RSH Engineering Inc. The SMART Buyer's Choice!

Services

New Home Consulting and Inspection

Your new home deserves the best possible construction and craftsmanship. You've spent a lot of time and effort selecting the details of your home and finding a builder you can trust. Don't let anyone cut corners when it comes to your castle! Protect your investment -- hire RSH Engineering and put us to work on your team with a full suite of new construction inspections. We perform thorough, rigorous engineering inspections for you.

Our reports are unbiased and they reference code violations against IRC2003 (or current codes) and National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) quality standards. Some builders rely on city code inspectors for quality assurance. But most municipal code inspectors are over-subscribed due to the tremendous volume of new homes being built in this area. They typically don't have the engineering background that we do. Can they really dedicate enough time to your home to find issues that will affect the quality of your home?

We will work with your builder to find solid solutions for the issues we find. Strictly following the building codes and quality standards will improve the safety and energy efficiency of your home. Respectable builders welcome our independent analysis. By listening to us and responding to you, the customer, they know they will have a competitive advantage and create a higher level of customer satisfaction.

Price details

1. Site selection/Builder's Model Visit
2. Builder's Plan/review material & Appliance Selection
3. Pre-Pour Observation #1
   • Footing
   • Plumbing
4. Pre-Pour Observation #2
   • Vapor-barrier
   • Post-tension Rods
   • Structural Engineer's plan verification
5. Framing Workmanship Observation
6. Plumbing/AC Ductwork/Electrical Observation
7. Insulation coverage Observation
8. Final Inspection (can be used as a final walk-through report) covers all aspects of the house.

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Final Walk-Through Inspection

Final Walk Through Inspection (FWTI). Covers all aspects of your new home and can be used as the final report. Some builders will hire an inspector to do this "final walk-through" but it is in your interest to get an independent report from RSH Engineering prior to taking possession of the house. Structural, drainage, roof covering, heat plant(s), ac unit(s), water heater(s), electric panel, electrical (kitchen, bath(s), laundry), appliances, attic insulation, bath-wall-tile, doors, windows, fireplace(s), interior finishes, exterior finishes, gas & carbon monoxide leak test, micro-wave leak test.

1. Site selection/Builder's Model Visit
2. Builder's Plan/review material & Appliance Selection
3. Pre-Pour Observation #1
   • Footing
   • Plumbing
4. Pre-Pour Observation #2
   • Vapor-barrier
   • Post-tension Rods
   • Structural Engineer's plan verification
5. Framing Workmanship Observation
6. Plumbing/AC Ductwork/Electrical Observation
7. Insulation coverage Observation
8. Final Inspection (can be used as a final walk-through report) covers all aspects of the house.

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End-Of-Builders Warranty Inspections

• You could save thousands of dollars…
  • Structural
  • Roof Covering
  • Heat Plant
  • Water Heater
  • Electric Panel
  • Electrical (kitchen, baths, laundry)
  • Appliances
  • Attic Insulation
  • Bath-Wall-Tile
  • Doors
  • Windows
  • Fireplace
  • Interior Finishes
  • Exterior Finishes
  • Gas & Carbon Monoxide Leak Test
  • Microwave Leak Test
• Your new home warranty expires soon. Undiscovered or unresolved problems could cost you hundreds, or thousands of dollars, in the years to come. Let us find the problems for you now and let your builder take care of them! With an "End-of-Builders-Warranty-Inspection-Report", you have the ultimate tool for successful resolution of warranty claims with your builder. Have your home professionally inspected by RSH ENGINEERING, INC. before your builder disappears from your life!
• Order your "End-of-Builders-Warranty-Inspection" to protect your most valuable investment!

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Pre-Existing Home Inspection

"Foundation Inspection & Analysis w/ level survey and Re-inspection Services” - Description inside to read as follows: An engineer will inspect, measure, and evaluate the foundation (slab or pier & beam) and affecting structures including drainage. The engineer will take level measurements using calibrated Zip Level and Self-leveling laser level and provide a foundation repair plan. You can use this foundation repair plan to submit to the City officials for permitting or Foundation Companies for actual foundation repair. Inspections are performed at the pre and post foundation repair and during the Work-In-Progress stages.

PRICE: starting at $400.00. Work-In-Progress Inspection price : starting at $275.00 and post foundation repair inspection and approval letter price: starting at $275.00.

Our BRONZE inspection includes all of the major components of a house and is performed by a licensed Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) inspector. This inspection is for those buyers who are looking for the lowest cost inspection for their real estate transaction.

Our SILVER inspection covers a few more items compared to the BRONZE inspection and is performed by a TREC inspector who has been trained by a professional engineer (PE) to enable a more thorough inspection at an affordable rate.

Our GOLD inspection is our most complete review of a home and is conducted by an engineer with more than a decade of experience in home inspections. The final report comes with digital pictures of all issues found and corrective actions. It also has the engineer's seal on the final report. The GOLD inspection will provide you with the most comprehensive report and put some real power into your negotiations with the seller. The savings achieved by your negotiations based on our findings in the GOLD report can potentially pay for the cost of the report several times over!

