Valerie Hill, P.E., PLLC

PSA from a structural engineer!

These relatively easy maintenance tips with your house will help reduce the chances of structural and water intrusion issues in the future!

1. CLEAN YOUR GUTTERS OFTEN. Even if you have gutter guards! This will help reduce water intrusion into your roof eaves and at your foundation.
2. USE DOWNSPOUT EXTENDERS to divert water away from your foundation. This will help reduce water intrusion into your foundation.
3. CHECK YOUR ROOF VENT BOOTS to make sure they aren’t dry rotted and the sealant around the PVC pipe is in tact. This is the primary cause of water intrusion through roofs.
4. IF YOU HAVE A CRAWLSPACE, have a thick plastic v***r barrier over the soil that is CONTINUOUS. This will reduce humidity in the crawlspace (therefore reducing mold spores/microbial growth on your framing).
5. IF YOU HAVE A CRAWLSPACE keep your crawlspace vents open! Your crawlspace NEEDS ventilation YEAR ROUND to help lower humidity. It’s a myth that you need to close them in the winter to keep it warm. You have insulation in your floor joists for a reason!

Xoxo your friendly structural & forensic engineer!

On 03/25/2024, we welcomed Savannah Jade Hill into our family a week early. We are happy and healthy and enjoying our time as a new family of four.

I will be on maternity leave until July 1. Thank you for your patience during this time.

Let’s talk about milling your own lumber for the structure of your building. In theory- sounds awesome! In practice, not allowed.

When grading a piece of lumber for structural use, there are many factors that go into it: how many knots (and size/location of knots) are in the piece, the size, the species, any visual defects, is it dried properly, etc. The minimum grade of lumber we engineers designate/design to is a number 2. There is no way to have the lumber you milled from your property visually or mechanically graded unless by someone who is certified in grading lumber/timber. The closest person to visually grade lumber/timber you self mill for VA is in PA.

If you choose to ignore these regulations, you will like get increased long-term deflection (creep), increased checking (from shrinkage), and potentially some bowing of the members.

Feel free to use your milled lumber for shelves, trim, and maybe even flooring instead!

Who doesn’t love a pie chart? 😜

This was the percentage breakdown of different project types I did in 2023 based on the total number of projects. The highest percentage being home renovations or additions. The next highest percentage (close second) was inspections/forensic of homes where homeowners or the home inspect brought up a structural concern.

This information is consistent with real estate trends from last year, where building custom homes was expensive, so people were renovating what they had or building onto it with what they needed. But still quite a few people were purchasing houses and wanting a structural engineer’s perspective on something!

Hoping 2024 brings more of the same!

A big THANK YOU to all the homeowners, realtors, architects, contractors, developers, fellow engineers, and lenders who have supported my small business this past year! Either by hiring me, partnering with me, referring me, or giving me words of encouragement, I appreciate all of it. This little business has far exceeded every expectation and goal I have set, leaving me to believe that the opportunity for growth and success is limitless. And that’s because of YOU! Thank you and I wish you all a happy, healthy, and fruitful 2024!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

-Valerie

I’ve been a little slow to respond and behind on projects the last few weeks because I’ve been busy growing another future female engineer!

Baby Girl Hill due April 1, 2024!

We bought a farmhouse! Our (new to us) farmhouse was built in the 1920s and is named Cherry Hill. It’s on 43 acres with lots of fun buildings we can’t wait to renovate and make into new buildings!

We plan on renovating the interior of the farmhouse in the next few months. I’ll post photos along our renovation process. 😊

Big thank you to our fantastic realtor, () who helped us navigate rocky waters, ( ) for making our lending process smooth and uneventful, and for providing us an easy closing!

On to our next big adventure!!

A new (or recurring) crack versus an existing (old) crack.

New cracks have jagged edges and appear bright within the crack. Old cracks have weathered (smoother) edges.

How to tell how old it is? Use context clues! The newer crack has appeared since this homeowner has painted the brick since the crack does not have paint on it. The older crack has paint within the crack.

But when in doubt, call a structural engineer! I’m happy to figure it out for you!

Another ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ testimonial from a former client 🥰 This is why I love doing what I do.

Get yourself a structural engineer that goes on roofs!

Going on the roof allows me to figure out how water is getting into your house and attic space. I can check the condition of your mortar cap on your chimney, the condition of your flashing around the chimney, and how well the boots are sealed around your roof penetrations.

COMING SOON!! I will [finally] be designing and building an official Valerie Hill PE PLLC website in 2023!!

I started this structural engineering business in April 2022 with no expectations or idea where it would lead. But it has been a wonderful adventure to say the least.

I have been overwhelmed with gratitude for all the support this community has given me this past year. I wanted to take some time to thank every one of you for entrusting me with your project, referring me to others, and believing in me and my small business! From the bottom of my heart, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!

