FAQ
Questions about structural engineers in Canberra
Short answers, grouped by topic, each linking to the page that covers it in full. Prices are ex GST with the inc GST figure beside them.
Prices and quotes
Every price is a from price for a typical house. Your fixed quote confirms it before anything is booked.
How much does a structural engineer cost in Canberra?
From $390 + GST ($429 inc GST) for a desktop review of photos, plans or a contractor's quote. A pre-purchase structural inspection starts at $790 + GST ($869 inc GST), and a structural inspection with a full report at $1,090 + GST ($1,199 inc GST). Every published price is on our prices page.
How quickly do I get a quote?
We reply with a fixed quote in under 20 minutes on average, during business hours. Our hours are Mon–Fri 8:00am–5:00pm. Send photos or plans through the quote form, or call 02 6189 9876.
Are prices the same across Canberra and Queanbeyan?
Yes. Every Canberra district has the same prices, and so do Queanbeyan, Jerrabomberra and Googong.
Which jobs don't have a published price?
Extensions and renovations, knock-down rebuilds, granny flats and dual occupancies, older and heritage homes, and all commercial work. The size, storeys, slope, soil and existing structure change the work, so we give a fixed quote from your plans or photos. See extensions and renovations.
What do I get for the fee?
It depends on the service. A desktop review is written advice on what you send; an inspection and report is a visit plus a written report with findings, the likely cause and what to do next; design work is calculations and drawings your certifier and builder can use. Each service page sets out what's included.
Approvals in the ACT
Who approves what, and the limits people ask about most. Your certifier confirms what applies to your work.
Do I need approval to remove a wall in the ACT?
Yes, if it's load-bearing. Removing a load-bearing wall needs building approval, though it is usually exempt from development approval if the building's class doesn't change. Our wall removal and beam design starts at $890 + GST ($979 inc GST).
Who gives building approval in the ACT?
A licensed certifier (building surveyor) you appoint gives building approval; development approval, when needed, comes from the Territory Planning Authority. We provide the engineering your certifier needs, never the approval itself. See building approval in the ACT.
Does a retaining wall need approval in the ACT?
It depends on height and position. Building approval isn't needed for a wall up to 1.2 m high, measured from the top of the wall to the lowest ground next to it; above that, design and construction standards apply. Planning limits are lower near boundaries, such as 0.4 m within 1.5 m of a side or rear boundary. See retaining wall rules in the ACT.
Do I need approval for a carport, pergola or deck?
Not always. A small open structure needs no building approval if it has no walls, is no more than 3 m high, has a roof of 25 m² or less, a floor no more than 1 m above ground and no span or cantilever over 4 m. Planning limits are separate, and your certifier confirms which apply. See carport, pergola and deck approval in the ACT.
When do I need a structural engineer?
Usually when work changes the structure, such as removing a load-bearing wall, new footings or slabs, or a retaining wall above the exempt height, and whenever your certifier asks for engineering. You also need one when cracks or movement need a cause rather than a guess. See do I need a structural engineer?
Buying and selling
The seller's building and compliance report, and the engineering that sits around it.
Do you write the seller's building and compliance report?
No. We do the engineering around it: assessing decks, pergolas, carports or extensions it flags as built without approval, structural follow-up, and structural checks for buyers. See the seller's report, explained.
If the seller has a report, do I need my own inspection?
That's your decision. The seller's report is a visual inspection report, and the law doesn't require its writer to be an engineer. If you have structural concerns, a pre-purchase structural inspection checks them before you sign.
The seller's report flags a structure built without approval. What now?
An engineer can assess it and say what it needs. Our unapproved structure assessment covers decks, pergolas, carports, garage conversions and extensions, from $690 + GST ($759 inc GST).
How long can a buyer rely on the seller's report?
Not for a contract entered into more than 180 days after the inspection date. The inspection itself must be no earlier than 3 months before the home was first advertised.
Cracks and second opinions
Cracks, footing movement and repair quotes, from an engineer with no repair to sell.
Are the cracks in my walls serious?
It depends on the crack's width and pattern, and whether it is still moving. Our guide to cracks in walls in Canberra explains what to watch, and a cracks and footing movement report, from $1,090 + GST ($1,199 inc GST), finds the cause.
I've been quoted for underpinning. Can you check the quote?
Yes. For $390 + GST ($429 inc GST) we review the quote and your photos and say whether the movement calls for underpinning and whether the scope fits. Contractors who sell underpinning often assess for free because they sell the fix. See underpinning: independent second opinion.
Do you sell or recommend repairers?
No. We don't do building or repair work and we don't recommend builders or repairers, so our advice isn't tied to a sale. More on how we work.
Older homes and asbestos
Pre-1985 homes, the loose-fill asbestos register and heritage precincts.
Do you do BAL assessments, Mr Fluffy inspections or asbestos testing?
No. A bushfire consultant does bushfire attack level (BAL) assessments, and we work with the BAL they set. We check the loose-fill asbestos register before any visit, never enter affected roof spaces or subfloors, and don't test for asbestos. See older homes and asbestos in the ACT.
Does renovating a pre-1985 home in the ACT need an asbestos plan?
If the work needs building approval, yes. A building approval application for a home built or started before 1985 must include an asbestos removal control plan. Our guide to renovating an ex-govvie covers what else to check.
Can you help with a home in a heritage precinct?
Yes. In the Garden City precincts, demolishing an identified dwelling is allowed only in exceptional cases, such as a house too structurally unsound to repair economically, and the application must include a professional structural assessment. We give a fixed quote for older and heritage homes from your photos or plans.
Queanbeyan and NSW
Across the border the prices stay the same, but NSW rules apply.
Do you work in Queanbeyan?
Yes, at Canberra prices. We visit homes in Queanbeyan, Jerrabomberra and Googong for the same fees as anywhere in Canberra. Approvals there follow NSW law, not ACT law. See structural engineer in Queanbeyan.
How do approvals work in Jerrabomberra and Googong?
Under NSW rules. Work usually goes through a development application to Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council (QPRC) or a complying development certificate, then a construction certificate from the council or a registered private certifier. See Jerrabomberra and Googong.
How we work
What to send, and where we go.
What do I send for a quote?
A few photos of the problem or your plans, the suburb and a sentence about what you need. The form takes up to 5 files, and how it works lists what helps for common jobs.
Which areas do you cover?
Site visits across every Canberra district, plus Queanbeyan, Jerrabomberra and Googong. Desktop reviews of photos and plans work anywhere in the region; for a site further out, ask us for a fixed quote. See areas we cover.