How Much Does a Structural Engineer Cost to Hire? [2024 Data]
Normal range: $344 - $775
Hiring a structural engineer costs around $552 on average, or between $344 and $775, depending on the exact services you need from a pro.
Hiring a structural engineer costs anywhere from $200 to $1,500, depending on the type of services and size of the project. Most homeowners pay $552 on average. Structural engineers inspect and design homes so that walls, foundations, roofs, and floors are structurally sound.
There are a few different ways a structural engineer can charge for their services, and you should be aware of additional potential costs for plans and revisions. We’ll discuss all of this and more in this comprehensive cost guide.
- Average
- $552
- Low end
- $200
- high end
- $1,500
Structural Engineer Cost Factors
Structural engineer costs can range from $200 up to $1,500, depending on a few key factors.
Fee Structure
When hiring a structural engineer in your area, you will pay per project, per hour, or per square foot. If your engineer charges by the project, they may either charge a flat fee or a percentage of the entire renovation cost or the cost to build a house. The type of billing depends on the professional, as well as the exact scope of work requested.
| Price Structure | Average Cost |
|---|---|
| Per project (fee) | $2,000–$8,500 |
| Per project (%) | 1% to 10% |
| Per hour | $70–$250 |
| Per square foot | $2–$10 |
Per Project
In most cases, a structural engineer costs between $2,000 and $8,500 per project, but prices can fall as low as $350 to $800 if you just need an inspection to confirm whether you have structural damage or whether a renovation project is safe to complete.
Depending on the exact amount, the engineer may request payment in a three-part payment plan with 25% due up front, 25% to 50% due as the second payment, and the remaining balance due as the third payment upon project completion. Smaller projects may demand full payment up front.
Per Hour
For projects where the requirements are not as cut and dry, a structural engineer will charge by the hour. This way, they are compensated fairly for all the required work. On average, a structural engineer will charge around $150 per hour, but hourly rates could fall anywhere between $70 and $250. Your engineer might also switch to this payment structure from a “per project” pricing to account for projects that may take longer than expected.
Per Square Foot
On rare occasions, a structural engineer could charge based on the square footage of a building or add-on, at anywhere from $2 to $10 per square foot. Structural engineers reserve this type of billing for commercial projects in most cases, so you won’t often see it for residential homes. You might get this structure if you’re building new construction, though.
By Percentage of Construction Cost
Some structural engineers might work on a fee structure, which means you’ll pay a percentage of your total project costs to your engineer rather than a flat fee. These payment structures work similarly, but the fee structure option is flexible if you make changes to the plans.
In these cases, you’ll pay between 1% and 5% of a new construction budget or 7% to 10% of a renovation budget for the engineer’s portion of the work. The table below includes some price ranges for your engineer based on your total build price for new construction.
| Total Build Price | Structural Engineer Fee |
|---|---|
| $200,000 | $2,000–$10,000 |
| $300,000 | $3,000–$15,000 |
| $400,000 | $4,000–$20,000 |
| $500,000 | $5,000–$25,000 |
| $700,000 | $7,000–$35,000 |
| $1,000,000 | $10,000–$50,000 |
Complexity of Project
The cost of a structural engineer will also vary based on the complexity of your project. If you’re just building an add-on to your existing home, your engineer will have minimal work to do to ensure the addition is safe.
If you’re instead altering your roof structure, replacing standard beams with more supportive steel I-beams to open up your space, or removing load-bearing walls, your engineer will have more work to do and will charge more, accordingly. Custom new construction projects are the most involved and will typically be the most expensive.
Type of Inspection
When working with a structural engineer, an inspection is the first step—and may also be the only step, depending on why you’re hiring them. A structural engineer charges a flat fee for inspections, including checks during the sale of a home. The cost of a structural report usually sits around $550, but prices can range from $350 up to $800, depending on the size and complexity of your home.
Your structural engineer inspection cost will more likely reach $1,200 or more if you’re having your professional investigate suspected foundation issues, including foundation cracks, bowing foundation walls, wavy rooflines, or sagging or squeaky floors.
| Type of Inspection | Average Cost |
|---|---|
| Beams/joists/trusses | $350–$500 |
| Buying or selling a home | $600 |
| Foundation damage | $500–$1,000 |
| Home remodel | $500–$1,500 |
| Load-bearing walls | $350–$500 |
| New construction | $400–$600 |
| Storm damage | $500–$1,000 |
Engineer Plans
Engineer plans are the drawings that detail the construction project, and in the case of new construction, they’re the plans that an architect and builder will work off of to construct your home safely.
The engineer plans themselves, and the process to produce them, will cost you anywhere from $300 to $2,500, depending on the scope of the project. The cost can be much higher for more complex, large-scale projects, sometimes as high as 45% of the engineering budget. It’s a good idea to budget an additional $300 to $700 for revisions in case you want to make changes after the first round of drafting. Additional revisions after that point will cost about the same amount.
