Structural engineers can offer specialized knowledge and experience to homeowners to build a new house or home improvement. The structural engineers know the ins and outs of the building requirements and they can provide homeowners with all the necessary consultation and services that abide the building regulations and bylaws.
Safety is always paramount and a structural engineer can provide a safe structural solution in accordance with the applicable building code and city requirements. Any new construction or expansion of the house or alteration of the structure require proper structural design from a knowledgeable structural engineer. For instance, building a new residential house, building on a deck on the backyard, expanding the house, building a new shaded garage or sunroom widening the open area by removing the load bearing wall, installing solar panels on the roof, an addition of new walkway basement door or basement window.
Assess the Structure’s Safety
Safety is the utmost importance of every structural engineer or structural engineering company even if it is a small structural altering of an interior partition wall. Before any new construction, a structural engineer will evaluate the location with factors like soil, the climate of the area, major weather conditions that typically occur, seismic activity around the area, and so on to ensure that the house is safe to build and take into consideration of all the factors described earlier for safe and efficient design. For example, the orientation of the house in an open terrain is a key consideration as the house will be resisting high lateral wind loads. A homeowner may not know about this, however, structural engineers with experience can assess all the possible factors.
Recommend the Right Materials
Numerous building materials are used in the construction like concrete, brick masonry, steel, wood framing according to the architect and homeowner’s requirements. When it comes to choosing the right material components, structural engineers always ensure that the materials for your dream house will be able to withstand against the load and are economical to use. In addition to safety and cost, structural engineers also consider local availability of the material. With all of these factors in mind, the best structural engineer will make the custom home appear close to the homeowner’s vision as much as possible.
Create Efficient Designs
An efficient design of a house comes from experience. Architects are typically responsible for layout plans including room layout, detailing non-structural components, and specification of finishes. Structural engineers deal with designing the structural components, however, in collaboration with the architects to deliver a safe and efficient structure. Most homeowners communicate directly with architects while designing and constructing a house, and don’t deal with structural engineers during the design phase. That’s why, sometimes homeowners are unaware of the detailed structural design performed by a structural engineer who always ensures safe and efficient use of their house.
Resolve Structural Problems
Structural problems like cracks in the foundation are caused due to soil movement/settlement. By thorough inspection, a structural engineer can determine if there are any cracks visible on the foundation and underlying causes of the damages. Some other factors such as wind, moisture, and temperature can also affect the roof and walls.While trying to sell an old house with any foundation or any other structural issues, homeowners can easily contact with a structural engineer for an investigation. This will help homeowners to identify the issues and get their solution from a structural engineer. Typically, structural engineers provide technical report or letter after inspection of the called “Engineering Letter or Engineering Report”. This report or letter shows the areas of the house where damages are apparent and their structural solutions. Homeowners always need this Engineering Letter or Report to rectify the issues and to document and/or submit this to the city or appropriate authority to demonstrate that the house complies with the code requirements and safe to use.
Closure
A specialized team of structural engineers offer structural analysis, design, inspection, engineering, and support services to provide safe, cost-effective structural solutions to their clients. If you are considering building a new house or a home reconstruction service, contact an efficient structural engineer who works closely with homeowners and architects to offer a living experience of convenience and functionality.
