Checking your house or building after an earthquake
What to look at first and when you need an engineer.
Photo: Michael Bader / Unsplash
After an earthquake, look at the structure before the finishes: diagonal cracks in walls, damage to columns and beams, doors that no longer close and sloping floors justify an assessment. DDES inspects the building, separates structural damage from damage to finishes and delivers a report on what needs to be done. If something could fall, leave first and alert your municipal risk management office.
- Service
- Assessment and retrofit
- Deliverable
- Assessment report
- For
- Owners and condominiums
Message us on WhatsApp and an engineer will reply.
What to have at hand
- General photos of the building and of each area of damage, with a ruler or coin for scale.
- When each crack appeared and whether it was there before the earthquake.
- Number of stories, type of structure and approximate year of construction.
- The building's drawings and any work done on it, if you have them.
How we solve it
- Review of your photos to decide how soon a visit is needed.
- Inspection of walls, columns, beams, slabs and stairs.
- If needed, tests such as rebar scanning to see the reinforcement.
- Report with the level of damage, recommendations for use and the repair or retrofit required.
Which damage is most serious?
The concern is damage to the elements that hold the building up: columns, beams and load-bearing walls. Also diagonal cracks, sloping floors and facade or gable walls that have shifted, because they can fall. Fine cracks in the plaster or between a wall and a beam are usually in the finishes, though an inspection confirms that.
What does the NSR-10 say?
Chapter A.10 covers existing buildings, including the repair of buildings damaged by earthquakes (A.10.1.3.6). Depending on the damage and the age of the building, the engineer decides whether a repair is enough or whether a seismic vulnerability study and a retrofit are advisable.
What if it already had cracks?
Mention it during the visit. An old crack that grew after the earthquake means something different from one that has stayed the same, and a structure with earlier damage has less reserve against the next earthquake.
Technical notes
The November 3, 2026 earthquake in Chaparral, Tolima: what to check in your building
Magnitude 5.6, shallow, and felt in Bogotá, Cali, Ibagué and Armenia. Which damage justifies calling an engineer.
Existing buildings: when the NSR-10 requires an assessment and a retrofit
Changes of use, extensions, structural alterations and earthquake damage: what chapter A.10 requires.
Seismic vulnerability study: what it is, when the NSR-10 requires it and what it includes
Chapter A.10 compares the existing structure with a new one and expresses it in two indices: overstress and flexibility.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my house was damaged by an earthquake?
Check for diagonal cracks in walls, damage to columns or beams, doors that no longer close or sloping floors. If you find any, ask for an assessment. If something could fall, leave first.
Can I keep living in the building while it is checked?
It depends on the damage. With damage to columns or beams, or walls that could fall, the prudent course is to leave and alert the risk management office. In other cases, the engineer will tell you at the inspection.
Can the report be used with the insurer or the condominium?
The report documents the damage and its technical cause, and can support a claim or a decision by the owners' assembly.
Other situations
- Adding a second floorBefore adding a floor you need to know whether the house can carry it.
- Home structural retrofitSo an older structure resists what today's code requires.
- Crack assessmentNot every crack is serious, but every crack that grows needs to be studied.
- Warehouse designFrames, roof, floor slab and foundation, designed together.
- Retaining wallsFor basements, level changes and sloping lots.
- Tanks and poolsStructures that must not only stand but also not leak.
- Steel mezzanineMore usable floor area inside the same warehouse or store.
- Building permitWhich structural documents the curaduría asks for and who signs them.
Last updated:
Legal notice. This content is informational and general in nature. It is not professional advice and does not replace the studies, designs and calculations of a licensed engineer, who must assess each project individually. References to the NSR-10 and other codes must be checked against their current official text. DDES accepts no liability for decisions made solely on the basis of this information.
Contact
Do you have doubts after the earthquake?
Send us photos on WhatsApp. A DDES engineer tells you whether an inspection is worthwhile.
Our team works in Spanish. You can write to us in English and we will get back to you.
Photo: Julia Taubitz / Unsplash