FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What does a forensic structural engineer actually do?
A forensic structural engineer investigates why a structure failed, cracked, settled, or was damaged — determining the cause and origin of the problem, not just describing the damage. This differs from a general contractor or home inspector, who typically identify what's wrong but not necessarily why it happened or what's structurally required to fix it correctly.

Do you work directly with homeowners, or only through attorneys and insurance companies?
Both. Oracle works with homeowners, attorneys, insurance carriers, property managers, and contractors — whether you need an initial assessment, a second opinion, or expert litigation support.

Do you provide expert witness testimony?
Yes. Oracle has been retained as an expert consultant in numerous deposition and trial matters, for both plaintiffs and defendants, across construction defect and insurance property claim disputes.

What areas do you serve?
Oracle is based in Jacksonville, Florida, and serves clients throughout Florida.

How long does a typical investigation take?
It depends on the scope — a straightforward assessment may take a single site visit and a few days for the report, while cases requiring destructive testing, lab analysis, or coordination with geotechnical exploration take longer. We'll give you a realistic timeline once we understand the scope of your issue.

Do you handle both new construction design and forensic investigations?
Yes. Oracle provides both structural engineering design (new construction, additions, repairs) and forensic investigation/expert consulting services.

What types of structural issues do you investigate?
Our work includes water intrusion and moisture damage, foundation settlement and soil-related failures, structural fire damage, retaining wall and pool/spa collapse, and construction defect claims involving framing, roofing, stucco/EIFS, windows and doors, and foundations.

Do you work on historic buildings?
Yes — this is a particular area of expertise. Andres Lopera, P.E., served as Vice Chairman of the Jacksonville Historic Preservation Commission and has specific experience assessing and designing repairs to historic foundations, masonry, and structures.

What happens after the investigation — do you also design the repair?
In many cases, yes. Oracle can both diagnose the cause of the problem and design the structural repair, so you're not stuck coordinating between separate diagnostic and design firms.

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