Building Assessments that Answer the Question You're Actually Asking

Every Building Assessment is Really a Decision Aid

Building assessments get commissioned for specific decisions: is this building worth buying, is this building worth keeping, is this building worth refinancing, is this building's capital plan realistic, is this building safe to reoccupy after damage? A report that doesn't answer the underlying decinclude a destination, an owner-facing remediation report, an insurer-facing claim-support report, and a litigation-facing expert reporequesting a 'capital plan' often really needs a reserve-fund study structured in accordance withinclude a destination-focused owner-facing remediation report, an insurer-facing claim-support report, and a litigation-facing expert report, each of which requires different rigour anddue diligence reports focus on deal risk: what's wrong, what's deferred, andrt, each requiring different rigour andision is a waste ofdue diligence reports focus on deal risk, what's wrong, what's deferred, andidentifying what will need replacement in each of the next 20 years everyone's time. Our building assessment practice starts by clarifying exactly which decision the report is feeding, then scopes the investigation, the reporting depth, and the recommendation framing to that decision.

DWE delivers building assessments for owners, buyers, lenders, insurers, and managers. Because our structural, mechanical, electrical, envelope, fire-protection, and civil teams all work under one roof, our assessments don't require a separate subconsultant for each discipline. The same people who design buildings are the ones evaluating them, which means our recommendations come with realistic remediation scoping and defensible cost ranges.

The Three Most Common Assessment Formats

Three assessment formats cover most of what our clients need. Pre-purchase and due-diligence reports focus on deal risk, what's wrong, what's deferred, what might force capital within the next three to five years. Capital plans and reserve-fund studies focus on long-term ownership planning, what will need replacement in each year of the next twenty, with priced line items and reserve-fund contribution recommendations. ASHRAE energy audits (Levels 1, 2, and 3) focus on energy performance, where the energy goes, where it's wasted, and what the payback is on specific retrofits.

We run all three formats, and we know when a client thinks they want one and actually needs another. A prospective buyer asking for a 'condition assessment' often really needs due diligence. A property manager asking for a 'capital plan' often really needs a reserve-fund study structured according to the provincial condominium or co-op regulations. We tell clients which product actually serves the decision they're trying to make.

Post-Incident and Insurance Assessments

Following fire, flood, vehicle impact, envelope failure, or prolonged deferred maintenance, building owners and insurers need fast, defensible engineering assessments to support insurance claims, occupancy decisions, and remediation planning. Our post-incident work is scoped to the destination, an owner-facing remediation report, an insurer-facing claim-support report, and a litigation-facing expert report, each of which requires different rigour and different framing. We scope to match.

Reports Built for the Decision You're Actually Making

For architects and owner's reps, existing-conditions reports collapse structural, mechanical, and electrical observations into a single coordinated document, one visit, one team, one narrative, rather than three disconnected consultant reports you then have to reconcile. For developers, acquisition-grade and refinance-grade reports use language and format that CMHC, lenders, insurers, and counsel will accept, delivered on the timelines the deal actually runs on. For property managers and capital planners, the report comes with a realistically priced capital plan and clear repair-versus-replace logic, not a list of deficiencies you still have to turn into a budget.

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