Inspec Chicago

Building envelope consultants in Chicago

Inspec's Chicago office works for building owners, facility managers, property managers and design teams who need an independent read on an enclosure problem. We inspect, test, investigate, design repairs and advise. We do not sell materials and we do not perform the repair work, so the findings and the recommended scope are not tied to anything we would be paid to install.

Work usually reaches us in one of three ways: something is leaking and nobody can say why, a building is changing hands or being budgeted and the owner needs to know the real condition of the roof and walls, or a project is being designed and the enclosure details need review before they are built. All of that is covered in more depth on our building enclosure consulting pages; this page is about how that work looks in Chicago.

The Chicago office

With over 50 years of experience, and a Chicago office since 2003, Inspec has been a trusted name in architectural and engineering consulting in the Chicago metropolitan area. Our independent firm specializes in building enclosure components like roofs, walls, windows, and waterproofing, as well as stormwater management, outdoor athletic facilities, and building enclosure commissioning (BECx). Inspec's Chicago office provides regional expertise, helping clients across Illinois maximize their building's lifecycle with sustainable design and preventative maintenance.

Our local Chicago-based team includes engineers, architects, certified thermographers, and field observers who are dedicated to providing solutions tailored to the unique demands of the Chicago market. With a commitment to quality and value, Inspec has been helping Chicago's businesses and public institutions thrive for decades.

The Chicago building stock we are called to

Vintage masonry, parapets and lintels

A large share of the city is load-bearing and clad masonry built long before current detailing practice. Parapets, coping joints, shelf angles, window heads and mortar that has been repointed several times over are common sources of interior water. Our article on parapet wall restoration covers the conditions we look for above the roofline.

High-rise curtain wall, storefront and windows

Wind-driven rain on tall exposed elevations finds gaps that a hose test at grade will never reproduce. For those buildings we combine visual survey, opening up of suspect assemblies and field testing. See exterior wall inspection and facade leak investigation for method. Owners with periodic exterior wall examination obligations under the city's facade ordinance are welcome to call and talk through the inspection scope with an engineer.

Low-slope roofs and rooftop congestion

Chicago freeze-thaw cycling, ponding on older decks, and roofs crowded with mechanical equipment, screens and amenity decks all shorten service life and complicate replacement planning. Our commercial roof inspection work documents what is actually on the deck and what condition it is in.

Below-grade space and plaza decks

Basements, below-grade parking and occupied plaza decks over conditioned space are a recurring source of chronic dampness. That work is described under below-grade waterproofing.

Site, pavement and drainage

Our civil group works on the ground around the building — parking areas, drives and surface drainage. See pavement engineering and consulting.

How an engagement typically starts

Tell us what you are seeing, where it shows up inside, and what has already been tried. From there we agree a scope: a walk-through and condition survey, a targeted leak investigation, testing of a representative assembly, or a review of drawings and details before construction. After the site visit you receive a written report with photographs, our findings and recommended next steps, in a form you can use for budgeting or for bidding repair work.

If your portfolio extends beyond Illinois, we also have offices in Milwaukee and Minneapolis, Minnesota — see all Inspec locations. To reach the Chicago team, use our contact page.