Residential
Single-family design, additions, structural modifications, elevated and coastal construction, and custom framing systems.
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Years of Combined Structural & Forensic Experience
The "Century of Experience" Advantage
Independent Engineering: The evidence writes the report. We never perform the repairs we specify, so our conclusions carry no sales motive. Every assignment runs like a forensic case: conditions documented, loads analyzed, failure mechanisms identified. When an adjuster, a plan reviewer, or opposing counsel pressure-tests the report, the evidence is already inside it.
Ph.D. Led Structural Practice
Structural Engineering Services in Florida
Structural engineering answers a different question than testing does. Not what is in the building, but whether the building can carry what you are about to ask of it.
Everest BCG's structural practice is led by Dr. Yasir Al-Lebban, Ph.D., P.E., a multi-state licensed Professional Engineer whose work spans new construction design, forensic investigation, and building code compliance.
We provide sealed design for new residential, multifamily, and commercial construction, evaluations of existing structures, forensic investigation of structural and building envelope damage, and support when a permit stalls in plan review. All of it for properties throughout Florida.
Florida Licensed Professional Engineer
Signed and Sealed Deliverables
FBC and ASCE 7 Compliance
Forensic Informed Design
Why Structural Engineering
Why Structural Engineering Starts With the Ground
The Forensic Truth
Most firms design to code minimums and call it a day. Our team's foundation is the other end of a building's life: investigating why structures fail.
Foundations distressed by Central Florida's karst geology, truss roofs and connections that let go under hurricane wind, and load paths interrupted when a 1980s floor plan gets opened up all change how an engineer reads a building. Once you have documented those failures firsthand, you evaluate and design differently.
That perspective fits this market precisely. A structural engineer in Florida has to tell ordinary settlement apart from sinkhole activity on Monday and evaluate a condominium building near the coast on Tuesday.
Whether we are quantifying storm damage, investigating foundation distress, supporting a defect claim, or producing sealed plans, calculations, and specifications for an addition, the question is constant: how does this structure perform under real conditions? For the wind-load requirements that govern Florida design, see the Florida Building Code.
Storm and wind damage, sinkhole and settlement concerns, permit-ready plans, and litigation support all benefit from documentation that starts with confirmed engineering rather than assumption.
Litigation support
Cause-and-origin analysis
Defensible documentation
Storm & wind damage
Sinkhole & settlement
Permit-ready plans
New Construction Design
Sealed Design for Florida Building Loads
Every design is developed against the current Florida Building Code and ASCE 7 wind load criteria for the specific site.
Multifamily
Townhome, apartment, and condominium structures, including foundation systems, lateral design, and connection detailing across repetitive units.
Commercial
Retail, office, light industrial, and specialty structures, with structural systems developed alongside your architect and coordinated through permit.
Existing Buildings
Evaluation of Existing Structures
We evaluate foundation settlement, cracked slabs and stem walls, sagging or deflecting floors, deteriorated framing, corroded reinforcement, spalling concrete, balcony and railing conditions, and roof framing that has been altered without engineering.
Building envelope conditions get evaluated alongside the structure, because moisture intrusion is frequently the mechanism behind what looks like a framing or concrete problem.
The output is a condition assessment that tells you what is happening, why, whether it is progressing, and what the repair requires.
Forensic Structural Investigation
Root Cause When the Cause Is in Dispute
We determine what happened, when, and by what mechanism, then document it to a standard that survives review.
Damage Mechanism
Common subjects include hurricane and wind damage, roof failures, moisture intrusion, foundation movement, impact damage, and construction defect questions.
Cause Analysis
Wind, hail, flood, fire, and plumbing losses regularly raise structural questions, and the cause analysis and repair scope come from the same investigation.
Review-Ready Opinion
When a report goes to an adjuster, opposing expert, or board reviewing a major assessment, the standard is higher than a permit set.
Permit Review Response
When Plan Review Stalls
Plan reviewers issue comments. Somebody has to answer them with a sealed response, and projects sit idle while that gets sorted out.
We prepare engineer of record letters, respond to plan review corrections, provide sealed calculations and details, address deferred submittals, and produce affidavits and clarification letters for building departments across Florida.
If your permit is stuck on a structural comment, send us the comment and we will tell you what it requires before you commit to anything.
Condo and Co-Op Buildings
Milestone Inspections and Reserve Studies
Florida Statute 553.899 requires condominium and cooperative buildings of three or more habitable stories to complete a structural milestone inspection performed by a licensed engineer or architect.
The clock starts at 30 years from the certificate of occupancy date, and local enforcement agencies may require the first inspection at 25 years for buildings within three miles of the coast. Once your building official issues notice, Phase 1 must be completed within 180 days.
Milestone findings feed directly into Structural Integrity Reserve Study planning, since both address the same components and the same expected service lives.
When to Call
When to Bring in a Structural Engineer
A second opinion from an engineer with no stake in the repair contract costs a fraction of the work being proposed.
01
New construction design.Residential, multifamily, or commercial projects need sealed design and load criteria.
02
Permit comments.Your permit was denied or returned with structural comments that need a sealed response.
03
Wall removal.You want to remove a wall and need to know whether it is load bearing before demolition starts.
04
Cracks or movement.Slab, block wall, stucco, and foundation cracking need pattern and progression review.
05
Soft, sloped, or bouncy floors.Deflection can be serviceability, framing, support, or moisture related.
06
Altered framing.A roof, truss, or beam has been cut or altered, often discovered during unrelated renovation.
07
Structural loss questions.Storm, fire, water, or impact damage has affected structural elements.
08
Insurance or legal review.Your insurer, adjuster, attorney, or opposing expert needs an engineering evaluation.
