The Role of Structural Engineers in Single Family Home Renovation in California
Most of the time, when single families grow tired of their home outlook or wish to modify their homes to meet new requirements, they opt for a single-family home renovation. California is well known for keeping up with the latest trends when it comes to home renovation. Due to the high costs associated with home renovations, most homeowners look for every possible means to circumvent the services of a structural engineering company in California. When it comes to minor modifications, using the services of architectures and building contractors alone might be appropriate. However, for major renovation projects like the removal of a wall, the service of a structural engineer cannot be overlooked.
In this post, we are going to consider the role played by structural engineers in single-family home renovation in California.
Who is a Structural Engineer?
A structural engineer is a professional civil engineer that specializes in understanding the reactions of structures (like buildings, bridges, tunnels and so on) when acted upon by both external and internal forces and loads. It can be said that a residential structural engineer specializes in understanding the forces and loads in residential buildings.
What Role Do They Play in Single Family Home Renovation?
Buildings are made up of load-bearing members that help keep the building in place. This prevents the building from eventual collapse under the influence of gravity or external factors like earthquakes or hurricanes. During a home renovation, some of these load-bearing members are removed either to create more space or to fit in the newly proposed design.
Structural engineers help to look at the proposed single-family home design to see if the building will be able to support itself under different loads. In situations where the design isn’t safe, they help to modify the design in order to ensure that the integrity of your building after the renovation is upheld. Structural engineers also help to improve the structural strength of poorly built homes.
A structural engineer is needed to access the structural integrity of the building elements when it contains reinforced concrete columns, suspended concrete slabs, earth retaining walls, steel floor beams, roofs in cyclone-affected areas.
There are numerous scenarios where a structural engineer is relevant to your home renovation project. Some of which include;
Before an Addition to your Building
Even with your single-family home design blueprint, consulting a structural engineer is a wise idea. They will help to check if the addition will not compromise the original structural integrity. They will also ensure that the addition meets up to the local building codes.
When Doing a Major Re-layout of Your Home
When you want to create more internal space in your home, the idea that readily comes to mind is to knock down a wall or two. Well, this might be good and at the same time it might be the worst idea ever- and that’s why you need a structural engineer.
The structural engineer will examine the wall or member you wish to remove as shown by your single-family home design plan to see the amount of load it bears. If it is a major load-bearing member, knocking it down can be a really bad idea.
In situations where removal is inadequate, the structural engineer will look for innovative ways to get the desired result without tampering with the structural integrity of the building.
When there is a Structural Damage
Structural damage is one of the reasons why a single-family home renovation is sought after. Structural damage can be caused by factors like soil movement and tree growth that often result in foundation shifting, or earthquakes.
Before looking into foundation repair, you need a reliable structural engineering design company in California to adequately assess the damage done and propose a cost-effective solution.
Structural damages like termite attack on load-bearing elements and natural disasters also require the service of a structural engineer.
When Buying or Selling a Home
When you want to buy a home, you need a structural engineer to assess the structural integrity of the home. This will give you an idea of the extent of the renovation that is required.
Tips for Selecting the Appropriate Structural Engineer
Selecting the right choice for a structural engineering company in California for your single-family home renovation can be quite daunting. This is because of the number of existing structural companies.
First, try asking the building contractor or architect for referrals. Most of the time, they are obliged to recommend structural engineers they have worked with in the past with effective results.
Furthermore, if you think you’ve found the perfect structural engineering company in California for your single-family home renovation, it does not hurt to carry out a background check on them; analyze their reviews and speak to their previous clients to see how they handled their project.
Either you decide to use a small or major structural engineering company in California, make sure you have a discussion with the structural engineer that will be assigned to work on your project; verify that they are licensed, experienced in the type of single-family renovation you want to undertake and also confirm that they are enthusiastic to work on your home renovation.
How much do they cost?
The cost you pay actually depends on the technicality of the assessment you want them to carry out. Most structural engineers get paid either based on an hourly rate, a lump sum or a fraction of the overall renovation cost.
The average hourly rate is about $120 but you can pay up to $200/ hour for highly seasoned structural engineers. For lump-sum payment, you can pay as low as $300 and as high as $20,000 depending on the scale of the project.
Conclusion
To ensure that you get the best out of your single-family home renovation, ensure that you verify if you need the service of a structural engineer. If you need one, get a reliable structural engineering company in California so that you can work with a professional engineer that will ensure that your dream home meets up to the structural integrity requirements.
Adam Golightly
I liked what you said about how referrals can make it a lot easier to find the correct person to help them and they can examine the area and what they want without damaging the integrity of the structure. My uncle has been thinking about moving some different areas in his home so that it can look a lot nicer and will be more open. Getting a professional to help him make sure that it is structurally sound could be really useful.
s3da
Thanks for your comment, Adam! Please let us know if we can assist.
ปั้มไลค์
Like!! Thank you for publishing this awesome article.
Vivian Black
I love how you touched on structural engineers and how they understand the reaction of a structure when something is done to them. My husband and I are looking for a structural engineer to help with the renovations to our home. We will keep these tips in mind as we search for a professional that can help us best.
Lauren KellyHill
As an interior designer in Southern California (San Diego), I can tell you that for me, a structural engineer is a rock star! Though we have amazing weather pretty much year round here, we also have the dreaded Santa Ana winds (some of which are hurricane strength) and of course our seismic activity – earthquakes. Though I’m upwards of the middle-aged mark, I only recently got into the interior design field, completing the required education. I was very surprised that there were not more discussions in our interior design courses regarding load-bearing walls, shear walls and the role of a structural engineer in our design. Interior Designers use the same software that architects use from AutoCAD to Chief Architect. (We are NOT interior decorators! Think “Interior Architects.”) We have to understand space planning codes and regulations, electrical, plumbing and mechanical placement. But we weren’t taught the huge role that structural engineers play, and how we as designers can benefit from understanding the importance of their role. I got into this field because I wanted to renovate our old Spanish style home. After finding out the importance of a structural engineer, now my focus is on structural footings, shear walls, I-beams and anything else that will affect the ultimate design of my personal renovation. Any designer can make a great design. But the Structural Engineer will make that design safe! Thanks for a great blog!
Dylan Peterson
It’s good to know that a structural engineer can help you determine if the wall that you want to knock down is load-bearing. My brother has been telling me about how he wants to remodel his home, and he wants to get rid of some walls to make it feel larger. I’ll share this information with him so that he can look into his options for professionals who can help him with this.
Steele Honda
Thanks for pointing out that it is a good idea to consult a structural engineer when adding an addition to your house to check if that addition will compromise the original structure. My husband and I are considering adding a garage to our house since we could use the extra space. I think consulting an engineer would be a good idea to make sure that we aren’t going to accidentally damage our house or make the structure weaker.
civil engineering
A structural engineer is part of the team involved in the design and creation of usually large-scale projects, including architectural structures like bridges and other unusual constructions.They play very important