ᐅ Costs for Structural Engineer Single-Family Home Structural Design

Bamboochaa schrieb:

According to HOAI, it would have been approximately €25,700 gross. (For service phases 1-6)

Why did you omit phases 7 and 8?

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Bamboochaa schrieb:

I find it somewhat unprofessional or odd if around €25,000 (about $27,000) would be justified according to HOAI, but flat-rate offers of, for example, €10,000 (about $11,000) are given. What could be the reason for this? Aren’t the offers bound to minimum limits? I can’t understand the price differences presented here.
Maybe I’m making a mistake in my thinking...

You are not bound by the HOAI. Especially for single-family houses, HOAI is hardly applicable.
Example: Standard single-family home with a gable roof: slab foundation, reinforced concrete ceiling, roof truss. Someone who regularly prepares structural calculations has templates—just swaps out three numbers and creates a reinforcement plan for the slab and ceiling, as well as a layout plan for the roof truss. With a bit of additional work, this takes about two weeks, so €4,000 (about $4,300) is a reasonable fee, even if HOAI might allow €15,000 (about $16,000).
If the house is more complex or if someone who is doing this for the first time makes an offer, the numbers will naturally be higher.

I’m happy to share my experience. I paid €1450 net for this 200-page structural engineer’s report that I used for construction. Our structure is relatively complex due to the roof framework and the four dormer windows on the upper floor.

The engineer specified so much steel (for example, 3.5 m (11.5 ft) wide fixed glass elements in the living room) and timber in the roof structure that I was quite surprised. However, I’m confident that everything will last around 100 years.

A single-family house, even if complex, should be completed by a competent structural engineer in about two working days. With an hourly rate of €75–85, the cost seems reasonable.

11ant schrieb:

Why did you leave out 7 and 8?

What exactly are design phases 7 and 8 for the structural engineer? My statement only referred to the offer from the structural engineer.

With the architect, of course, we contracted phases 1–4 followed by phases 5–8.

TmMike_2 schrieb:

I’m happy to share my experience as well. I paid 1450€ net for the 200-page structural engineering report I based my build on. Our structure is quite complex due to the roof framework and the four dormers on the upper floor.
The engineer specified so much steel (like 3.5m (11.5 ft) wide fixed-glass elements in the living room) and timber in the roof frame that I was honestly surprised.
But in return, I feel confident that everything will last around 100 years.

A detached house, even if complex, should be finished by a competent structural engineer within about two working days.
With an hourly rate of €75–85, the costs add up accordingly.

This makes me wonder whether a more expensive engineer would have specified just as much steel, or if a more affordable and clever solution could have been found. Of course, whether the material costs balance out the design fees is a completely different matter.

Personally, I doubt that dormers significantly increase the complexity of structural engineering. A 3.5m (11.5 ft) fixed-glass element doesn’t sound particularly exceptional or very complex. Isn’t structural complexity usually caused more by unusually wide room spans without supporting walls, or by features like large cantilevers of upper floors, etc.?

Is your estimate of two working days based on experience, or is this your layman’s assumption? Do you have references or contacts who can confirm this? Are we speaking about service phases 1–6 of structural design (planning permission phases)?

Perhaps it’s because there are comparable projects for which similar calculations already exist?!

As a construction layperson, I quickly reach my limits. I like to trust my architect, who has done a good job so far. However, when I see the figures posted here in the forum, it naturally makes me pause and question things.

Good work should be properly compensated. Then both sides benefit. Still, a defensive offer should be recognized accordingly.

Bamboochaa schrieb:

I wonder whether a "more expensive" structural engineer would have calculated as much steel or if a more affordable and clever solution could have been found. Whether the material costs outweigh the planning fees is, of course, a different question.

Personally, I doubt that dormers significantly complicate the structural calculations. A 3.5 m (11.5 ft) fixed glazing panel doesn’t sound particularly exceptional or complex. Isn’t it more about unusually large room spans without load-bearing walls or, for example, significant cantilevers from upper floors, etc.?

Is your estimate of two working days based on experience, or is it a rough guess? Do you have references or contacts who can confirm this? Are we talking about structural design phases 1–6 here?

Perhaps it’s because there are similar projects for which comparable calculations already exist?

As a layperson in construction, I quickly reach my limits. I like to trust my architect, who has done a good job so far. However, when I see the figures posted here in the forum, I naturally start to question things.

Good work deserves fair compensation. Then both parties benefit. Still, a competitive counteroffer should be recognized accordingly.

It seems we are unfortunately talking past each other here. I don’t even know what structural design phases 1–6 mean.

I had a structural calculation prepared for my house construction and built the house based on that. Everything was included. I then gave the plans to the carpenter as well as to the concrete supplier for the precast floor slabs.