HOBB Community

I was able to get the license number of the engineer who designed my foundation, who is the same one who did the pre-pour inspection of the foundation, and the one who came out and said that the state of my foundation is normal. When I looked up his license number in the Texas Board of Profession Engineers, I found that the branch his license is under is ELE or electrical or electrical and computers. Is this individual qualified to create foundation plans for builders or inspect foundations or give opinion on the structual state of foundations?

I suggest that you contact the Texas Board of Professional Engineers with your information. Contact information for the Board, and complaint forms, are usually found on a state PE board's website.

The PE Board may or may not follow up on your complaint. If they do follow up, then the Board may or may not discipline the engineer. If they do discipline him, then it may take the form of a letter of reprimand, a suspended license, or a fine.

None of these will fix your house; but, they may help should you decide to sue for damages. I'm not an attorney, so you should take my comments with "a grain of salt".

What kind of crap is this? This is off the Texas Board of Professional Engineers. So anyone can build or design a house in Texas?

Can an engineer who is licensed as a civil engineer practice in mechanical engineering or similar disciplines?

A license holder may perform any engineering assignment for which the engineer is qualified by education, examination, or experience to perform adequately and competently. Refer to Board Rule 137.59(b). Branches of competency can be found with the PE Search function.

As one radio talk show host has said many times. if you have a pickup truck and a dog, you can build  houses in the state of Tx. Remember one thing, all it takes to be a builder is your name, S.S. # and $500. You can hang your shingle. As Janet had stated Financial responsibility and knowledge are optional.

I probably should not have speculated on what the Texas Board of Professional Engineers may or may not do.

Have you filed your complaint with the Board? If not, then I urge you to do so.

Let us know what happens.

Whats the difference in an engineer licensed with the Texas Board of Professional Engineers and an engineer who is a Licensed Professional Real Estate Inspector?

typically, an engineer who is licensed with the State Board of Professional Engineers has an engineering degree, has passed two exams (Engineer In Training, after college, and, 4 years later, Professional Engineer), has at least 4 years engineering working experience after graduation from college, and has received the endorsement of at least 3 other licensed professional engineers. There are a very few "grandfathering" exceptions, typically granted years ago when new requirements became law; by and large, professional engineers must meet these minimum requiements before a license is granted.

I don't know the requirements for a licensed real estate inspector. Perhaps someone else can help out there.