With so many trades involved in the construction process, it’s wise to have a proper understanding of the role an engineer actually plays.
Engineering is a diverse field and there are a multitude of engineering degrees available to anyone who’s looking to study it. The most common in the construction field are hydraulic, mechanical, civil, electrical and structural engineering.
But, people often wonder just how they fit into the building process. What is their main role? And how exactly do you engage an engineer?
I sat down with Rob McGowan from Structure Consulting Engineers to clarify what the role of an engineer is in the construction process.
With so many trades involved in the construction process, it’s wise to understand the role an engineer plays. Picture: Getty
What is your role in a build and why do we need a structural engineer?
I suppose building is a simple process of individual tasks. That said, I’ll leave the building side to you and your team!
Ultimately, structural engineers are guardians of public safety and are required to ensure projects are constructed safely and cost effectively. While an architect will design the look and feel of a project, a structural engineer will assess how it’s built to withstand the forces it’s subjected to.
Simply put, our role is to design the structural elements of a building to ensure the building is stable and fit for purpose.
A structural engineer designs the structural elements of a build to ensure the building is stable. Picture: Getty
How do we engage an engineer and what should we be looking for?
Generally, when our clients are planning a renovation or a new build project, they will approach an architect or builder. It’s usually after this stage we get invited to prepare a fee proposal for our services.
Like most proposals, our submission will outline the scope of our involvement, tell you a bit about who we are, and ultimately tell you how much our services are going to cost. If we tick all the boxes, our fee proposal is signed and returned and we are officially on board!
So, what should you be looking for in your engineer? You’ve just received three quotes and they all appear to say they’ll make your building stand up – so why is one engineer twice the price of the other?
This might sound bitter, but not all fruits are lemons! The piece of advice I’d give to any prospective client is to remember engineering is a service not a commodity – and a commodity generally sells for the lowest price.
If your building ends up uneconomically designed by someone who hasn’t got the time (or fee) to give your project the proper thought it deserves, it could end up costing you substantially more money down the track.
Are there any qualifications that separate a good engineer from a great one?
Your engineer should obviously have the correct qualifications, and it also helps if they have attained Chartership status and are on the National Engineers Register.
If the engineer has achieved these things, you can be confident they’ve traversed the full rigour of our governing body, Engineers Australia, and you could reasonably assume they are ‘good’.
A ‘great’ engineer, however, needs to have more than just a degree. A great engineer, in my opinion, should have a wide range of attributes that transcend engineering knowledge.
The correct qualifications are essential for practising engineers. But to find an excellent one, look out for a range of attributes including technical proficiency, communication skills, creative thinking and environmental awareness. Picture: Getty
Can they communicate well with the multitude of personalities that we find in our industry? Can they think laterally and be creative? Can they exceed expectations with proactivity and responsiveness? Are they ethical and environmentally conscious? If they’re all of the above, as well as being technically proficient, I think you’re dealing with a great engineer.
You may not get a sense of these things when you’re initially deciding who to sign up, so if in doubt, give them a call and find out!
How do you charge?
Each project is different and needs to have its own assessment. There are different ways we structure our fees to ensure you’re provided with the most cost-effective use of our time.
Take a new residence project as an example. The scope of our involvement is well defined upfront, so we can typically provide a fixed fee for these projects. It’s normally based on our assessment of the time required to do the work, although we do sometimes use a percentage of the project value as a cross-check.
The other end of the scale might be a renovation where the client is seeking advice on the removal of walls within their property. They may still be deciding on layout options and need our advice. In these instances, the scope might not be entirely defined, so we’d opt for an hourly rate fee agreement so the client isn’t charged with a potentially inflated fixed fee that covers all eventualities of the scope.
What does a build really cost?
Are there any costs we should be aware of upfront?
Clients should be aware of the costs associated with the construction phase supervision and certification of a project. While there are fees associated with the design and documentation aspects of a project, there are also costs that will be incurred during construction.
The construction work undertaken by the builder needs to be monitored to ensure it’s being undertaken in accordance with the design intent of the structural plans. At the end of the project, your engineer must provide certification that the building work was undertaken satisfactorily if they’ve been engaged for this work.
If the engineer hasn’t been engaged for this crucial part of the project, the client could end up with a lovely new home with no occupation certificate! So be aware this work is essential and not always quoted by all engineers.
Do you charge for an initial quote? What should we expect from preliminary discussions?
Again, this will be different from practice to practice. We don’t charge to provide you with a fee proposal.
However, if you want us to attend the site to provide design advice, then we’d naturally pass these expenses onto the client. We will never undertake work that we expect to be remunerated for without gaining the clients explicit approval to do so first. So, there’s never any nasty surprises for either party.
Learn what to expect in a build quote:
Do you prefer to be engaged directly by the client, or by the builder or architect – given the large component of risk in any project?
With any project there’s an element of risk. We try to manage our risk to acceptable levels by having systems in place to control and mitigate risks. We regularly attend seminars and training courses to ensure our skills are current.
We’re passionate about our continued professional development and keep up-to-date with current building technologies, materials and techniques to ensure our clients are provided with the most efficient, economic and sustainable design possible. In addition, we have rigorous in-house quality systems in place to ensure our designs have been reviewed prior to issue.
In terms of engagement, we really don’t mind who we are signed up by. Our terms and conditions are the standard terms set out by Consult Australia, so each project is operated under these terms.
To minimise risk, rigorous in-house quality systems are in place to ensure that engineering designs have been reviewed prior to issue. Picture: Getty Images
What’s involved in providing engineering plans? How long does the process usually take?
I suppose to the untrained eye what we do looks quite unusual! We could typically produce the documentation required for a $500k renovation within one to two weeks of receiving the authorisation to proceed. It really depends on the project and the level of complexity.
What are a few key things to remember?
We find it’s best to engage with us early. Often, we’re not invited to the party until after the DA has been submitted. By this stage, important decisions have been made about floor spans, overall floor thicknesses, building heights and so on.
With these things already approved by council, we’re often left to try to make things work with the approved design when there may have been a better or more cost-effective alternative to begin with. Pre-DA advice isn’t always expensive and it may save you money further on down the track.