4 Ways a Civil Engineer Can Help You During a Home Renovation

Depending on your specific home renovations, you might expect to hire professionals such as plumbers, electricians, and many general contractors. However, have you considered also hiring a civil engineer? While such professionals might be someone you more commonly associate with commercial buildings and public infrastructure, they can actually be of tremendous value to your home renovations. Here are four ways a civil engineer can help prove useful to your home renovations.

Inspections/Assessments

A good inspection should happen before any renovations. The last thing you want to do is to knock down a load-bearing wall or dig up utility connections. Civil engineers know how to scope a property out to avoid such issues.

Options and Ideas

Those involved with civil engineering are familiar with the latest and greatest ideas, innovations, techniques, and concepts in their industry. They can make you aware of options and ideas that you might not have considered that could serve your home well.

Drainage

When your renovations involve drainage issues of any kind, a civil engineer can really prove their value. If your renovations are partially being done to correct existing drainage issues, then they can look into solving or reducing existing problems. Also, should your renovations add more plumbing fixtures or expand the home’s foundation, then civil engineering can likewise account for extra drainage needs.

Whether it is designing new or redesigning existing stormwater drainage or solving isolated drainage problems, a civil engineer can perform a comprehensive investigation to find out what options a homeowner may have to diminish a problem or prevent one from transpiring.

Getting Permits

Depending on the zoning regulations and building code where your home is, you might actually need to get certain permits for your renovations. Civil engineers that work in your area are already familiar with this process. In fact, they likely even know the building inspectors that are bound to stop by and certify your work. Their professional knowledge and relationships can streamline the process to keep things moving and in alignment with local standards.

A home renovation is a chance to modernize your home, make it fit your current needs and situation better, and improve its overall value. Still, if the renovations aren’t done right, you might actually risk making things worse or just watch the circumstances get needlessly complicated. A civil engineer can be a very valuable investment in this process.