Great advice Sollace. The pools are a few doors down. I have talked to several of the homeowners but none have done the correct due diligence.
As James has pointed out I would rather be safe than sorry. It may be overkill and maybe not. I am reviewing the GeoTech contract right now. The only concerning areas are below:
LIMITATION of LIABILITY. Client hereby expressly agrees that engineer’s total liability to client for any and all injuries, claims, losses, expenses or damages whatsoever arising out of or related to the project or this agreement from any cause, including engineer’s negligence, errors, omissions, breach of contract or breach of warranty shall be limited to the total compensation received by the engineer under this agreement, or the amount of ten thousand dollars (10,000.00), whichever is lesser.
NO REPRESENTATIONS or WARRANTIES. The parties recognize that the services provided by the Engineer under this Agreement involve the exercise of professional judgment and the rendering of professional opinions, about which reasonable engineers may differ. Consequently, and not withstanding any other provision in this Agreement, nothing contained herein shall be construed: 1) to constitute a guarantee, warranty or assurance, either express or implied, that Engineer’s services will yield or accomplish a specific result; 2) to obligate the Engineer to exercise professional skill or judgment greater than that which can reasonably be expected from other Engineers under like circumstances; or 3) as an assumption by the Engineer of the liability of any other person.
Based on what Jimmy is saying this is confusing now. The Geotech contract doesn't seem to provide much assurance, only here is what we think will work. If no structural reinforcement is needed and only soil replacement or some other remediation, then I would not need to hire a structural engineer, so where does the liability fall then?