About StructuralEngineer.ie
A Chartered structural engineering practice for homes in the Greater Dublin Area. One engineer from first visit to final sign-off.
StructuralEngineer.ie is a Chartered structural engineering practice based in Blackrock, Co. Dublin, serving Dublin and the Greater Dublin Area (Kildare, Meath and Wicklow). It designs, inspects and certifies the structural work Irish homeowners and builders actually do: extensions, load-bearing wall removal, attic and garage conversions, temporary works and steel connections. It also investigates cracks, subsidence and pyrite, and carries out pre-purchase structural surveys.
Who does the work
The engineering is carried out by Joachim Louw, a Chartered Engineer (CEng MIEI) with structural engineering experience in Ireland, South Africa and the UK, working through Ollewagen Louw Engineering. The engineer who visits is the engineer who designs, inspects and signs.
How the work is done
Every design starts on site, because a beam sized from photos and a guess about what's above it is how ceilings crack. The design is to the Eurocodes and the Irish Technical Guidance Documents. The drawings and steel schedule are produced so a builder can price them and a fabricator can cut from them. Key stages, like foundations before concrete and steel before it's boxed in, are inspected before they are covered, so the work can be certified with confidence.
How fees work
Fees are fixed and confirmed in writing before the visit. Published market ranges for common jobs are on the structural engineer cost guide, and the fee estimator gives a quick figure for your job. There's no hourly meter on domestic work.
Standards and methods
- Structural engineering
- Eurocodes (I.S. EN 1990, EN 1991, EN 1992, EN 1993, EN 1995, EN 1996, EN 1997)
- Technical Guidance Document A (Structure)
- Technical Guidance Document B (Fire Safety)
- Building Control (Amendment) Regulations (BCAR)
- Load-bearing wall removal and steel beam design
- Padstone and masonry bearing design
- Temporary works and propping design
- Steel connection design to I.S. EN 1993-1-8
- Attic conversion floor and truss design
- Extension foundation design
- Crack diagnosis (BRE Digest 251 categories)
- Subsidence and heave investigation
- Pyrite assessment to I.S. 398-1:2013
- Opinions of compliance with Building Regulations
- Works to party structures (Land and Conveyancing Law Reform Act 2009)
How to reach a person
Call 01 270 9764, Mon–Fri 8:00–18:00. Callback the same working day. Or send the details and you'll get a call back.
How it works
How every job runs
- 01
Call and fixed quote
Describe the job by phone or form. You get a fixed engineering fee in writing.
- 02
Site visit
The engineer checks what the structure is carrying, the ground and the bearings, and agrees the scope with you.
- 03
Design and calcs
Calcs, drawings and a steel schedule, issued to you and your builder.
- 04
Inspection and sign-off
Key stages are inspected before they are covered, then the signed certificate is issued.
Talk to the engineer before the builder starts.
Fixed fee confirmed in writing before the visit.