Academy/Maintenance Fundamentals
Structural components
Load-bearing parts fail invisibly before they fail visibly. Here is what counts as one, and when to stop guessing and call an engineer.
A structural component is any load-bearing part, framing, foundations, load-bearing walls, balconies, retaining walls, that holds up the building or site. It fails invisibly before it fails visibly. Treat cracking that grows, bulging, or sticking doors and windows as the signal to call a structural engineer, and treat unfunded structural repairs as a financing risk, not just a budget line.
What counts as a structural component
Structural components are the parts of a building or site that carry load: foundations, framing, load-bearing walls, beams and columns, balconies, decks, and retaining walls. If one fails, the building itself, or the ground under it, can come down. That is different from a cosmetic component like paint or trim, where failure means it looks bad, not that someone gets hurt.
This lesson covers the principles that apply across all of them. For the maintenance specifics on a single component, see Foundations, Retaining walls, Balconies, or Decks.
Some states now single out specific structural elements for mandatory professional inspection. California requires periodic inspection of certain load-bearing balconies, decks, and elevated walkways on condominium buildings; most states have no equivalent law, so check whether your state has adopted one.
"Load-bearing components together with their associated waterproofing system."
Source: California Civil Code Section 5551, California Legislative Information
Why structural deferred maintenance is a special case
Deferred maintenance is simply maintenance that should have happened and did not. On a structural component, postponing it does not just raise the eventual repair bill. APPA, the facilities-management association, links deferred capital maintenance to fiscal instability, lost use of the facility, and moisture getting into the building envelope, where it can rot framing nobody can see.
Lenders draw a hard line here too. Fannie Mae will not back financing for a condominium project with unfunded structural repairs above a set dollar threshold per unit, or with any unaddressed mold, water intrusion, or leak.
"Projects in need of critical repairs are those needing repairs or replacements that significantly impact the safety, soundness, structural integrity or habitability of the project's building(s)."
Source: Selling Guide B4-2.1-03, Ineligible Projects, Fannie Mae
A building under an evacuation order for an unsafe condition is ineligible for Fannie Mae financing until the problem is fixed and the building is certified safe again, for every unit in the building, not just the ones affected. Ignoring a structural repair does not just cost the association money later; it can freeze every owner's ability to sell or refinance right now.
Signs that mean call an engineer, not the maintenance crew
A board cannot diagnose a structural problem, but it can learn to recognize when one might exist. Treat any of the following as the trigger to call a structural or geotechnical engineer: a crack that is growing or spreading rather than sitting still, visible bulging or bowing, and doors or windows that have started sticking.
On components like retaining walls, engineers distinguish uniform settlement, generally low risk, from differential settlement, movement that is uneven across the structure, which is a serious risk indicator. Poor drainage that lets water build up pressure behind a wall is one of the most common root causes engineers find.
The judgment call belongs to a professional, not the board. Your job is to notice the change and get it in front of someone qualified before it gets worse.
Check yourself
Answer before you read the explanation, recalling it is what makes it stick.
An engineer's report says a retaining wall has settled two inches, evenly, along its entire length, with no bulging or cracking. What does this indicate?
A condo building has an unfunded structural repair the board keeps pushing to next year's budget. What is the board risking, beyond the repair getting more expensive?
During a walk-through, a director notices a bulge forming in a load-bearing wall near a window that has started sticking. What should happen next?
Sources
- Civil Code Section 5551, California Legislative Information
- Selling Guide B4-2.1-03, Ineligible Projects, Fannie Mae
- Deferred Capital Renewal and Deferred Maintenance, APPA
- A Retaining Wall Inspection Checklist for Your HOA, Criterium Engineers
Maintenance Fundamentals
Next, see how these signs apply to the components most likely to hide a problem: your foundations, retaining walls, balconies, and decks.
Which structural components require licensed inspection, and how often, varies by state and by what your local code has adopted. Whether a specific crack or settlement pattern is serious enough to require an engineer is a judgment call only a qualified professional can make.