Home Building Basics: What Engineers Are Needed to Build a Home?

Thinking of building a home for you and your family? Or are you a developer who’s looking for a good investment? Building a home makes an excellent investment for your portfolio. Or for your family’s future.

When considering home building, you need to hire the right construction company to build your home. But you also need to hire engineers to ensure your home build satisfies state laws and makes a safe place to live in for the home’s inhabitants.

While your home may require a licensed architect for its space and appearance specifications, when it comes to safety, security, and complying with legal specifications, you need to hire an engineer.

In this post, you’ll learn what engineers you need when considering a home build. Without further delay, let’s take a look at some of the engineers needed for a home build.

Why Do I Need An Engineer for My Home Build?

Before we delve into the types of engineers needed when you build a home, let’s look at the “why.” You need an engineer when you’ve given the green light to build a new home.

Homeowners need to hire engineers to ensure the safety of the major systems of the home. These include load-bearing walls, the foundation, roofing, plumbing, and the wiring of your home and more.

Engineers will examine the house and make recommendations of what you or your contractor needs to do to reach your design goals, keep your home safe, and comply with building regulations and codes. Let’s take a closer look.

Structural Engineers

When it comes to safety, the first engineer on the list to contact: a structural engineer. This type of engineer is a licensed and trained professional to perform the necessary design configurations for man-made structures.

Structural engineers are responsible for structural analysis and engineering design. They evaluate outside factors that exert impact on your walls, roof, foundation, and other structures and systems.

They examine if your home and structures can stand up to heavy impacts including strong winds, fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, and earthquakes.

Once they perform their analysis, they will write a report. This report informs you if your building is strong enough to resist these kinds of impacts.

Structural engineers can tell you the strength, durability, stability of a variety of structures. They achieve their assessment through expert calculations that will inform you about the structural integrity of your building.

Can I Just Hire a Contractor, an Architect or an Inspector?

If you’re a homeowner, you may be asking yourself, “why can’t I just hire an inspector or a contractor, or an architect to inspect my building? The answer is clear: each professional has a specific purpose.

Homeowners and property owners hire architects to design a building that’s both functional and provides the home with an aesthetically attractive design. Their expertise in analyzing structural problems is limited.

On the other hand, inspectors and contractors may diagnose early warning signs of potential structural issues. But only up to a point. Structural engineers assess how serious the issue is and how severe it can become.

Structural Engineers Provide Homeowners Safety Assurance

Structural engineers determine the cause of structural problems. They will recommend the best solution to remedy the structural issue. They ensure your home can resist the impacts and loads that can occur.

Structural engineers guarantee your home is safe and will remain safe. These engineering professionals are necessary for the safety and security during the construction and home design process.

Mechanical Engineers

If you’re building a custom home, you’ll want to speak with a mechanical engineer. They’re an important member of the custom home builder team. The reason: they’re knowledgeable with all engineering disciples:

• Civil
• Electrical
• Structural

They’ve received training and education in each of these areas. So they hold an overall understanding of each specialization and program. Mechanical engineers have also had formal training in acoustics, environmental concerns, and controls.

But although they’ve studied a variety of home building-related engineering, their real value is in energy management. This includes working with petroleum-based energy, solar, and electricity. Some hold training in the wind and know how it impacts energy.

Mechanical engineers know building codes in the state where they hold a license, so they can advise you.

Mechanical engineers are familiar with the standard building codes in the state in which they are licensed. This enables them to help you comply with your state’s regulations and requirements.

Sustainable Engineers

Designing a “green home?” Then you’ll need a sustainable engineer. Other names for green design include eco-design and design for the environment.

Sustainable engineering professionals specialize in ecological sustainability and how objects are designed. Their focus is on renewable energy and its costs.

These engineering pros also possess the awareness of social and economic principals in relation to green building and design. Some of these objects may include small scale objects in homes.

Others include systems in towering buildings and the physical surface of the earth. Sustainable engineering is aligned with environmental design, urban design, landscape architecture, and other design specializations.

The Engineers You Need for Your Home Building Project Reviewed

Whether you’re a homeowner who plans to build a home or a professional contractor, you need to hire an engineer for your home building project.

From structural to mechanical to sustainable and more, engineer professionals make new home builds safe, secure, legal, and efficient so you can enjoy living in your home for years to come.

Need an engineer for your home build? Contact us today to choose from a wide variety of highly vetted engineering professionals that meet the needs of your new home or project.