What documents does a structural engineer need?

For an initial assessment, a structural engineer needs one thing above all: a picture of the building and the project that is as complete as possible. The better the documentation, the faster and more precise the feedback will be.

The most important documents at a glance

Ideal are floor plans of all affected floors, sections, elevations and, if available, the existing structural calculations. In the case of renovations, photos of the affected areas, information on the year of construction and previous renovation documentation are also helpful. For new buildings, the architect's design plans are sufficient at the beginning.

What to do if plans are missing?

Not a dealbreaker: with older buildings, documents are often no longer available. In this case, the structural engineer gets a picture on site, through a survey, material determination and, if necessary, small component openings. This takes a little time, but reliably replaces missing plans.

Digital or on paper?

Both work. PDF scans, photos from your phone or DWG files can be uploaded directly via our contact form. The format is less important than the legibility: scales, dimensions and labels should be recognizable.

Our tip

Ask the building authority or the previous owner for the building file, as the original plans are often slumbering there. And it's better to send too much than too little: sorting out is quick, but requesting additional information takes days.