For attorneys and adjusters
What you are usually trying to establish
Most matters that reach me come down to one of three questions. What was actually built, as opposed to what the paperwork says. Whether the work met the standard a reasonable licensed contractor would have applied. Or whether a scope of work supports the conclusion someone has drawn from it.
Those are different exercises with different evidence requirements, and the one you pick changes what I need from you at the start. The expert witness page sets out the qualification behind the opinion.
The deliverable is a document, not a visit
What you receive is a written assessment: what was observed, when, under what conditions, photographed with timestamps, and separated cleanly into observation, inference and opinion. Where I cannot support a conclusion, the report says so rather than reaching for one.
I build evidence systems for a living, so chain of custody and version history are not an afterthought bolted on for litigation. A file handed over is organised for someone who intends to attack it.
Scope, conflicts and timing
Tell me the jurisdiction, the posture, and any deadline that already exists. Send the property address separately once we have established there is no conflict — I would rather run that check before either of us invests time.
If a matter needs an engineer's stamp, or falls outside building and roofing, I will tell you at the enquiry stage instead of accepting an engagement I would have to qualify later.