The engineer behind the guides

Background

Rebecca Scherzinger is a geotechnical engineer and a licensed Professional Engineer in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana, with an MS in geotechnical engineering from Virginia Tech. Geotechnical engineering is the branch of civil engineering that deals with soil, rock and groundwater, and how they carry and push on structures. That is the knowledge at the center of almost every homeowner question on this site: why a wall cracks, why a floor sinks, and why water finds its way into a basement.

Professional work has included landslide investigations, geotechnical instrumentation and design support for retaining walls. Rebecca also serves as an officer of a local section of the American Society of Civil Engineers and is a member of the Deep Foundations Institute's Women in Deep Foundations committee. Rebecca's public profile is on LinkedIn.

The guides here are written for homeowners, not engineers. The aim is to explain what a professional would look for, which measurements matter, and where a guide stops being enough and someone needs to see the house in person.

Areas of expertise

• Soil behavior and settlement
• Foundation cracks and movement
• Retaining and basement walls
• Expansive clay and heave
• Groundwater and drainage
• Crawl space moisture
• Concrete and masonry
• Repair methods and costs

How every guide is checked

1. Thresholds against standards. Crack widths, humidity targets and tolerances are checked against primary sources such as the IRC, ACI guidance, EPA advice, BRE Digest 251 and AS 2870.
2. Verdicts against engineering judgement. Each Normal, Watch or Call an engineer verdict is reviewed for whether it would hold up in front of another engineer.
3. Repair advice against the alternatives. Where several repair methods exist, the guide explains when each one fits, including the cheaper option and the "no repair needed" option.
4. Dates kept honest. The "last updated" date changes only when the content does.

What our engineer does not do

A guide cannot replace a site visit. Our engineer doesn't diagnose individual homes from photos sent by email, doesn't recommend specific contractors, and doesn't claim inspections or projects that did not happen. If a guide tells you to call an engineer, it means a local, licensed professional who can see the structure.