Find a Structural Engineer near you
The average rating for Bark Structural Engineers is 4.8, based on 62,612 reviews
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Wondering how much a structural engineer will set you back? Read our handy guide to find out how much you’ll pay for a structural engineer in the UK.
The average price of a structural engineer is £150 per hour. For a residential project, this averages at £2,400 in total. Keep in mind that the figure varies based on the size of your property, the complexity of the project, and your professional’s experience.
When the time arrives to renovate your property, structural engineers are a must-have. Data shows that there’s roughly 92,600 of these experts employed across the UK. A few examples of projects you might need a structural engineer for include:
Removal or renovation of any internal walls
Changing doors and windows
Building an extension for the house
Underpinning floors
Fitting solar panels
By selecting the right structural engineer for your project, it makes the difference between a poorly constructed property that needs regular maintenance, and an excellent building that stands the test of time.
If you want to find out how much a structural engineer costs, read our webpage below. Don’t forget that all figures listed on this page are based on our data and research. If you want a personalised quotation, get in touch with a structural engineer near you.
If you’re planning a home renovation soon, or looking to build a new property, you’ll almost certainly need a structural engineer. Building updates often involve changes to its stability or structure – and that’s where a structural engineer is essential.
A structural engineer calculates clear guidelines that your architect and contractor should stick to. These can also be shared with your building’s administration, so you get clearance to go ahead with the project.
You should keep an eye out for signs that your building needs to be inspected. Cracks in the walls, sinking floors, or noticeable leaning of the property are clues. Your structural engineer can then assess how serious it is.
This helps to determine what’s causing the issue, create a plan for fixing it, and then ensure it doesn’t happen again.
A typical structural engineer charges by the hour. On average, this figure is £150 per hour, but you’ll find a range between £100 per hour up to £250 per hour.
For a residential renovation, a structural engineer spends about 16 hours on the entire project, from beginning to end. This brings a total price of £2,400. Keep in mind that this figure can vary significantly based on their hourly rate.
Not every structural engineer charge on an hourly basis. Some price each project on the complexity involved.
The largest and most complicated projects can go up to £10,000. This is particularly common with large commercial buildings. But you could also keep the price in the hundreds for one-off inspections.
It’s worth getting guidance from your structural engineer on how they price their projects, before you begin. This allows you to budget accordingly.
| Number of working hours | Average expected price |
| 5 | £750 |
| 10 | £1,500 |
| 15 | £2,250 |
| 20 | £3,000 |
| 25 | £3,750 |
You often find structural engineer costs fluctuating based on several different factors. These include, but are not limited to:
Type of project and its complexity
Scale of your project & the time involved
Size of your current property
Location
Professional’s experience and qualifications
You can get clarity on some of these details before you approach a structural engineer. For example, you already know your location and the size of your house – so research how this impacts your price.
Likewise, while you’ll feel more comfortable with a well-qualified structural engineer, this forces you to increase your budget. It’s a careful balancing act.
Each structural engineer project is different. When you underpin your property, the stakes are considerably higher than replacing a door. You’ll usually see this reflected in the price quotation.
Complexity can vary based on your property’s history. Have problems reappeared that you thought were ‘fixed’ a couple of years ago? And are there local regulations that must be considered as you extend your property? The best structural engineers think about all these factors.
See a full list of project types, and the corresponding prices, further below.
Even if your type of project (e.g. carrying out an extension) remains the same, this doesn’t mean that the scale is identical. A dormer addition requires less time, budget and materials, compared with a rear extension that doubles your square footage.
The same principle applies for the time your structural engineer spends on the project. As outlined above, a 20-hour project sometimes costs thousands more than a 10-hour project.
Getting all the materials, planning permission and labour sorted before you bring in a structural engineer is sometimes a great idea. In other cases, you can’t begin anything until your structural engineer has given their opinion.
Inspecting a property’s structure tends to be more complicated when it’s a larger building. If you live in a bungalow, the foundations are less complex and easier to access. But this is more challenging on a large residential mansion, or a block of flats.
Service prices tend to go up and down, depending on your location in the country. You’ll pay more for a service in London, or on the south coast of England, compared to in Northern Ireland or Wales.
Your distance from the professional you choose also makes a difference. They’ll charge more to travel out to you.
Picking a structural engineer close to you is especially important if there’s a specific set of conditions with regards to soil, house construction, or building regulations in the local area. A nearby professional will already know about most of this.
When your structural engineer has more experience and qualifications, it probably costs more than someone without these things.
You’re less likely to see errors made by a highly experienced professional. But with a newcomer, you could feel that there’s more risk involved. This isn’t always the case, so you should use your best judgement.
