Why hire  an Engineer?  What are the Benefits?

 

  1. 1. For life-safety reasons - “to keep the roof over your head and the deck below your feet”.

  2. 2. You “need to know” if a structure is considered “dangerous”, and if it needs repairs sooner than later.

  3. 3. The lending institution requires an “engineer’s review and report”.

  4. 4. The Building Inspector or Planning Department requires an “engineered design” to get a permit.

  5. 5. The “One- or Two-Family Dwelling” does not meet all of the requirements of the International Residential Building Code (IRC)

  6. 6. The location, materials or geometry of the building may exclude all, or part, of the structure from use of the prescriptive, IRC, codes.  (Building Officials are often very helpful determining these requirements.)

  7. 7.  The structure, or building, is not a “One- or Two-Family Dwelling”, or it is a “commercial” project, such as an office building, warehouse, or school, which falls under the (more complex) International Building Code (or IBC) which the 2007 Minnesota State Building Code adopts.

  8. 8. Wanting an economical “plan” - so that you don’t over-spend on construction materials, to have the loads properly supported.  The savings on structural components can be put into the architectural finishes & furnishings.

  9. 9. Wanting to “know how” to build, fix, or make alterations to the structure, so that it doesn’t settle, crack, creep or collapse over time. 

  10. 10. Wanting to “know why” the structure is failing. (For example, “why” the doors don’t close, or “why” the ceilings & walls are cracking.)  Once you know “why” - corrections can be determined.

  1. 1. You get MORE THAN just a “Napkin sketch”

  2. 2. The engineer can provide “construction documents” & specifications for bidding, permits and construction.

  3. 3. Engineers take complicated things, such as building codes, and interpret them to create buildable designs, in the form of plans, for contractors and homeowners to use.

  4. 4. Often the costs of engineering can be offset by an “efficient Plan”.

Reasons to hire a structural engineer:

Benefits to hiring a structural engineer: