What to Know Before Hiring an Engineer or Inspector
Who is qualified to conduct LL126 inspections and reports?
According to the DOB, parking garage inspections must be conducted by certified Qualified Parking Structures Inspectors (QPSI) and parapet inspections by a Qualified Inspector.
Parking Garage Certified QPSI
In order to become a certified QPSI, a candidate must be a registered professional engineer in New York State. The QPSI candidate will also be required to document to the Department structural engineering experience with the following, as it pertains to parking structures: Structural Design, Design of Structural Repairs, Inspection and Structural Evaluation, and Forensic Structural Engineering Assessments.
Qualified Parapet Inspectors
A person competent to inspect parapets includes, but is not limited to, a bricklayer, building superintendent, handyman, mason or a person in a similar construction-related trade, architect, engineer, an inspector working for a New York State-authorized insurance company, a New York State-authorized building inspector or any other individual capable of identifying hazards on the parapet.
Be sure to ask these questions before you hire an engineer for your assessment.
Expert Engineering Matters
Experienced engineers not only have important technical expertise, but also pre-existing relationships with contractors, garage operators, buildings with parapet owners and manufacturers that ensure fair and balanced pricing.
This saves you time, money, and resources.
Questions to Ask Before Hiring a QPSI or Qualified Parapet Inspector
How many garage or parapet restoration filings/reports have you completed?
Expert-level inspectors will have a minimum of 50 DOB filings, with at least half being in NYC.
Can you show me your portfolio of previous NYC restoration work?
A portfolio should include a minimum of 25 different NYC parking garage projects or parapet inspections, with different types of buildings and structures. It is important that the portfolio is comprised of New York City projects as NYC building code is more nuanced than NYS.
How many years of experience do you have working on parking garage structures or buildings with parapets?
Expert engineers will have a minimum of seven years experience.
Can I see a list of your previous parking structure or buildings with parapets clients?
A client list should include a minimum of four of the major NYC parking garage operators or owners of significant amounts of buildings with parapet.
Do you have relationships with NYC parking operators or owners of buildings with parapets? If so, can you show me the work you have completed for each?
A expert-level QPSI or qualified parapet inspector will have proof of long-standing relationships with multiple major NYC parking operators or owners of significant amounts of buildings with parapet. Adequate proof is a list of multiple projects per operator/owner, with repeat work on several locations.
How many repeat clients do you have?
Quality engineering will yield a minimum of 90% repeat clients.
Can you provide a list of references?
References should include a diverse list of client types with both minor and major project scopes.
