For Homeowners
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No two buildings fail the same way.
A roof that looks fine from the driveway can have compromised decking, failed pipe boots, and ventilation that's been wrong since it was built. A water stain the size of a dinner plate can trace back to a plumbing connection three floors up or a window flashing that's been leaking for a decade without anyone noticing.
We come in with instruments and follow the problem wherever it goes. If it needs a lab sample it gets a lab sample. If it needs a structural engineer we tell you that before you spend money finding out the hard way.
What you get at the end is a documented, independent picture of exactly what the building is doing — and what it's going to cost to ignore it.
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Numbers on a page don't mean anything without the work behind them. A line item can be correctly priced and completely wrong — right material, wrong measurement. Right labor rate, missing half the scope. Code-required upgrades that aren't listed because the person writing the estimate didn't know they were required. We pull the estimate apart line by line and compare it to what the building actually needs. If the numbers are right we'll tell you. If they're not we'll show you exactly where they break down and why.
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Your insurance policy is a contract written by attorneys who work for the carrier. It's not designed to be easy to read. It's designed to be precise — and precision favors the side that understands it. Ashley reads it the way it was written. Term by term. She identifies what's covered, what's excluded, what changed at your last renewal without anyone calling you, and where the language says something different than what you were told when you bought it. You shouldn't need a crisis to find out what you're paying for.
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Paid in full and done right are two different things. A roof can pass a visual check from the driveway and have flashing that wasn't replaced, ventilation that was never calculated, and decking that was billed but never touched. We inspect completed work against the agreed scope, manufacturer installation requirements, and current building code. If the work holds up you have documentation that says so. If it doesn't you have documentation that says that too.
For Contractors
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Your sales rep is good at selling. Asking him to also climb a roof in July, take 140 photos, identify cause of origin, document code deficiencies, and produce a report that might end up in front of a carrier examiner or a judge — that's a different job. And right now you're paying workers comp every time he does it with credentials that won't survive the first question in a dispute. We take the inspection entirely. Your closers stay on the ground doing what they're good at. What comes back is forensic-grade documentation with methodology, measurements, and credentials behind every finding. It didn't come from your payroll. It came from an independent firm. That changes the conversation before it starts.
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When the carrier's estimate doesn't match the job, the conversation stalls out at "contractor says X, adjuster says Y." We break the tie. Our scope is built from our own inspection with our own measurements, documented against code, manufacturer specs, and Xactimate line-item accuracy. It's not your supplement with a different letterhead. It's an independent scope built from independent findings — and it lands wherever the evidence lands.
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You don't need us to tell you how to frame a wall. But when the numbers need to hold up on paper — that's a different skill set. We work across Xactimate, RSMeans, and over a dozen industry cost databases, cross-referenced against local market research on material pricing, equipment rates, labor rates, and burden costs. Because lumber doesn't cost what it cost last year. Neither does insurance. Neither does overhead. A scope that doesn't account for what things actually cost today isn't a scope — it's a guess with formatting. Full project estimating, material takeoffs, labor breakdowns, job costing — from reroof to full gut renovation. We build the numbers. You build the project.
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Solicitation licensing, marketing materials, subcontractor agreements, financing disclosures, data handling — the stuff that doesn't matter until the day it does. We audit your current operations and build the documentation that keeps a complaint from becoming a problem. Retainer-based, ongoing, built for companies that plan to be around longer than the next storm season.
For Attorneys
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Most expert reports get built after the attorney gets involved. Ours exist before you do. Every Ward & Oakes file is produced with the same methodology, the same documentation standards, and the same evidentiary rigor whether it ends up on a kitchen table or in federal court. Cause of origin, code analysis, photographic documentation, independent scope — all built to survive cross-examination because that's how we build every file.
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Our forensic inspector has testified and been deposed. He doesn't shift under pressure and he doesn't overstate findings. What's in the report is what he says on the stand. Nothing more. Nothing less.
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Before you commit to a case, know what the building actually says. We review the file, inspect the property if needed, and give you a straight answer — is the damage there, does it support the theory, and will it hold up. Sometimes the answer is no. You want to know that before discovery, not during.
Commercial Property Owners/Managers
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Every building is spending your money whether you plan for it or not. We inspect the property and tell you three things — where money has to go right now, where it should go in the next 12-24 months, and what can wait. That's not a guess. It's based on documented conditions, component life cycles, and what those repairs cost today versus what they cost when they fail on a Saturday night.
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A $375,000 renovation bid is a number until someone pulls it apart. We review contractor proposals against actual scope, current material and labor costs, and industry standards. Is it over-scoped? Under-bid? Missing code-required work that'll show up as a change order in month three? You'll know before you sign.
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Buildings don't announce when they're about to become a problem. We identify the assemblies and components that are approaching failure, document what they'll cost to address now versus later, and flag code compliance issues that could affect your insurance, your tenants, or your next sale.
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When a property owner and a contractor disagree on scope, quality, or cost, the conversation goes in circles until someone independent looks at the work. We inspect against the agreed scope, manufacturer requirements, and code — and document what matches and what doesn't. Both sides get the same report.
Not sure where to start?
Call us. We'll figure out which service fits your situation in five minutes.
501-288-9455 | office@wardoakes.com