Some homeowners underestimate the difficulty of performing specific home renovations. Although simple tasks like paint jobs don’t always need professional help, some tasks are much more challenging without p. For example, a loft conversion or basement home extension needs a structural engineer to ensure you’re the execution of your project’s precision and safety.
Hiring a structural engineer is necessary for complex home renovations, especially if your plans involve major alterations to your home. However, not many homeowners know the difference between a structural engineer, architect, and even their building contractor. Clarifying a structural engineer’s responsibilities will make it easier to gauge whether you’re hiring the right building professional for your project.
How Does a Structural Engineer Affect Home Renovations?
A structural engineer varies out calculations and drafts drawings that are necessary for building control approval. These figures and samples will also be the basis for your contractors to estimate the corresponding quote for your project’s completion, with material options included. Their decision-making will ensure that your home will be structurally safe amidst the renovations you aim to add or remove to your home.
How Does a Structural Engineer Do Their Job?
They’ll first need to hear your specifications and any initial plans for your building project. Afterward, they will visit your home on-site to consolidate your building plans’ accuracy with its current measurements. This allows them to make precise calculations and drawings that will be used as a reference by the building contractor’s team. If your renovation doesn’t require planning approval, you can move straight away to ordering materials and coordinating with a project calendar.
However, if your home needs planning approval, you’ll need a structural engineer to ensure that your specifications are fit to prove the stability of your project’s outcome. Additionally, any amendments to their revised structural design will cost more considering the time it takes to reassess your home’s current measurements.
Can I Just Hire an Architect Instead of A Structural Engineer?
Architects and structural engineers work hand-in-hand for building projects, especially for complex jobs. An architect’s role will depend on how complex your project will be. In comparison, a structural engineer will always be necessary on call if you’re dealing with structural work. If you’re planning to break down some parts of your home’s foundations for more space or converting your attic to a loft, you’ll need a structural engineer’s help.
What’s the Cost of Hiring a Structural Engineer?
As mentioned above, a structural engineer’s initial role is to prepare structural drawings and precise calculations for your project. This is the most basic task they can perform for you. They could also forward it to building control on your behalf and perform a site inspection if necessary. Since some professionals have varying degrees of work involvement, any extra work should be communicated between you and your chosen structural engineer.
Conclusion
The home building process involves several construction and development professionals that must work together to give you a quality product. Although it’s possible to hire them individually from referrals, it’s best to find a construction firm with everyone in the same place. This ensures that they’re familiar with each other’s working styles and will lead to healthy communication in executing one part of your home’s renovation to the next stage.
At ASR Engineers, we give our customers access to collaborate with specialists in the five major disciplines in Engineering. Our team is also well-connected with trustworthy building partners that can complete the best team for your construction project’s needs. If you need a capable residential structural engineer in Ontario, contact us today.