I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday and new year! Let’s see what projects 2023 has to bring!

I always enjoy finding hidden treasures in historic houses that I am hired to inspect for structural issues. Today I found two Christmas cards, some photos and a couple bills on the floor of a house from 1940s (according to the dates on the bills). The homeowner said they fell out from behind a mantle in the primary bedroom!

Can’t be afraid to get a little dirty in a crawlspace to get the information you need for your clients!

This deserves an actual post.

Cement is the flour. The aggregate is the chocolate chips. The water is the butter. The baking process is the chemical reaction process between the wet and the dry “ingredients”. The concrete is the cookie.

I hope that explains it better for everyone! Although I apologizing in advance for making you crave cookies.😂❤️🍪

My daughter Piper, future structural engineer! Reading code books (specifically the NDS) at the age of 18 months. 😍🥰

Happy Labor Day to everyone in the labor force! I hope you had a fun and safe weekend celebrating with friends and family!

My husband and I spent Labor Day weekend moving a large pile of wood chips and spreading it around our raised garden beds. We definitely provided labor during Labor Day weekend!

First time visiting as a Charlottesville resident, second time since I first went as a kid. This time I was able to appreciate the beautiful architecture and structural aspects of this 250 year old residence.

Count on a structural engineer to always find engineering toys to play with at the

When you are a mom and a structural engineer and you take playing with blocks a little too seriously.

“Concrete cracks” - every structural engineer.

There are many reasons why concrete cracks. It could be that there weren’t enough or sufficiently spaced expansion joints, not enough reinforcement, settlement, high tensile loads, cracks around an opening or beam seat (see photos), or due to material shrinkage as it cures.

Concrete performs poorly in tension, but great in compression. Reinforcement (rebar) is added to strengthen the concrete’s tensile capacity.

So, what do you do if you see cracks in your structural concrete? General rule of thumb is if it’s less than 1/8” wide, it’s cosmetic. However, it is often beneficial to seal the crack so water can’t pass through and cause it to increase in width from freeze-thaw (temperature) cycles. If the crack is greater than 1/8”, then it is beneficial to call a structural engineer to evaluate the crack and recommend a repair!

Have you seen cracks in your concrete foundation before?

Jumping on this trend with a “Little Miss woman engineer in a male dominated industry”. But mainly to share some struggles I have personally had while working as a female structural engineer in a primarily male dominated construction and engineering industry.

I have sat in a room filled only with other (male) engineers and have been asked what I did for the company I worked for at the time.

My professional advice has been questioned by men in the construction industry and in front of other men in the industry.

My knowledge, education, and experience in the field has been belittled by men who think they’ve been doing it “the right/same way for 40 years with no issues”.

I was told by a colleague when I was an intern that woman in this industry either had to be a b*tch or “sweet as can be” to get things done in a man’s world.

It is sometimes frustrating to have to justify my worth, knowledge, and professional capabilities to male counterparts in this industry. But I try to use it as fuel to drive my career. I try to educate other young female engineers of various ways to deal with these type of comments. And I try to encourage and inspire future female engineers to join the industry! Fuel the fire! 🔥

We need more structural engineers in the world (especially women engineers)! I highly recommend getting your kids (also nieces/nephews, your friend’s children, grandkids, etc.) this book, “Baby Loves Structural Engineering!” by Ruth Spiro! This book honestly blew my mind how it explained loads and forces to children (swipe to see examples). Great illustrations showing the loads acting on houses too!

…Who am I kidding? I probably should be recommending this to most adults too! Anyways, check this book out for a basic introduction to structural engineering and let’s raise some future structural engineers!

[And a special “Thank you” to my friend who bought this book for my baby, .m.hough 💜]

‼️ ATTENTION LOCAL CHARLOTTESVILLE CONTRACTORS!! ‼️

I am looking to get to know some other local business in the construction and real estate industry to build my “preferred vendor” list here in Charlottesville. Essentially, I want to add YOU!

I am specifically looking for contractors, small construction companies, or individuals who specialize in:

🛠Wood Truss Repairs
🛠Repointing (tuckpointing) cracks in CMU or brick masonry
🛠 Small residential renovations (vaulted ceiling, bearing wall removal, etc)
🛠 Wood framing repairs (water damage, dry rot, or insect damage)
🛠 Flitch beam and/or steel in residential applications
🛠 Historic house renovations

If you feel like you fit the bill for one or multiple items, let’s connect and chat! Please either comment below or DM me!

Structural engineering isn’t always sunshine ☀️and rainbows 🌈… sometimes there are snakes 🐍, or in this case, a plethora of snake skins.

How many snake skins can you find in this photo? 👉 swipe to see them circled and the answer is in the comments.