record construction support services as required by BOD or Contractor and Supervision acting as Special Inspector.
To request a complimentary review of the structural assessment, contact us:
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There are many reasons why a building may need material testing or performance evaluation. By using the Forensic Testing Funnel, RAS Engineering, PA will bring the construction team to a definitive conclusion as to the cause and solution of building deficiencies. The funnel testing process designed by RAS provides a method to obtain irrefutable evidence.
The scenarios when testing is recommended include the following:
A. The most common reason is when stakeholders perceives a failure that contractors can’t find by visual observation.
B. Forensic Testing is usually used to find evidence failures of the system in a claim or to conduct into a potential claim.
C. Before or during construction, testing is useful to provide more certainty on unforeseen defects that may need additional repairs.
D. Structural testing moisture and illumination surveys are common to satisfy Safe Building Condition to pass certification.
To request a complimentary review of the structural assessment of your building, contact us:
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Phase 2 of the milestone inspection must be performed if any substantial structural deterioration is identified during Phase 1. A Phase 2 inspection may involve destructive or nondestructive testing at the inspector’s direction. The inspection may be as extensive or as limited as necessary to fully assess areas of structural distress in order to confirm that the building is structurally sound and safe for its intended use and to recommend a program for fully assessing and repairing distressed and damaged portions of the building. When determining testing locations, the inspector must give preference to locations that are the least disruptive and most easily repairable while still being representative of the structure.
If your building didn’t receive any notice from the Building
Department, contact us for a preliminary evaluation:
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A visual examination of habitable and nonhabitable areas of a building, including the major structural components of a building, and provide a qualitative assessment of the structural conditions of the building. If the architect of engineer finds no signs of substantial structural deterioration to any building components under visual examination, phase two of the inspection is not required.
If your building didn’t receive any notice from the Building
Department, contact us for a preliminary evaluation:
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A study of the following items as related to the structural integrity and safety of the building:
If your building didn’t receive any notice from the Building
Department, contact us for a preliminary evaluation:
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Governor DeSantis has officially passed the statewide Condominium
Safety Bill in an effort to prevent the events of the Surfside Building
Collapse of 2021 from ever happening again in Florida. This is a
major improvement to the safety of all condominiums in our sunshine
state.
How does the Condominium Safety Bill affect my building?
Recertification is now required after 30 years, or 25 years if the
building is within 3 miles (5 kilometers) of the coast, and every 10
years thereafter.
Condominium associations are required to maintain sufficient
reserves to cover maior repairs and to conduct a Reserve Study every
10 years. Inspection reports must be provided to owners by the
condominium association and if structural repairs are required, work
must commence within one year of receiving the report.
If the building’s certificate of occupancy was issued before 1992
the building’s initial milestone inspection must be performed before
December 31. 2024.
The Reserve Study must include:
Roof.
Load-bearing walls or other primary structural members.
Floor.
Foundation.
Fireproofing and fire protection systems.
Plumbing.
Electrical systems.
Waterproofing and exterior painting.
Windows.
And any other item that has a deferred maintenance expense or
replacement cost that exceeds $10,000 and determined necessary by
the licensed engineer creating the reserve study.
If your building didn’t receive any notice from the Building
Department, fill in your information on our website for a
preliminary evaluation AT NO COST.
The World Health Organization has acknowledged there is emerging evidence that the coronavirus can be spread by tiny particles suspended in the air.
The airborne transmission could not be ruled out in crowded, closed or poorly ventilated settings, an official said. See BBC article below:
Harvard professor and co-author of “Healthy Buildings”, Joseph Allen, wrote an article for the Financial Times citing several cases of viruses being transmitted through the air ducts. One such example of a SARS outbreak that infected 187 people found that the virus was transmitted across the building through the air ducts coming from a bathroom.
A common HVAC system that has proven effective against spreading disease is pressurized outdoor air and pressurized return ventilation to the exterior. This condition will flush out bacteria and dirty particles from the building. Pollutants can enter the building from outdoors or generated inside. The air conducted from the exterior or returning inside must be filtrated. The management team should keep a close eye on the air filtration every month. Recent diseases have proven that it is necessary to clean out the ductwork once a year. Additionally, polluted air can pass through cracks on the exterior walls, unsealed doors and windows. Cracks can also be the source of reduction of pressure—lower pressure will lead to dilution of the air and reduction of the ventilation. Achieving a healthy indoor air environment in high-rise buildings hallways is possible with a careful balance of the mechanical components, air pressurization and ventilation airflow, along with the building materials.
When containing disease, even within rooms, it is necessary to retrofit the HVAC system and maintain air filtration of the whole building in order to achieve healthy indoor air. The solution is simple: ventilation system need to be designed to provide an emergency flush out protocol in cases of airborne disease. Depending on your building, it may be easier to implement than you think.
RAS Engineering, P.A. 