[MRM]

Paul, I'm not a structural engineer but I play one when I've spent the night at a Holiday Inn. Actually I'm a member of Hilton Honors so I stay in Doubletrees, but it works the same way.

It's hard to tell how bad things are from the pictures, but you will want to contact a geotechnical engineer rather than a civil engineer. You need a geotechnical engineer to evaluate the soils and why the house is settling and how to remediate it. The structural engineer will determine how to fix the foundation and retaining walls.

All in all, I'm not sure the fix is going to be as bad as you fear. Clearly there is an issue with water managment - there is a lot of blacktop and not a lot of places for the water that collects on it to go, but I think a good structural engineer with experience in concrete will be able to put you straight again after you have the soils and water management sorted out with the geotechnical guy. The house looks like it's an old fashioned true masonry-walled brick house. The foundation is probably feet thick. As long as it was reinforced properly you can do magic pushing the pieces back together. It's a nice looking house. I'd save it if I could. Demo on a house like that would be a nighmare.

Look in the yellow pages for a local consulting engineering firm that has structural, civil and geotechnical capabilities. I could send you to one right now off the top of my head if you were in the upper midwest. But since you're not, I can check around if you'd like. I had a case in Charleston a few years ago. I can check around and see who we used then and ask around for a good referral if you need it.