What is the difference between a structural inspection and a home inspection?

There is often confusion about the difference between home inspections and structural inspections.  To oversimplify, home inspectors look at the entire home from a “big-picture” standpoint and recommend specialists when needed.  Structural inspectors look at the framing and foundation in detail and recommend repairs, as needed.

I think the easiest analogy is looking at primary care doctors like a family physician vs. specialty doctors such as a cardiologist or dermatologist.  For example, your primary care doctor has a broad knowledge about the human body and can generally recommend you to a specialist, if needed.  A specialty doctor will look at one specific issue, such as your heart or skin, but doesn’t provide diagnoses outside of their specialty.  I am in no way comparing what we do to what doctors do; however, I think this analogy resembles a similar relationship between a home inspector and a structural inspector.

Home inspectors have a broad knowledge about your home and if they see a crack in your foundation, cracks in your drywall, sloping floors, or any other concerning structural issues, they will recommend you to a structural engineer.  On the contrary, structural engineers will look at the structure and foundation but won’t be able to provide a diagnosis of your plumbing or HVAC, for example.

Next, let’s take a look at what specifically home inspectors do vs. what structural inspectors do.

Home Inspections

Purchasing a home is one of the largest investments you will ever make so it is important to make sure that you have your home inspected prior to your closing date. Home inspections are very important before closing on a home because this is your last chance to uncover any costly problems within the home.  If problems are found before closing on the home, the home buyer has an opportunity to have the seller pay for those repairs or back out of the deal.  After you close on a home, any problems that are found will be the responsibility of the home buyer.

Services provided by home inspectors are performed by inspectors with ASHI, InterNACHI, or NAHI certifications.  It is important to verify that your home inspector is a certified inspector to ensure they have received proper training to assess your home.  There are other organizations outside of ASHI, InterNACHI, and NAHI, but these are common organizations that provide home inspector certifications.

Home inspectors look at the basic systems within homes such as mechanical (HVAC), electrical, plumbing, exterior of the home, roof, and any other items that may be of concern.  According to ASHI, home inspectors look at the following:

• Structural System

• Exterior

• Roof System

• Plumbing System

• Electrical System

• Heating System

• Air Conditioning System

• Interior

• Insulation and Ventilation

• Fireplace and Solid Fuel Burning Appliances

Since we are comparing home inspections and structural inspections, let’s focus on what ASHI states that the home inspector is required to do and what the home inspector is NOT required to do.  Below is a screenshot from the ASHI website as it relates to the structural system of the home.

Based on ASHI, a home inspector is not required to provide engineering or architectural services or analysis.  They are also not required to offer an opinion about the adequacy of structural systems or components.   Because of this, whenever a potential structural issue is discovered by the home inspector, they will recommend that their client consults with a licensed Structural Engineer.

Structural Inspections

Structural inspections are performed by licensed Professional Engineers.  Homeowners and realtors should always verify that it is a licensed Professional Engineer that will be coming to their home as these professionals have proven they have an extensive knowledge of structures and foundations.  To become a licensed Professional Engineer, you must have a four-year engineering degree, pass the 6-hour Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam, complete 4 years of engineering experience under another Professional Engineer, and pass the 8-hour Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) exam.  While home inspectors can often understand what is happening in the home, structural inspectors (licensed Professional Engineers) understand the dynamics of the structure, the load path through the home, and how all the components of the structure affect each other.  If you have cracks in your foundation, cracks in your drywall, or sloping floors, your structural inspector will determine if that issue is a structural concern, find the source, and provide their professional opinion on how to mitigate that issue. 

The main items that your structural inspector will be diagnosing are your structure and your foundation.  Many existing structures, especially older homes, are not designed to current code requirements, so the structural engineer is verifying that your home is safe or they will provide recommendations to bring your home up to a safe level.  They understand and utilize the current International Residential Code (IRC) requirements for any repairs that may be required. Below are a few items that your structural engineer will be looking for during a structural home inspection.

Structure:

• Wood Deterioration

• Cracked member (joists, rafters, etc)

• Sloping floors

• Sagging beams

• Splitting posts

• Cracks in drywall

• Previous repairs

Foundation:

• Settlement

• Bowing/tipping foundation walls

• Cracks in your foundation walls

• Cracks in your basement or garage slabs

• Water intrusion

• Previous repairs

Resolve Engineering can provide a structural inspection or a foundation inspection and give you specific recommendations that meet your home’s requirements.

Conclusion:

Oftentimes, cracks that are observed in your foundation or drywall are not structural.  We have clay soils in the Kansas City area which can be expansive.  Higher moisture levels within the soil will cause the soil to expand or swell and lower moisture levels within the soil will cause the soil to contract or shrink.  This expansion and contraction can cause cosmetic damage to your structure or foundation so it's a good idea to have a structural engineer assess your home to provide you peace of mind or to ensure that you are installing the appropriate repair. 

Let Resolve Engineering come out to perform structural inspection services to assess any structural issues that you may have.  Contact us and we would be happy to help!