All You Need To Know About Structural Engineers for your Extension…

Structural Engineers and Your Extension

Very often a Structural Engineer and an Architect will work together on a project and there is a good chance that you will encounter one (or at least his calculations), during the construction of your new extension. Unlike the Architect and his drawings, the workings of a Structural engineer are not generally visible.

He is what you might like to call a “guts” man designing the skeleton on which the body of the building will be built.

The Structural Engineer's Role

The majority of Structural Engineers work primarily as consultants to the Architect or design and build teams. It's up to the engineer to ensure that your new palace won't bend, twist, deflect or completely disintegrate under the loadings that it will be subjected to.

One can safely assume that only one of the three little pigs entered serious consultation with a structural engineer prior to commencing work. 

Using his Casio calculator, the end of his pencil and some baffling mathematical formulae, it is down to the Structural Engineer to satisfy the Local Authorities that the designs for your extension are safe and won't collapse.

Costs vs Creativity!

It is the Structural Engineer’s responsibility to calculate various loadings that will come into play and decide what structural systems to employ.

He should also try and achieve this structural stability whilst making the best use of your hard-earned cash.

Let’s say that your new extension might well involve some steelwork, this will be a certainty if you intend to “knock though” as well, but his work may also encompass the use of concrete, masonry, timber and other materials involved in supporting the building.

It is also within his job specification to check on the effect of the building work on the existing house, advise you and your builder of any strengthening that might be required, design new lintels, columns, beams and foundations. 

What You Actually Get For Your Money

Expect him to come up with head-scratching drawings of loadings, posts and connection flanges that remind you of the old Meccano set that you never finished when you were eight years old. But don’t worry about that, it’s not your problem, it’s the builders problem. 

He has to understand and digest the drawings before transforming your dreams into reality.

You, meanwhile can relax, sit back with a cup of tea in hand as your extension emerges from your backyard as if it were the Burj Khalifa in the shimmering Dubai sands.