Indiana Forensic Roof and Building Envelope Investigations

Forensic Investigations

In the aftermath of premature roof failures there is often a lot of finger-pointing. Who is responsible for what? It may be in your advantage to find out from an independent third party expert if the damage should be covered by insurance, manufacturer’s warranty; or, was it due to a design error, contractor short cut, maintenance errors, or physical forces beyond design limit standards?

ConSpecT has extensive experience in forensic investigations of premature roof failures or damage from wind, hail, fire, moisture migration, or collapse from excessive snow or ponding. Many other parties of various background and sometimes self-serving interest are often involved after roof failures. But are these responders out to serve your interest – or just their own?

You may need an independent third party investigation to document the facts before evidence is misrepresented or altered. Registered Roof Consultants (RRC's) that practice in roof forensics have the training and experience and are sworn to uphold the RCI Code of Ethics to be unbiased in their service.

What To Do In Case of a Roof Disaster

Safety Response – Material goods are not as important as life safety & health issues.
Call Your Agent – Insurance policies usually have a notification requirement and they can offer advice on your response requirements or emergency responder contacts.
If Immediate Response Is Needed – Call a Disaster Response company, or better yet, a qualified local roofing contractor but make sure they have experience in protecting evidence and insurance claim requirements.
Protect What You Can – In the meantime, do what you can to safely minimize damage, but try not to alter evidence if it is not necessary.
Contact an Independent RRC – If you’re in the upper Midwest, call ConSpecT. If you’re in another area, contact www.rci-online.org for a list of RRC’s in your state.

Being independent allows us to “stick to the facts” and prepare unbiased reports. How can being unbiased be helpful to partisan interest? The short answer is that our findings have stood the test of many challenges. Let’s face it; some in the industry have a self-serving agenda when they investigate roof failures. In the event that the facts lead us to conclude that you do not have a strong case, we will inform you promptly after evaluating the initial evidence and before the expense of preparing documentation and reports.

Your interests are not best served with pre-designed “check the box”, “fill in the line”, or “prewritten cut & paste text” type of report because they are designed with premeditated findings and they inhibit accurate reporting of the facts. ConSpecT’s approach is to first document the facts, evaluate the findings, and then write a report to describe project specific information, site findings, assessment evaluations, comparisons to industry standards, our conclusions, and (if applicable) our recommendations. We may attach pre-written research findings that are referenced in the report, but all main body text is written or edited for that specific report.

In the event that legal proceedings become necessary, ConSpecT will provide you with expert witness testimony at depositions or if needed, in court. Previous clients have often informed us that they would not have won their case without our reports and/or our testimony.

ConSpecT has also been selected and served numerous times as the third party “Umpire” in roof damage disputes between other roof inspectors. In these “Umpire” cases, your interests are best served by reduced legal expenses.

Don’t guess if so called professionals with inherent special interest are giving you good advice. Use a Registered Roof Consultant (RRC) that practices roof forensics and is unbiased in their service to you.

If you’re in the upper Midwest, call or Contact ConSpecT.