Case Studies

Standard of Care Assessment

J.S. Held Releases Insights on Risks & Opportunities Expected to Impact Organizations in 2025

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The Situation

The property owners engaged a contractor in an improvement project on their land. The construction work included installing new concrete block retaining walls, an exterior passageway constructed of pavers, two sets of exterior stairs, a wood-framed deck, an addition to the back of the house increasing both levels in footage, and a complete renovation to the original residence. A dispute arose when the owners refused to pay the contractor because of the poor workmanship and quality of the construction.

How We Advised

J.S. Held was engaged to review and comment on the as-built retaining walls and deck (the structures). We were required to opine on whether the structures were built with good workmanship and in compliance with the applicable building codes, regulations, and industry standards. As part of the assessment, we were requested to express our opinion on what is required to remediate the defects or deficiencies as observed.

Key Contact

Kenny Yip, P.Eng., P.E., S.E., M.ASCE
Senior Engineer,
Forensic Architecture & Engineering
+1 778 561 2119
[email protected]

Related Practice Areas

> Structural Engineering
Our team is composed of civil and structural engineers who specialize in forensic investigations, repair scopes, code upgrade/compliance evaluations, and repair plans. We provide detailed forensic analysis of property and infrastructure damage by leveraging our understanding of the built environment and the impact of wind, water, fire, deterioration, construction defects, and outside forces.

> Forensic Engineering
J.S. Held’s forensic engineering experts include civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, geotechnical, and biomechanical engineers. Our forensic engineering analyses address what happened, why it happened, when the incident occurred, extent of damage, repairability, and applicable code upgrade/compliance requirements.

Our Experts