If you are constructing a new house or an addition, plan development that contractors can bid on and can be issued by to the local building official to issue a building permit are a real asset. These plans can be included in your written agreement with the contractor as part of the specifications of your project.
As a Professional Engineer, certified plans can be produced for:

• New Foundations for Houses utilizing Reinforced Concrete (ICF Forms or Standard Forming) or Preserved Wood Foundations (PWF)

• Garage Foundations (Detached Slab-on-Grade or dropped footing with upstand wall)

• Deck Foundations (Cast in Place Concrete Piles, Helical piles or dropped footings with upstand wall)
Local building officials require certified plans for all types of foundations, framing, roof trusses and specialized floor joists depending on their sizes. Confirm with the officials prior to beginning your construction project to see if you require certified plans.

All commercial construction projects require different levels of Professional Certification. Typically, three of four types of Engineering are required:

• Structural-Foundation and Framing

• Electrical-Wiring and Lighting

• Mechanical-Heating and Plumbing

• Geotechnical-Soil analysis

There is also the need for Architectural review if the building is greater than a certain size. Building officials require that Parts of the National Building Code (NBC 2010) be Certified by letter following project completion ensuring that the Professional and the building contractor follows the code.
Quotations will be provided for anticipated work typically including:

• Initial Site Visit

• Pre-Design for Pricing

• Final Design

• Drafting

• On-site Periodic Inspections through specified stages of the project

• Final Certification Letter to the Local Building Official and/or Authority

Do you want to have something built but do not know where to start? Or Have you begun a construction project but are being held up by the requirement of Professional Certification?

Construction projects are directed typically by specifications and plans. Creation of plans is a repetitive process whereby the initial concept of a building project is sketched out and reviewed by the owner. Revisions and modifications are then repeated until the owner is satisfied and then final plans are produced. These plans can then be taken to contractors for pricing and to the building officials to begin the Permit process. Plan review will take anywhere from one week to a month. On the receipt of a letter from the building officials, issuance of a permit will either be contained within the letter or will be sent following the request for confirmation documents. The building officials will include a breakdown of additional items that will be required prior to issue of the building permit and/or general instruction regarding the requirements of the National Building Code.