Browse Forums Owner Builder Forum 1 Feb 12, 2013 8:57 pm anybody got an idea of how much engineering should cost for a simple split level house on a 1 in 7 slope block on A class soil? we had a quote (first one) comes in around $12k plus hourl rate for construction phase??? from what builder mates have told me the engineers dont generally visit site, its do the drawings and thats it?? they want to do 3 local visits and one from the main engineer 400kms away at a cost of 2k just for that one visit !!! also the wall and roof frames are to be certified by the manufacturer, so really they are only engineering the footings ,the retaining and the deck structure, sounds exe to me... Re: Engineering costs 2Feb 13, 2013 12:05 pm That is expensive. A similar home one of my clients had built a couple of years ago was half that including drawings and ( about 6 ) site visits. The engineer only lived 1k away though. Stewie Re: Engineering costs 3Feb 14, 2013 1:08 am thanks Stewie, we are seeking more quotes, are site visits the norm? builder mates say usually only on big comercial jobs Re: Engineering costs 4Feb 14, 2013 8:17 am Quote: are site visits the norm Well they are in my neck of the woods. I don't know any engineer who would be willing to sign off on a house that they had never seen ! Usually they tun up for three inspections at least - footing reinforcing inspection, concrete slab inspection pre-pour and framing inspection just before internal and extenal cladding to check bracing , tie-downs, stud spacing etc. We've done jobs ( admittedly on steep slopes or complicated designs ) where the structural engineers have turned up for critical inspections eight or more times. Stewie Re: Engineering costs 6Feb 14, 2013 1:01 pm That is what happened in our case as well. The engineer only did the paperwork. There were never any inspections apart from those carried out by the building surveyor (or somebody representing the building surveyor actually). Does the engineer have to sign off on the work? If he does, I'm sure this never happened either. We are in Victoria. Re: Engineering costs 7Feb 14, 2013 10:06 pm thats what I would have thought, they are only signing off the design, I was told the norm just for footings was about $1300, retaining of course will be more but its straight forward stuff and with an A class soil it should be a no brainer, the other thing is some engineers want their mates to do the soil test, they say they dont trust someone elses soil test, sounds like an excuse to price fix and gouge to me, no wonder everyone thinks the construction industry is corrupt Re: Engineering costs 9Feb 16, 2013 7:00 am I think the official way of doing things is quite a bit different in NSW vs Victoria. Here we engage an engineer to do the structural drawings based on the final plans approved for the DA then we have to have a PCA ( principal certifying authority ) who issues the CC ( construction certificate). The PCA has a big checklist and inspects the job at certain stages like ensuring the right insulation has been installed , termite proofing is satisfactory , wet areas have been waterproofed properly etc. The engineer takes care of all the structural side of things and does all the inspections I mentioned above and to make sure the builder has structurally built the house according to his drawings. If people put their location in their signature we wouldn't be playing guessing games. Stewie Re: Engineering costs 10Feb 21, 2013 5:29 pm call someone else. engineers cost vary A LOT. Just pick up the yellow pages and start browsing between the ads for very small eng companies, leave the big names. detailed structural design for your own design cost around $1200 to $1500. if you want inspections you should negotiate the price per inspection, but I have no idea how much could it be ($100-$200??). If you live in the bush just leave the engineer in the city, it's really not worthed the trip. Re: Engineering costs 11Feb 25, 2013 5:14 pm thanks for the input guys an gals, we have had quotes as high as 12k and as low as $1800, and the lowest quote seem the best guy to deal with, he is switched on and very helpfull, see how we go, the biggest issue is roof truss design for the 16m span on the deck but still having a high ceiling, will have a result by the end of the week, thanks again, cheers Russ... Assuming you've modelled the TB8, TB10, TB12, TB2 & J1 joists/LVLs there, it appears as per drawing to me. There maybe should be an additional J1 between TB10 and T12 if… 3 31835 Thanks for all replies. I just noticed now the pictures I added to post right on top of page were wrong. I attached pictures showing "current" and my "suggested" floor… 9 14650 I am not sure whether Perth has its own way of doing things in regards to this. Most of Perth has class A (sandy soil), except for some areas near rivers or hills. 2 13103 |