Looking for a Structural Engineer

cgarrad

Need a Structural Engineer to sit down with to do some rough calculations to get some idea on the cost of building a 5 story 300 sq m shell. (1500m2 total)

Looking for guidance on concrete volumes and steel requirements and floor thickness for different spans.

I'll come to you (Dublin) and give you €50 for an hour

No firm figures are required just approximations.

If its not too dear to build there is a job doing the final specs and we can agree a fee.

FesterBeatty

If you're looking for costs then you need to sit down with a QS. But if you're only paying 50 quid and want to go through an entire building in one hour I'd be very sceptical of the accuracy of the outcome.

You would also want to discuss with an architect as you may be restricted by the planners in terms of what you can & cannot do. You will also need to consider foul/surface drainage and watermain/external surfacing etc. Not to mention ground conditions which, if poor may take up a significant chunk of your budget. Its impossible to establish foundation types without knowledge of the ground and if you need to improve the ground or install piles then i suspect you cant afford it since your budget for an engineer is .. 50quid.. I could go on and on here ... So i'll cut it short. I suggest you ad a few 00's to your 50 and assemble a design team to assess the feasibility - other than that youre wasting your time, as the results you get will be way off the mark.

You know what they say - you pay peanuts, you get monkeys! :-)

But not to stray away from the point - taking a rough build cost of 1250 per square meter youre looking at 2 million quid for the development. Allow 2.5m..oh, and take off the 50 quid ive just saved you with that calculation..

cgarrad

2 mill for a finished building true enough but to build the shell is all I'm looking for.

Basically poured floors and block work in between the floors.

Once the foundation is down its 20k in blocks, concrete and steel per floor should cover it plus labour.

The foundation is the big unknown (for me) :rolleyes:

An hour to do a rough calculation on the foundation should be enough and spans should be off the top of an engineers head, I thought I was being generous ;-)

cozzie55

I'll do it for you but i wouldn't have a clue of costs for building. Sizing is easy though if its only a rough estimate of members you want.
Granted I'm only just out of college but most engineers i've met don't know that much about cost. If you know a QS they would probably be a better route to take.

FesterBeatty

If you're only after rough calcs then what difference does it make? Just take 20k per floor as you say, because whether the engineer specifies 250mm thick floors or 300mm thick floors 'off the top of his head' is irrelevant at this stage, because you're going to be so far off the mark if you have so little information about the site, and more specifically the ground.

Also, do you need basement carparking? Is there a water table? Temporary works could cost you a packet if so...Can you pump water out without risking settlement of adjacent buildings blah blah ...

Do you have a specific site in mind, if so is there easy access for concrete pumping trucks, steel delivery trucks etc etc. If not then you might consider alternative forms of construction etc.

You might get someone to do it alright but dont hold them responsible when the actual cost goes up by 40%;)

I'm just being practical and realistic here - but to me the 'generous' offer of 50quid for the scheme design (plus travel time etc) of a 5 storey building really undermines the profession..but hey, what do us engineers know.

Anyway, go for it if you want, I'm just raising this as an issue..

Incidentally, why are you looking into developing this when there are so many vacant multi storey's all over the country?

cgarrad

FesterBeatty wrote: »

If you're only after rough calcs then what difference does it make? Just take 20k per floor as you say, because whether the engineer specifies 250mm thick floors or 300mm thick floors 'off the top of his head' is irrelevant at this stage, because you're going to be so far off the mark if you have so little information about the site, and more specifically the ground.

Dublin city center, granite, its sticking out of the ground ;-)

Also, do you need basement carparking? Is there a water table? Temporary works could cost you a packet if so...Can you pump water out without risking settlement of adjacent buildings blah blah ...

No and no

Do you have a specific site in mind, if so is there easy access for concrete pumping trucks, steel delivery trucks etc etc. If not then you might consider alternative forms of construction etc.

Own a site. Easy access.

You might get someone to do it alright but dont hold them responsible when the actual cost goes up by 40%;)

Fingers crossed ;-)

I'm just being practical and realistic here - but to me the 'generous' offer of 50quid for the scheme design (plus travel time etc) of a 5 storey building really undermines the profession..but hey, what do us engineers know.

No design just a rough idea of whats needed. I was going to go to them actually.

Anyway, go for it if you want, I'm just raising this as an issue..

Incidentally, why are you looking into developing this when there are so many vacant multi storey's all over the country?

No vacant retail in the area.

The glass is half full

cgarrad

Cozzie55 PM sent

FesterBeatty

Great to see that people are still looking to develop anyway. Best of luck with your venture.