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End-of-Home Owners Warranty Inspection

This inspection should be performed before the end of the 10th year following the purchase of your home. Some warranties may have specific language on when the 10 year warranty starts (example, at closing or when the home was "completed" by the builder) so be sure to consult your contract and call us to schedule your inspection several months prior to the 10 year anniversary.

Drainage around the foundation: Overall site drainage; Surface drainage at foundation; Crawl space ventilation; Crawl space vapor barrier; Crawlspace moisture; Visual Inspection for evidence of past/seasonal infiltration.

Foundation: Perimeter foundation support walls/beams – check for cracking/settlement/lateral movement/material deterioration/efflorescence.

Foundation: Interior Foundation Support beams/Walls; Beam supports - tipping, buckling, damage; Bearing supports - settlement or heaving; material deterioration

Foundation: Non structural floor slab (crawlspace, garage, etc): Movement or cracking; material deterioration, etc.

Roof System: Rafter Frame/Trusses/: Deflection, Cracking, Damage, Material Deterioration

Brick Veneer inspection: Cracking in mortar, bricks, etc.

You may have foundation problem and you may not be aware of it!

YOU MAY BE ABLE TO SAVE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IF YOU ACT ON TIME!

TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!

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Assistance with Builders Warranty Issues

Are you having warranty service trouble with your builder?

• Have you noticed how evasive your builder can be, now that your warranty expiration is nearing?
• Does your builder insult your intelligence with all sorts of double talk and assertions that "that’s normal" or "that’s standard construction"?
• Wouldn’t it be nice to have a Professional Engineer’s Opinion to back you up?

How do you know that your home is properly constructed?

• New homes typically have problems with installation of materials, often violating product manufacturer’s installation specifications.
• Builders frequently ignore the recommendations of their own engineers, potentially leaving you with major problems down the road.

Some recent inspections resulted in the following:

• Roof improperly installed – missing flashing, shingles (Builder fixed it!)
• No adequate air inlet for the hot water heater
• Hot water heater flue venting into the attic (Builder fixed it!)
• Brick ties on brick wall missing - not properly constructed (Builder fixed it!)
• Weep holes and expansion joints missing on brick wall (Builder fixed it!)
• Air conditioning vent/registers missing (Builder fixed it!)
• No adequate insulation in attic (Builder fixed it!)
• 30 fundamental flaws in framing on one of the homes inspected – (Builder fixed it!)
• Grading around the house not proper resulting in water ponding (Builder fixed it!)
• Exterior door not insulated! (Builder replaced it!)
• Too many to list...

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Assistance with Insurance Warranty Claims

Are you having insurance claims trouble with your insurance agent and company?

After so many years of paying the insurance premium on time and now you turn in one claim on the roof for hail damage. The roofers are telling you need to change the roof out. It has got hail damage. But the insurance company refuses.

Some recent insurance claims:

• We assisted a church with hail and wind damage issues. They were told they would not get anything. RSH Engineering, Inc. was called on to help. An agreement was reached for the replacement of the roof.
• Assisted an individual who filed a lightning /power surge claim. He received a satisfactory check from the insurance company.
• Roof/Antenna damage due to windstorm. She received a comprehensive report including color close-up pictures from RSH ENGINEERING, Inc. She received a satisfactory check in the mail.

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Energy Audit

One of the major considerations in buying a home is how energy efficient it is. A house that is thoroughly insulated, sealed, and vented at the right places will reduce utility bills considerably which in turn will make owning a home much less expensive. You can find this out with an RSH ENGINEERING, INC. Energy Audit. An energy audit is a thorough inspection of the house to determine areas that allow excessive heat losses.

The following is done when an energy audit is conducted:

• Insulation is checked for at Ceilings, attic floors, walls, attic pull down doors, doors leading to garages. Check the type of insulation used: batts or blankets, loose fill, or rigid board
• Safety lookout for urea formaldehyde and asbestos
• Vapor barriers in attic
• Check for adequate attic ventilation via ridge vents, soffit vents, attic fan, etc.
• Check for insulation of ducts and pipes
• Check for window seals that are broken and air leakage, etc.
• Caulking and weather-stripping
• Heating and air-conditioning (Check for temperature difference – inlet to outlet)
• Filter, blower motor, coil, condenser unit, etc.
• Exterior doors, windows, bricks, siding, trims, etc.

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Commercial Inspections

Church, hotels, motels, condominiums, etc. in which you are considering and investment or outright purchase. Don't buy a lemon property and get stuck with high repair bills that will ruin your ROI. Let us perform a rigorous review of the property so you can enter the negotiations with your "eyes wide open" to the issues and let the seller know you have done your homework and that you are serious about getting fair compensation for required repairs.

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