--- title: "Structural Engineering" description: "Concrete, steel and the hybrid frames most projects actually turn out to be, carried from the concept sketch through to the certificate." updated: "2026-10-12" url: "https://www.petruf.ie/services/structural-engineering" --- # Structural Engineering > Concrete, steel and the hybrid frames most projects actually turn out to be, carried from the concept sketch through to the certificate. A frame is decided long before it is drawn. Grid, spans and the stability strategy are cheap to move on a sketch and expensive to move once the architecture is fixed, so the work starts with the arrangement rather than with the analysis. We design frames for homes, extensions, schools, hotels and commercial buildings across Kildare, Dublin and the rest of Leinster, from our office in Newbridge, and take on projects anywhere else in Ireland. ## What we do ### [Structural Calculations](https://www.petruf.ie/services/structural-engineering/structural-calculations) Beams, openings, attic conversions and extensions calculated by a chartered engineer, with a site visit and a fixed fee quoted first. ### Bespoke Construction Details Custom construction details to address unique project requirements, enhancing functionality and precision. ### Derelict Homes Report Assessment of derelict or abandoned buildings, including structural integrity evaluation and potential for renovation. ### Design Services Full structural design for buildings and infrastructure, ensuring safety, compliance and performance. ### Pre Purchase Structural Surveys A house or a building inspected before you buy it, with a written report on the structure, the defects found and what each one means. ### Crack and Subsidence Reports Cracking, settlement and movement inspected and the cause found, for an owner, an insurer or a buyer, with the repair designed where one is needed. ### Detailed Structural Condition Report In depth analysis and documentation of structural health, including issues, safety concerns and remedial actions. ### [Feasibility Studies](https://www.petruf.ie/services/consulting-and-compliance/feasibility-studies) Ground, flood, drainage, access and the structural options checked before a site is bought or a design fixed, with the abnormal costs named. ### Finite Element Design Slabs, transfers and walls modelled in SCIA Engineer where hand methods stop being reliable, with the results checked by hand. ### [Opinion on Compliance](https://www.petruf.ie/services/consulting-and-compliance/building-regulations-compliance) Opinions on Compliance with the Building Regulations and with planning, for a sale or a remortgage. ### Planning FI Responses Responses to requests for further information during the planning permission process, ensuring structural compliance. ### Planning Permission as Design Team Member Assisting in obtaining planning permission, ensuring structural designs meet local regulatory requirements. ### Structural Diagnostics Inspection and evaluation of existing structures to identify issues and recommend solutions. ### [Temporary Works Design](https://www.petruf.ie/services/structural-engineering/temporary-works-design) Propping, excavation support, formwork and crane bases designed for contractors, independently checked at Category 2 or 3, and certified on the RF2. ### [Value Engineering](https://www.petruf.ie/services/structural-engineering/value-engineering) Frame, grid, foundations and precast reviewed for the same building at less cost, with every alternative designed and signed for. ## The questions that come first ### What does a structural engineer do? A structural engineer works out how a building carries its own weight and everything acting on it: the loads from floors and roofs, the wind on its faces, and the way those forces travel down to the ground. On a project that means choosing the frame, sizing every member and connection, and issuing the drawings and calculations a builder works to and a building control officer signs off. ### Do I need a structural engineer for a house extension? In practice, yes. An extension changes how the existing house carries load, and any new opening, beam, foundation or roof needs designing. A planning application is usually made with structural drawings behind it, and an extension over 45 m² needs a Certificate of Compliance on Completion unless the owner opts out, so the engineer is involved from the first sketch rather than called in at the end. ### Can a load bearing wall be removed without a structural engineer? It should not be. Removing a load bearing wall transfers everything above it onto a new beam, and that beam has to be sized for the load, sat on padstones that can take the bearing, and checked against what is underneath it. Doing it without calculations risks cracking, deflection and, at worst, collapse, and it leaves the work uncertifiable when the house is sold. ### How much does a structural engineer cost? It depends on the work, and it is quoted rather than priced off a list. A report or a survey is normally a fixed fee, because the scope is a single visit and a document. Design work on a new build or an extension is quoted against the size and complexity of the frame, sometimes as a share of the build cost. Ask for a fixed quote against a written scope so the two can be compared. ### How long does a structural report take? The visit itself is usually a matter of hours. The written report follows within a few working days for a house, longer where the structure has to be opened up, monitored over time, or analysed before an opinion can be given. Where a report is needed for a sale or a mortgage, the date it is needed by is worth saying at the outset. ### What is the difference between a structural survey and a structural report? They are two halves of the same job. The survey is the inspection: what is looked at, opened up and measured on site. The report is what comes out of it, the written record of the condition, the cause of anything found, and what should be done about it. Clients use the words interchangeably, and what is actually being bought is the report. ### What is an Opinion on Compliance, and when is one needed? It is a written opinion from a qualified engineer that completed works substantially comply with planning permission and the Building Regulations. It is asked for when a house is being sold or remortgaged and no Certificate of Compliance exists for work already done, such as an old extension or attic conversion. Without one, a solicitor or a lender can hold up the sale. ### When is finite element analysis needed? Where hand methods stop being reliable: flat slabs on an irregular grid, transfer slabs, large openings, punching around columns, and walls that act as deep beams. We model in SCIA Engineer and check the results by hand, because a model is only as good as its supports and its mesh, and a peak at a support is not a number to reinforce for. ### Who certifies structural work for a mortgage or a sale in Ireland? A chartered engineer or another qualified certifier. New work is certified on completion against the permission and the Building Regulations; work already standing is dealt with by an opinion on its compliance. Either way the certifier has to be professionally indemnified, which is what makes the document worth anything to the lender relying on it. ### Do I need a structural survey before buying a house? It is worth having one before you sign the contract, particularly on an older house, an extended one or one with visible cracking. A mortgage valuation is not a survey: it tells the lender what the house is worth, not what is wrong with it. A structural survey looks at the frame, the walls, the roof and the signs of movement, and the report says what was found, what it means and what should be done about it, while the price can still be talked about. ### Are cracks in my walls a structural problem? Most are not. Fine cracks in plaster from shrinkage or temperature are common in any house and are a decorating job. The ones worth an engineer's visit are cracks that are wider at one end than the other, that step through the brickwork, that come back after being filled, or that arrive with doors and windows starting to stick. An inspection finds the cause, and the cause is what decides whether the answer is filler, monitoring or a repair. ### What is a subsidence report, and will my insurer need one? Subsidence is the ground under a building moving down, and taking part of the building with it. A subsidence report sets out whether that is what is happening or whether the cracking has another cause, such as settlement of a new extension, roots, a leaking drain or the house itself. Insurers usually want an engineer's report on the cause before they decide a claim, and the same report tells you what the repair has to be.