If you are planning to buy and renovate an old property, you may not have considered using the services offered by a structural engineer. While structural engineers are always involved in the construction of new buildings, they are sometimes overlooked when it comes to buying and renovating older properties. Below is a guide to the benefits of employing a structural engineer.

Assessment 

Before you put in an offer for an old property which is in need of repair, you should contact a structural engineer who will be able to assess the building. While old properties may look okay, they could contain hidden structural problems, such as leaning walls and damaged foundations. A structural engineer will be able to produce a report detailing any structural issues with the property and the work which will be required to fix them. This will allow you to enter into the deal with full knowledge of the work the property requires.

Planning

Once you have purchased a property which needs renovation work, a structural engineer can help you to plan the type of work which will be carried out. They will also be able to offer advice about which types of work are critical to the safety of the structure and the type which are cosmetic in nature. This will allow you to prioritise and plan the schedule of work on your new home.

Supervision

Once the contractors have begun work, it can be worthwhile to retain the services of a structural engineer so they can carry out regular inspections of the work. These inspections will ensure that the contractors are conducting the repair and restoration work as planned and will allow any problems to be quickly fixed. If you do not employ a structural engineer, you may discover that an earlier stage of the works was not completed to code, resulting in the job having to be started all over again at a greater cost and over an extended time period.

Certification

Once the restoration work is fully completed, a structural engineer can carry out another assessment of the entire property to ensure that it now meets the safety standards and building codes of your local area. Once this survey has been completed, you can be confident that the property is ready to live in or to sell for a profit. If you would like to find out more, you should contact a construction engineering firm today.