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Engineer report rip off

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  • 04-04-2008 8:14pm
    #1
    Hack
    Registered Users Posts: 43 ✭


    What is the normal price of getting an engineer come to a second hand property to check on some suspicious cracks?

    I got one out, who was recommended by an architect friend, who came looked at the craicks, rubbed his fingers over them and said they were just sttlement cracks and nothing to worry about. He then spoke a lot about rugby and work and said he would send me a brief report on the cracks, which he did. For him this was an easy job.

    Before he came I had asked for a price and he said we would sort it out and that it would be somewhere between €200 and €500. I said €250 and he said nothing.

    I got an invoice for "visting site, assessment of existing conditions, reporting to same and matters arrising" amounting to €500 plus €105 in Vat making it €605 in total.

    he charged my girlfriends mother €300 for a more serious job on the structure of their roof.


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    #2
    DublinDilbert
    Registered Users Posts: 5,379 ✭✭✭DublinDilbert


    Hack wrote: »
    What is the normal price of getting an engineer come to a second hand property to check on some suspicious cracks?

    I got one out, who was recommended by an architect friend, who came looked at the craicks, rubbed his fingers over them and said they were just sttlement cracks and nothing to worry about. He then spoke a lot about rugby and work and said he would send me a brief report on the cracks, which he did. For him this was an easy job.

    Before he came I had asked for a price and he said we would sort it out and that it would be somewhere between €200 and €500. I said €250 and he said nothing.

    I got an invoice for "visting site, assessment of existing conditions, reporting to same and matters arrising" amounting to €500 plus €105 in Vat making it €605 in total.

    he charged my girlfriends mother €300 for a more serious job on the structure of their roof.

    How brief was his brief report?? that does sound like mad money for what was done.... Sounds like the end of the building boom is effecting him, not fair that he should ride you on the price...

    if you didn't need the report in writing, i'm sure if you posted some pics some of the boardsies would of helped out...


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    #3
    Patrickof
    Registered Users Posts: 669 ✭✭✭Patrickof


    As with valuations people don't seem to realise that by getting a written report from a professional offers a level of security. If there are further problems that stem from what that engineer has now checked and verified then he is liable for any costs. He has to carry Profesionnal Indemnity insurance which he has to pay for.

    THough I do admit the pricing structure is a bit odd. (BTW I'm not a civil engineer)


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    #4
    godtabh
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 23,218 Mod ✭✭✭✭godtabh


    Hack wrote: »

    Before he came I had asked for a price and he said we would sort it out and that it would be somewhere between €200 and €500. I said €250 and he said nothing.

    I got an invoice for "visting site, assessment of existing conditions, reporting to same and matters arrising" amounting to €500 plus €105 in Vat making it €605 in total.

    If he said it was gona cost between €200 and €500 and he charged €500 whats the problem?

    Just becasue you said €250 it doesnt make that the price.

    Considering the egineer may have spent 4-5 hours going to site and doing the report that would be about right.

    In the future you should get a few qutations and put it all in writing.


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