http://www.trulia.com/voices/Home_Buying/Specialist_inspector_needed_masonry_contractor_an-143915I recently had a thorough general inspection on a townhouse I'm in process of purchasing. The inspector discovered a shear crack in the masonry above the garage lintel. The crack extends straight downward for about 3 feet, from the deck lumber to the steel lintel on the top of the garage, and has since been filled with some kind of caulk. The inspector recommended I contact a masonry contractor and/or structural engineer that specializes in analysis of such cracks (i.e. to determine whether this issue will be limited to the damage that has already occurred, or is indicative of bigger future problems such as foundation issues, load wall issues, etc.). Unfortunately, the inspector was unable to provide me with a specific referral, citing conflict of interest reasons. Can anyone recommend a good expert for this kind of situation? I'm looking for an independent opinion from someone not affiliated with the developer. I want to be clear...I'm not looking for another general inspector.en-ushttp://www.trulia.com/voices/profile/Real_Estate_Pro-Chicago_IL-325514/http://www.trulia.com/voices/profile/Real_Estate_Pro-Chicago_IL-325514/Contact Arrow Masonry and Exteriors Inc 800-882-5768 They are specialist in masonry work. Professional recognized dealing with a lot of Chicago land masonry problems. I do not work for them nor do I benefit from recommending them.Fri, 24 Jul 2009 07:56:48 -0700http://www.trulia.com/voices/profile/Real_Estate_Pro-Chicago_IL-141994/http://www.trulia.com/voices/profile/Real_Estate_Pro-Chicago_IL-141994/Your best resource is angies list (www.angieslist.org) they have all sorts of independent reviews, so you can quickly find an expert in your area with an A rating and then read all the reviews before calling for an estimate. I use them for everything... Good luck!Thu, 09 Jul 2009 06:35:23 -0700http://www.trulia.com/voices/profile/Real_Estate_Pro-Oak_Brook_IL-172799/http://www.trulia.com/voices/profile/Real_Estate_Pro-Oak_Brook_IL-172799/If you know an architect, contact him for an engineer.This sounds like it could be a serious situation and an engineer is the one to call. You can go to the Better business bureau website and there are are a lot of qualified architects and you need a structural engineer. Good luck.Wed, 08 Jul 2009 17:44:53 -0700