The table below includes some average pricing for standard drawings you might request from a structural engineer.
| Type of Plans | Average Cost Range |
|---|---|
| Commercial construction | $5,000–$100,000 |
| Home add-on or bump-out | $2,000–$5,000 |
| Major home renovation | $2,000–$5,000 |
| New construction | $2,000–$10,000 |
| Outbuilding construction | $500–$2,000 |
Experience
It makes sense that more experienced structural engineers cost more to hire than less experienced engineers. On average, expect to pay between $100 and $250 per hour for your engineer’s time. The exact hourly rate will depend on their experience level and other factors, such as location and the type of project.
PE Stamp
A PE stamp, or professional engineer stamp, is a seal or embossed stamp engineers place on designs they’ve reviewed. This shows that they’ve approved the designs and found them safe and in accordance with local building codes. Not every firm stamps drawings, as only registered professional engineers with additional training can do it. Many jurisdictions require stamps on civic and large-scale projects.
If an added layer of professionalism and accountability is important to you or your project, or if your municipality requires it, find an engineer who can provide a PE stamp. Because stamps come with extra liability and responsibility on the engineer’s part, expect to pay higher overall fees for stamped plans, with added fees falling between $500 and $2,000.
Location
Where you live—state, city, and zip code—will also change the cost of structural engineer services. So, when budgeting, consider the cost of living and professional services in your area. Your location can also affect other specifics, including whether you live in an area prone to earthquakes or other natural disasters and how far the engineers will have to travel to your location.
| State | Average Engineer Cost |
|---|---|
| California | $790 |
| Florida | $560 |
| Georgia | $500 |
| Illinois | $520 |
| Michigan | $500 |
| New York | $680 |
| North Carolina | $540 |
| Ohio | $520 |
| Pennsylvania | $520 |
| Texas | $500 |
DIY vs. Hiring a Structural Engineer
Assessing your home’s structural stability or designing structurally sound homes, add-ons, and outbuildings are all complex tasks that require extensive planning and knowledge of how structures work on a fundamental level. It’s also not possible for non-engineers to account for soil consistency, building loads, and the integrity of building materials without the education that structural engineers receive. As such, you should always leave these jobs to a pro.
Even if you did feel comfortable doing the planning yourself, most municipalities require that a certified local structural engineer provide building plans for any major construction or renovation project. It’s illegal in most areas in the U.S. to build new construction or complete a home add-on or major remodel without the help of an engineer.
Ways to Save Money on Structural Engineer Costs
While you can’t save money on the cost of a structural engineer by doing the work yourself, there are some things you can do to help keep the price down.
If you’re building new construction, hire your structural engineer to do architectural drawings if the firm handles that service. They’ll likely give you a break on the total if you hire them for more work.
If possible, choose a structural engineer who charges flat fees. This can avoid increasing costs if the job takes longer than expected. Most engineers will offer this for smaller projects, like removing load-bearing walls or replacing wood beams with steel I-beams.
Ask your architect to standardize building design elements. This can reduce the overall engineering time and will likely lower the cost of materials and construction.
Hire a structural engineer who can suggest ways to get your desired outcome while minimizing the materials and construction work needed. For example, repeating design elements and structural connections like beams and columns can help your home look symmetrical and limit the engineering and building time.
If you’re dealing with foundation damage or notice signs that your house might collapse, have your structural engineer carry out an assessment and the repairs. Most professionals will give you a small discount.
Find an engineer willing to collaborate with your contractor during the early planning phases and throughout the job. If your planning, design, and construction team work together, they’re more likely to identify potential problems and opportunities early enough to save you time and money on the project.
How Angi Gets Its Cost Data
Home is the most important place on earth, which is why Angi has helped more than 150 million homeowners transform their houses into homes they adore. To help homeowners with their next project, Angi provides readers with the most accurate cost data and upholds strict editorial standards. We’ve surveyed thousands of real Angi customers about their project costs to develop the pricing data you see, so you can make the best decisions for you and your home. We pair this data with research from reputable sources, including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, academic journals, market studies, and interviews with industry experts—all to ensure our prices reflect real-world projects.
Want to help us improve our cost data? Send us a recent project quote to costquotes@angi.com. Quotes and personal information will not be shared publicly.
Frequently Asked Questions
You need to hire a structural engineer when building or modifying any component with a structural load in your home. Common situations where you would need a structural engineer include home inspections when buying or selling a home, investigating possible issues with your foundation, beams, load-bearing walls, or chimneys, breaking ground on a new home or structure on your property, and renovating an old part of your home that could threaten any structural integrity. Home additions and bump-outs also require an engineer.
A structural engineer evaluates any structural components, like floors, foundations, walls, and roofs, to ensure they can support the structure. They also consider the soil quality in your area, potentially extreme weather conditions, and proximity to bodies of water and groundwater to ensure your building can withstand any stresses placed on it by the surrounding environment. Structural engineers work on both new and existing buildings.
Most structural engineers offer free quotes, regardless of the size of the job. For simple inspections when buying or selling a home, engineers typically charge a flat fee that may be based solely on your home’s foundation type and square footage. For larger projects, like new construction and major home renovations, an engineer will either perform an analysis of your project and site and provide you with a formal estimate, or they will do a more in-depth assessment and in-person site inspection before coming up with a per-hour or per-project cost estimate. In most cases, the estimate is free.