09
Milestone inspection timing.A condominium or cooperative building is approaching its milestone inspection year.
10
Purchase due diligence.The inspection flagged something structural before closing.
Engineering Process
How the Process Works
A permit response, a claim, a board submission, and a design each require different work. Defining the deliverable up front keeps the fee proportional to the need.
Scope and Intake
We start with what you are trying to accomplish and what documentation you need at the end.
Investigation or Design
For evaluations, an engineer examines the structure and documents conditions. For design work, we develop the structural approach against the applicable code and load criteria.
Sealed Deliverable
You receive signed and sealed documents appropriate to the scope, whether that is drawings, calculations, a report, or a letter response.
What You Receive
Documents That Move the Project
Our reports are written to be used rather than admired. If the deliverable does not tell a contractor what to build or a reviewer what they asked for, it has not done its job.
Sealed Drawings
Signed and sealed structural drawings and details for permit submission.
Calculations
Structural calculations supporting the design and applicable load criteria.
Condition Reports
Condition assessment reports documenting observed conditions, causes, and recommended repairs.
Forensic Reports
Forensic investigation reports establishing cause and mechanism.
Repair Details
Repair details your contractor can build from.
Official Responses
Letters to building officials responding to specific plan review comments.
Milestone Reports
Milestone inspection reports in the format the local enforcement agency requires.
Practice Leader
Meet Dr. Yasir Al-Lebban, Ph.D., P.E.
Dr. Yasir Al-Lebban is a multi-state licensed Professional Engineer specializing in structural engineering, forensic investigation, and building code compliance. He holds advanced degrees in civil and structural engineering, with experience across Florida and the southeastern United States on residential, commercial, and specialty structures.
His investigative work focuses on identifying the cause and extent of structural and building envelope damage, including hurricane and wind impacts, roof failures, moisture intrusion, foundation movement, and compliance questions under the Florida Building Code and ASCE 7.
His experience teaching university level engineering courses shapes how findings get explained, which matters when the audience is a homeowner, a board of directors, or a jury rather than another engineer.
Credentials
Engineering Experience That Holds Up
The structural practice brings design, code, forensic, and damage assessment experience into the same room. That matters when the deliverable has to satisfy a building official, adjuster, board, or court.
Ph.D. led practice with advanced degrees in civil and structural engineering
Multi-state licensed Professional Engineers
Florida Building Code and ASCE 7 compliance
Forensic investigation across wind, hurricane, hail, flood, fire, and plumbing losses
Building envelope and moisture intrusion evaluation
Expert testimony and challenged opinion experience
IICRC WRT Certified water damage professionals
Certified Xactimate estimators
Who We Work With
Structural Support for Every Side of the Project
The same structural answer has to work for very different audiences: owners, builders, contractors, architects, boards, adjusters, and attorneys.
Homeowners
Renovations, cracks, settlement, permit comments, and independent second opinions before expensive repairs.
Builders and Developers
Sealed design for new residential, multifamily, and commercial projects.
Contractors
Fast permit responses or engineering evaluation before committing to a scope.
Architects
Structural design support coordinated with the architecture and permitting path.
Associations and Managers
Milestone inspection deadlines, reserve planning, and aging building inventory.
Adjusters and Attorneys
Independent forensic analysis of a structural loss or challenged engineering opinion.
Florida Service Area
Structural Engineering Across Florida
Our office is in Altamonte Springs, and we work on properties throughout the state, including Central Florida, the Orlando metro, both coasts, and South Florida.
Location changes the engineering. Wind load requirements vary considerably across Florida, coastal properties face exposure and corrosion conditions inland buildings do not, and building departments differ in what they expect from a submission.
Enter a Florida city to reveal matching structural engineering pages.
No matching Florida service area found. Call (844) 322-2946 and we will point you to the right office.
Frequently Asked Questions
Structural Engineering FAQ
Who performs the engineering work?
Our structural practice is led by Dr. Yasir Al-Lebban, Ph.D., P.E., a multi-state licensed Professional Engineer. Work is performed and sealed under his license.
Do you handle new construction, or only existing buildings?
Both. New construction design across residential, multifamily, and commercial projects is a core part of the practice.
Is this wall load bearing?
Sometimes that can be determined from drawings and a site visit, and sometimes it requires opening a small area to confirm the framing above. Either way, answer it before demolition rather than after.
My permit was rejected over a structural comment. How fast can you turn that around?
It depends on the comment. Some require a letter, others require calculations or a revised detail. Send us the comment and we will tell you what it needs and how long it takes.
Are the cracks in my slab a problem?
Some are cosmetic and some indicate movement. Pattern, width, location, and whether they are progressing all matter, which is why a photo alone rarely settles it.
Do you perform milestone inspections?
Yes, for condominium and cooperative buildings subject to Florida Statute 553.899. Contact us early, since the 180 day Phase 1 window starts when your building official issues notice.
Do you do the repair or construction work?
No. We engineer and document. Keeping design separate from construction means the scope reflects the structure rather than a contract.
Can you serve as an expert witness?
Yes. Our structural lead has experience producing opinions that have been challenged and defended, and expert testimony is an established part of the practice.
Can you review another engineer's report?
Yes. Peer review and second opinions are a regular part of our work, particularly in claims and disputes.
How much does a structural evaluation cost?
It depends on scope, property size, and what documentation you need at the end. Describe the situation and we will quote it.
Get the Structural Answer in Writing
A Sealed Document That Says What to Do Next
Whether you are designing something new, evaluating something old, or trying to get a permit unstuck, the deliverable is the same: a sealed document that says what is true and what to do about it.