If your house has expensive fixtures and fittings, you should take extra care over your choice. Mistakes may be more costly in this scenario.
| Service | Average price |
| One-off inspection & report | £1,250 |
| Underpinning advice | £1,000 |
| House extension | £3,000 |
| Internal alterations – doors, windows, etc. | £1,250 |
| Garage or loft conversions | £1,750 |
| Fitting solar panels | £1,000 |
Although structural engineers and architects fulfil similar roles, it’s not exactly the same. The former focuses on the safety and stability of your house. The latter is more concerned with design and appearance.
You can expect to pay around £8,000 on average for an architect. But the price rarely goes above £4,000 for a structural engineer. Even though an architect’s hourly rate is often lower, they’re involved with the project for a longer period. This pushes the total bill up higher.
Both professionals are concerned with local regulations. You shouldn’t find a professional in either industry who doesn’t research what they can and can’t do. Likewise, there’ll be analysis of expected loads completed by both experts, to ensure the building won’t struggle to support everything in it.
A major advantage of using a structural engineer is that it helps to ensure your safety and stability. Measuring the load of items going into your house, and comparing this with the strength of your foundations, is a difficult task. You’re unlikely to do this yourself in an effective way.
You’ll get enormous peace of mind from bringing in an external expert. They’ll consider factors that might’ve totally passed you by. And they can create a tailored solution perfect for your wishes.
In the long run, a structural engineer should help your finances. That’s because costly mistakes are less likely, such as a local authority ordering you to undo work. You’ll also improve the lifespan of your property, thus increasing the time it takes for work to be needed again.
On the other hand, structural engineers usually involve a large up-front cost for your project. You’ll need to budget for this accordingly.
Some architects charge lower hourly rates, and still provide similar services. Whether this is done to the same quality, though, is a different matter. You should speak to both professionals about this separately and decide on the best path forwards. Independent advice might be advisable, too.
Just like with all professionals, not all structural engineers are reliable and high-quality. With so much on the line in these types of projects, you should do extra careful research and check references for everyone you consider. Ask for evidence of previous projects too. By simply picking the least expensive option, it can cost you much more in the long run.
| Pros | Cons |
| Safety and security | Large up-front cost |
| Peace of mind | Architects offer some of the same services |
| Avoid costly mistakes | Not all are completely reliable |
If you’ve had a disagreement with someone over a structural matter relating to your house, it can sometimes go to court. This is common between neighbours with a shared wall. But it might also be because you’ve hired a structural engineer in the past, who’s made a mistake with your property.
You can pay a structural engineer to be an expert witness in a court case. A structural engineer can inspect the problem and provide an unbiased opinion on the issue, establishing the cause and liability of the problem.
You’ll often pay at least £500 for this expert to inspect your house’s structure. This goes up significantly (into the thousands) if they then need to testify in a court case. A written summary could also be sufficient, which puts the price around halfway between the two.
A structural engineer is responsible for the designing, planning, and construction of new infrastructural establishments such as buildings and bridges. They’re also sometimes involved in alteration and extension work on existing structures and properties.
The work of a structural engineer is complex. They can be responsible for the infrastructural growth of a town, city, or country.
These experts also provide consultancy services to architects and contractors. This is done by calculating different types of loads, and suggesting which materials and structural systems should be used for a particular project.
You should speak to several structural engineers before making a firm decision. Ask for examples of past projects they’ve completed and speak to the customer themselves to get their feedback.
Your structural engineer should also have experience with your type of building. If it’s an extremely unique property with complex needs, finding someone with experience in your area often translates into a higher price.
It’s almost never worth underpaying for a structural engineer. The safety and security of you and your loved ones is at stake. Likewise, if you’ve got hundreds of thousands tied up in equity in your house, you need to protect this too. Make sure your expert has Professional Indemnity Insurance as well.
Check if your structural engineer is a member of the Institution of Structural Engineers. Many professionals in the UK aren’t, which helps you to weed out the ‘less reliable’ ones and focus on structural engineers that belong to this body.
You can make a claim for professional negligence. This usually involves taking the individual to court. They’ll sometimes have professional indemnity insurance to cover this.
You’ll need to clearly demonstrate how your structural engineer caused the error. This includes proof of the damages that occurred, and an independent estimate of how much it costs to fix. An inspection from another structural engineer could corroborate your findings.
Get legal guidance on taking a professional to court in this manner. A solicitor can advise you on the best steps to winning your case.
No, it’s almost impossible to do structural engineering yourself without the relevant experience and qualifications. Inspecting foundations, making recommendations on extensions, analysing weight loads and distribution, and more is very complicated. It’s not a project that you can ‘DIY’.
The average rating for Bark Structural Engineers is 4.8, based on 62,612 reviews
5/5
based on 62,612 reviews
