Homeowner's Guide · Structural Repair
Major Structural Repairs in North Vancouver: Beams, Floors & Foundations
Most builders avoid structural work. We specialize in it. When a home needs major structural repair — a failing beam, floors that have dropped, a foundation that's moved — the fix is only as good as the diagnosis behind it. Here's how serious structural work actually gets done.
Diagnosis comes before repair — always
The single most important part of any structural repair is understanding why it's happening. Sagging floors, cracking walls, and sticking doors are symptoms; the cause could be a failing beam, a settling foundation, rot, or an overloaded floor system. Treating the symptom without finding the cause is how homeowners pay twice. Every major structural job we do starts on site, tracing the problem to its source — not quoting a fix over the phone.
Beam replacement and load paths
A beam carries the weight of everything above it down to the foundation. When a beam is undersized, damaged, or was removed or altered in a past renovation, that load has nowhere proper to go — and the house shows it. Replacing or reinforcing a beam means temporarily supporting the structure, installing the new member, and re-establishing a clean load path to the foundation. It's precise work, often with an engineer, and it's central to what we do.
Re-levelling sagging and sloping floors
Floors slope for a reason — usually something below them has moved or failed: posts, beams, joists, or the foundation itself. Re-levelling isn't about jacking a floor flat and hoping; it's about fixing what caused the drop and then bringing the structure back to level in a controlled way. Done properly, it's permanent. Done as a cosmetic patch, it comes back.
Foundation and underpinning work
When the foundation itself has settled, cracked, or was never adequate for the loads above, the repair reaches all the way down. Underpinning strengthens and extends a foundation deeper to reach stable support; other cases call for reinforcement, drainage correction, or wall stabilization. This is demanding, methodical work — and it's the base everything else in the house depends on.
Why an engineer and a permit protect you
Major structural repairs almost always involve a structural engineer and a permit — and that's a good thing. The engineer specifies the fix, the permit triggers inspections, and together they mean the repair is verified, not just hoped-for. We coordinate the engineer and manage the permit and inspection process as part of the job, so the work is documented and sound.
The kind of work most builders won't touch
Structural repair is harder, riskier, and less glamorous than a kitchen or a new deck — which is exactly why many general contractors quietly steer around it. Three generations of building on the North Shore taught us the opposite: get the structure right and everything else follows. If another builder told you they'd "rather not get into the structural side," that's the conversation we're built for.
Not sure how serious it is? Start with 7 signs of a structural problem, why floors sag, or whether a foundation crack is serious. Wondering who to call? See engineer vs. contractor.
Talk to a builder you can trust
Every Twin Peaks project starts with a free, no-pressure conversation: an honest scope, a clear schedule, and a fixed quote before any work begins.