At Engineers, we understand the risks associated with owning buildings. Our insight into commercial real estate properties and transactions, environmental solutions, facility management, and capital planning helps our clients from coast to coast build equity, maximize profits, and protect the people who live and work in their properties every day.
We aren’t just Professional Engineers. We’re successful entrepreneurs serving real estate investment trusts, corporate real estate owners and managers, financial institutions, insurance companies, and government enterprises across the United States and Canada. We know you need an engineering firm specializing in all building systems, providing the full spectrum of commercial engineering services, while responding quickly to your questions and concerns with real solutions to your challenges.
Our national network of over 35 offices employs more than 100 experienced, licensed, Professional Engineers eager to help your company succeed, while our centralized billing office offers a streamlined customer service experience.
Hardy Engineers reports contain information about the structure and its components vital to investment and finance decision making. The Property Condition Assessment Report provides appropriate due diligence for the real estate transaction. Our reports comply with industry standards such as those of Standard and Poor and ASTM. Customized or abbreviated reports and formats for special needs or very large and time sensitive assignments have also been developed.
The scope of our investigation is designed to address the unique concerns and risk tolerance of our clients. We provide a list of current deficiencies and areas of deferred maintenance along with the cost to cure these deficiencies. At the end of our report is a table of capital reserve requirements.
In our standard report, we evaluate the:
ESA assessments are performed in accordance with ASTM E 1527 standards for conducting such assessments and protocols provided by the client and/or lender.
A Phase I Environmental Site Assessment includes the following:
Photographs shall be taken to show potentially significant environmental conditions. Cost estimates for further investigation or remediation may be prepared. Upon completion of the assessment, Hardy Engineers shall furnish you a written report outlining evidence of recognized environmental conditions in connection with the property and recommendations for future action (if any).
A Cost Segregation Study (CSS) is designed to provide a defensible document to support accelerated depreciation of real estate. The purpose is to reclassify 39-year assets to more tax-favorable asset classes with 5-, 7- or 15-year lives. By converting “brick and mortar” assets (depreciated in a straight-line method over 39 years) to “personal property” assets (depreciated on a double-declining basis over 5 years), the real estate owner receives earlier tax depreciation expenses, thereby improving the cash flow from the property. The benefits of a CSS are best measured in Net Present Value (NPV) savings. Typical examples of personal property include architectural millwork, electrical and plumbing supply to personal property, movable partitions, security systems, exhaust equipment, decorative lighting, emergency generators, land improvements, signage, wall and floor coverings and window treatments.
A CSS is most applicable to buildings that are newly acquired or newly built. Newly constructed buildings are ready candidates because material and construction costs have generally been calculated already. Recently acquired existing buildings are also good candidates if a significant amount of depreciation has not already been taken. Even after a few years, assets that should have been reclassified can be recaptured in the current tax year.
Real estate investments best suited to undergo a Cost Segregation Study include:
Properties with the best savings potential include:
For any new construction or renovation projects we can provide draw request inspections, quality control inspections and project management services.
Construction monitoring is an accurate and positive way of checking the quality, accuracy and progress of a construction project. Our specialist teams will oversee all aspects of construction identified by your due diligence phase and provide reports, updates and advice to give you complete project control.
Areas to monitor include:
Construction monitoring gives you a clear view of your project’s progress, and allows you to address problems before and as they arise. Using our global experience and expertise, we can help you to install and manage real-time monitoring systems to further enhance your project management.
Building collapses, foundation problems and other structural failures can cause enormous property damage. Determining the cause of these problems requires the understanding of proper structural design, construction methods, materials utilized and how they all interact in a structure.
Our structural engineers have years of experience with projects ranging from multi-story commercial structures to large petrochemical farms to chemical containment structures. They have worked on industrial, commercial and residential structures with concrete, steel, masonry and timber construction.
Their experience with structural design and hands-on construction management give them an exceptional understanding of the issues that can lead to problems and failures in structures. Whether you need assistance before or during construction, after severe weather, or any time damage has been reported, Hardy Engineers is ready to help.
Investigations can include:
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