Likely, you will need both. But they render different services. Consultants provide the “blueprint” for any project alongside an architect. They design, supervise, and sign off on the project. 

Contractors do the work and implement the vision of the client in accordance with the architect and consulting engineer’s designs, they attend to the manual labor, are on-site daily. Contractors follow what the consultants want, they implement and execute in accordance with the drawings and designs. 

We are a Civil and Structural Consulting Engineering Firm. 

• Strip-footing Foundation. 

• Raft Foundation:

• Piles Foundation (Large scale commercial projects).

Raft Foundations are required in dolomitic areas, due to the high risk of sinkholes. In the event of a sinkhole forming, it will span over the sinkhole and create temporary stability, giving you enough time to evacuate the dwelling.  

A raft foundation acts as the word suggests in clay or sandy soil conditions, by “floating” when the earth expands or contracts due to moisture content, thereby preventing cracks to form.

It is a report prepared by a Geotechnical Engineer on the existing soil conditions of your stand and highlights any potential water issues on site. It further establishes the load-bearing capacity of the soil, which in turn determines the size of the foundation.

This report will inform the type of foundation to be used and a recommendation will be made by the Geotechnical Engineer as well as the Consulting Engineer on the project.

• Reinforced concrete in-situ slab.

• Rib and block slab.

• Precast slab.

• Cost.

• Quality.

• Time needed during construction. 

• Convenience factor.

It is the National Home Builders Registration Council.

Yes, in accordance with the law, it is a pre-requisite of any residential project to be registered.

Always confirm that with your consulting engineer first.

This is largely based on the total fee of the project.

Once you have finalized your architectural drawings and design before you move on to the costing part of the project. Structural drawings will influence the final cost of construction, anything before then will just be an estimate.

You need to share all relevant information with your builder/contractor, thereafter a preliminary meeting can be set up to discuss the project. Once the project has kicked off, the builder/contractor can request a site meeting/inspection as and when needed.

• The architectural drawings in an editable format, like Revit or AutoCAD. 

• Geotechnical Report, if available.

• Survey drawings. 

• Slab type preferred (if available).

• Changes to the architectural design. 

• Slow or lack of feedback from the architect or client on proposed changes. 

• Additional revisions, not part of the original scope. 

• Lack of communication and understanding between client and architect.

• Changes by the architect, take about 3 times longer to update on the engineering side.

• Lack of proactive communication by all parties.