is the structural engineer ripping us off??

arthursmum

I found a structural engineer in the yellow pages, and asked him if he could come to our house to determine if a partial wall and beam is loadbearing or not so we can remove it. He said his visit would cost £250 and if he needed to do structural drawings it would be around £600. We can't really afford that so we were hoping to simply get a yes or no. He came today, took many measurements and told us that he needs to draw plans on the computer and that will cost extra... When we said we can't afford that he said we can just pay him the visit then. So we still don't know if that wall can be removed or not! It feels like he's ripping us off, and that to pay him £250 (without VAT) for nothing is a bit too much... What can we do? Thanks for any replies and help

Kat

Airwolf1

A Charted Surveyor may charge £100ish per hour - it shouldn't take that long to establish if a wall is load bearing or not.

poppysarah

Did you not get quotes off a few?

It's not cheap getting one involved but cheaper than not.

PasturesNew

It certainly sounds like he's taking the mick. If you booked him for the £250 then what on earth did he think he was there for if he couldn't give you any answer?

There are a few ways you can get an idea yourself. If it were me and I wanted a free clue I'd start by finding out if neighbours had removed that wall (identical houses of course), I'd tap it and see if it were solid, lathe/plaster or studwork, I'd find out which way the joists/beams were running, I'd think about the structure and look at how it was put together. Some of that might identify it as "yes, load bearing" without a professional.

Kez100

It sounded like you agreed to the 250 when you asked him to come. He has tried to encourage you to go for the extra service (which you don't want) but will now be doing it for 250 if you go to his office and get the result. Is that right? Sounds a bit convoluted but I can't see he has ripped you off so long as you get an answer in writing (not drawings) for 250.

hethmar

I think you could probably have got a builder in to give you the same advice for nowt.

Somerset

If it helps, I paid about £300 for a S.E. visit plus the drawings/calculations.

I knew they were pricey, so tried to keep the cost down by arranging he visit me when already in the area. I was also hoping for a 'no, it's not load-bearing' but it was hence the calculations. But the £300 was the all-in price.

Actually thinking about it, I rang about four S.E.'s for prices and they all had minimum charges of £200-£250 just to come out.

Maybe I got a good deal. Like I said, I told him I was in no rush, to just call when he was doing another job in our area - he obviously factored that in to the price.

Airwolf1

I mis-read the original post initially - if paying him for his visit, tell him you pay him when you get his report (excluding drawings) - the minimum he should provide you with is a written report.

Jonbvn

Being a structural engineer (although in no way involved in residential property) the figures you mention are not unreasonable to me. Please understand that we are professionals, just like a lawyer or a doctor. Unfortunately, the general understanding in the UK seems to be that we are on a par with the guy that fixes your car.

When I worked elsewhere in Europe, I have been called Herr Engineer/Señor Engineer.

poppysarah

For specifiying foundations for out-building £290
For steel calcs for structural £90.

A bit more than pennies but essential to keep mr building control happy.

bo_drinker

I'm in the wrong job.....