The importance of specialist tests and reports

Our architects produce very thorough expert reports which, where necessary, are supplemented with tests carried out by companies specialising in other professional fields, in order to diagnose certain pathologies in greater detail and so complete the reports that will form the basis of a lawsuit in court proceedings claiming for construction defects.

When a building, in addition to construction defects such as water ingress and damp, cracks, and poor thermal and sound insulation, turns out to have other kinds of problems that fall outside the scope of construction defects and the specialism of an architect, other professionals must be called in to complete the diagnosis of the various problems.

There are many examples of the tests or reports that may be needed, but here are a few by way of illustration:When a building, in addition to construction defects such as water ingress and damp, cracks, and poor thermal and sound insulation, turns out to have other kinds of problems that fall outside the scope of construction defects and the specialism of an architect, other professionals must be called in to complete the diagnosis of the various problems.

– DHW system (domestic hot water) running on solar panels. In a case like this, an industrial engineer needs to carry out a study and report on the condition of the whole system (boilers, valves, solar panels, system performance, etc.), so that our architect can include it in the expert report and all of it can be submitted as evidence together with the lawsuit.

– Water analysis, to determine the type of water and where it comes from, which must be carried out by an analytical laboratory.

– Analysis of façade mortar, garage floor concrete, etc., which must be carried out by a laboratory specialising in structural and soil testing.

– A study to determine the origin of problems in a landscaped garden (for example, rotting plants and trees, or poor drainage), requiring the support of an agricultural engineer who carries out this type of expert assessment and can defend it before the courts.

– Swimming pool tests, for loss of water level, faulty skimmers, cracks in the pool shell, subsidence or tilting of the pool shell, etc. These pathologies may require 2 specialists. On the one hand, companies specialising in swimming pools and their maintenance, who can detect whether the water loss is due to evaporation or other causes. And, as regards the pool shell, a topographical survey to measure the subsidence or tilting of the shell and monitor it over time.

These are just examples of how complex it can be to diagnose the condition of a building and/or home. We could list countless tests, trials and studies but, in short, every case has its solution and its specialist, so you can leave it in our hands: our firm will take care of all our clients’ needs in order to claim forcefully for the construction defects affecting their homes.