7-31-15

14B — July 31 - August 13, 2015 — Owners, Developers & Managers — M id A tlantic

Real Estate Journal

www.marejournal.com

A rchitects & E ngineers

By Ram Tirumala, PE, Distinct Engineering Solutions, Inc. “Buyer Beware”

T

equally in selection of quality Engineering and Inspection Services. It becomes especially relevant in the age of internet marketing, when quality is of- ten masked by advertisement, buyers of services must do their due diligence in selecting the right firm. Civil engineering is the oldest engineering field and though it appears to be simple and able to be performed by anyone, this is not the case. For new and re- development projects, to get the best value, use of a well-quali- fied firm is required. As a Civil Engineering firm specializing

in Environmental, Geotechni- cal and Site Civil Engineer- ing, as well as construction inspections and monitoring, we have come across numer- ous owners who incurred 30% to 50% more in construction costs because they retained unqualified or underqualified engineering firms to prepare their construction documents or permit applications. States, local cities, and mu- nicipalities have regulations and ordinances to be followed during construction projects, from initial permit approval to construction inspections.

Owners are encouraged to perform environmental due diligence (a.k.a. Phase 1) to understand potential soil and ground contamination, and their impact on cost of construction and long term effect of indoor quality. Many owners in an attempt to cut costs in hiring a qualified firm to perform Phase 1, have paid thousands of dollars in cleanup costs and forced projects to stall. In New Jer- sey, the Site Remediation Reform Act (SRRA) permits Licensed Site Remediation Professionals (LSRPs) to re-

view and approve remedial actions and issue a remedial action outcome (RAO) to a site undergoing environmental remediation. It is prudent for the owner or developer to select a knowledgeable and ethical LSRP as it is critical that the LSRP directs work in accordance with all regula- tions and guidelines to avoid later scrutiny and rejection. Geotechnical Engineering is a discipline of Civil Engineer- ing that deals with subsurface soil and ground water condi- tions. A good Geotechnical Engineering firm will evalu- ate subsurface material (soil and rock) to adequate depth, identify foundation alterna- tives and provide recom- mendations for earth work, slope stability, settlement, etc. Considerable engineer- ing and analytical skills are required in developing suit- able foundation, dewatering, and backfill recommenda- tions. Borings performed to insufficient depths, and lack of ability to identify index and engineering properties of subsurface soil have potential to result in damage to nearby buildings. In urban environ- ments improper construction of foundations adjacent to existing buildings have po- tential to result in damage of existing structures and increase liability. To avoid such problems, it is crucial to select erudite geotechnical engineers. Many owners skimp on the cost of proper quality control testing and inspections before realizing it is their invest- ment that will not have full value if it is plagued with construction defects. The International Building Code (IBC), which is widely used as a standard for the construc- tion industry, recommends using accredited laboratories and inspection agencies to en- sure quality in construction. IBC Chapter 17 Structural Tests and Special Inspections identifies qualifications of individuals to perform inspec- tions and quality tests. It is essential that before selection of construction material test- ing and inspection firm, the owner or developer should do their homework to engage a qualified firm and get the most value for their money. Ram Tirumala, PE is president of Distinct En- gineering Solutions, Inc. n

he term Buyer Be- ware is not new to the real-estate industry.

The buyer o f g o o d s must take care to en- sure that t h e y a r e f ree f rom defects of quality, fit- ne s s , o r

Ram Tirumala

title before making the pur- chase. If the goods turn out to be defective, the purchaser has no recourse against the seller. This proverb applies

Distinct Engineering Solutions Inc.

No. 7 Subway Extension Vent Building Site K Replacement of Belt Parkway Bridge Fresh Creek Certified MBE/DBE/SBE Firm: Providing customized engineering & innovative solutions in environmental, geotechnical, site civil engineering design and construction monitoring

IAS Accredited NYC DOB Certified Special Inspection Agency AASHTO & AMRL Certified Concrete & Soil Laboratory Distinct Engineering Solutions Inc.

P: 732.658.1052 F: 732.398.1699 www.distinct-esi.com

425 Old Georges Road North Brunswick, NJ 08902 115 W 30th Street, Suite 1204, New York, NY 10001

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