5 Questions Homeowners Should Ask Their Structural Engineer

Before you begin your project, consider asking your structural engineer these five important questions:

1. Are you licensed in my state?

Structural engineering regulations can vary significantly from state to state, making it crucial to work with an engineer who is licensed in your specific location. At Vector Engineers, we’ve gone above and beyond to ensure comprehensive coverage. We’re proud to have licensed engineers not just in all 50 states, but also in Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, and several Canadian provinces. This extensive licensing allows us to provide expert service regardless of your project’s location. Moreover, our broad reach enables us to maintain long-lasting relationships with partners as they expand and build across the country. Many of our clients have been with us for years, relying on our ability to support their projects nationwide with consistent quality and local expertise.

2. What experience do you have with projects similar to mine?

Every construction project is unique, but experience with similar projects can be invaluable. It’s crucial to ask about the engineer’s portfolio and their experience with projects of similar scale, type, and complexity to yours. At Vector Engineers, we pride ourselves on our diverse expertise that caters to a wide range of homeowner needs:

• Custom Homes
• Home Additions
• Structural Repairs
• Remodels
• Specialty Features
• Energy Efficiency Upgrades

Beyond residential projects, our portfolio includes commercial buildings, multifamily structures, warehouses, and specialty projects like bridges and solar equipment. This broad experience allows us to bring innovative solutions and best practices from various construction sectors to your home project.

3. Can you help us cut down on overall construction costs?

We believe in a value engineering method, where we incorporate cost-effective solutions without compromising on quality or safety. A good structural engineer should be proactive in suggesting ways to optimize your project, even when a tight budget comes into play. At Vector, we typically provide an initial layout with value engineering suggestions, communicating areas where minor revisions could result in significant cost savings. Frequently these are suggestions like adding a column, providing more full height wall for shear wall, or aligning a wall from the upper level with the lower level.

4. What’s included in your fee, and how do you handle changes or additional requests?

Understanding the scope of services and fee structure upfront can prevent misunderstandings later. Ask about what’s included in the initial design fee and how additional services or changes are billed. At Vector Engineers, we typically include services through construction like responding to questions from the contractor, truss review, concrete mix design review, and steel shop drawing review in our initial fee. The last thing we want to do is “nickel and dime” our clients for minor changes during construction. Being upfront with costs and fees allows us to keep an open and honest relationship with our partners, which is more important to us than cashing out on hidden or unexpected fees.

5. How will you communicate throughout the project, and what’s your typical response time?

Clear, prompt communication is essential for keeping your project on track. Ask about the engineer’s communication process and typical response times for queries, RFIs, and plan check comments. At Vector, we pride ourselves on our customer service, maintaining a sense of urgency throughout your project and ensuring that an experienced engineer is always available to answer your questions.