Builders · Building designers · Architects · Surveyors
A structural engineer for Hobart builders and designers
Footing and beam design, structural drawings, Form 35 and Form 55 certificates and site inspections for builders, building designers, architects and building surveyors. Send the plans, get a fixed fee within 1–2 business hours, and a delivery date you can plan around.
In short
Builders, building designers and architects in Hobart use an engineer for the structural part of a job: footing and slab design, beams and posts, retaining walls, Form 35 for the building surveyor and Form 55 for work already built. Send PDF plans for a fixed fee within 1–2 business hours, Mon–Fri 8:00am–5:00pm. The quote states the delivery date and whether a site visit is needed.
- Quote
- Fixed fee within 1–2 business hours
- Paperwork
- Form 35 with our designs, Form 55 for assessable items
- Site visits
- Greater Hobart; design and certification Tasmania-wide
- Fees
- Form 55 from $350 + GST, beam design from $550 + GST
What we engineer
What can a structural engineer do for builders and designers?
A structural engineer designs the parts of your job that the building surveyor needs engineered, and certifies work that's already built. These are the jobs builders and designers most often need, with starting prices ex GST.
Tasmanian paperwork
Form 35 or Form 55: which does your building surveyor need?
Your building surveyor needs a Form 35 from each designer of the work with the application for a Certificate of Likely Compliance, and a Form 55 for assessable items such as work already built or an independent check. We provide both.
| Compare | Form 35 | Form 55 |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Certificate of the Responsible Designer | Certificate of Qualified Person – Assessable Item |
| When it's used | With every application for a Certificate of Likely Compliance | For assessable items, such as geotechnical reports, independent checks and work already built |
| What it covers | The design documents the designer prepared | The specific item the qualified person assessed |
| Who signs it | Each designer of the work, including the structural engineer | A qualified person for that item |
| From us | With every design we prepare | As-built certification from $350 + GST |
Notifiable work and permit work both start with a building surveyor's Certificate of Likely Compliance. More in Form 35 and Form 55 certificates and the guide to low risk, notifiable and permit work.
Sending plans
How do you send plans for a quote?
Send plans through the quote form as PDFs, with the item you need engineered marked up. The form takes PDF, Word, JPG and PNG files, up to 5 files of 50 MB each. For CAD files or larger sets, email them to info@hobartstructuralengineers.com.au with the job address.
- The architectural set: site plan, floor plans, elevations and sections
- The item to engineer, circled or noted: a beam, a wall, the footings, the whole frame
- The site address, so we can check landslip bands, council pipes and exposure
- The soil report or site classification, if there is one
- Photos for work on an existing building
- The surveyor's request, if they've asked for something specific
- Your program: lodgement date, start date or the next pour
What happens next
Fixed quote
Within 1–2 business hours: the scope, whether a site visit is needed and the delivery date.
Design and drawings
Calculations and structural drawings marked up for the builder, with questions answered as the job goes.
Form 35 for the surveyor
Ready to go with the application for a Certificate of Likely Compliance.
Inspections and sign-off
Stage inspections across Greater Hobart as listed in the quote, then sign-off or a Form 55.
Hobart sites
What Hobart site conditions change a design?
Wind exposure, reactive clay, landslip bands and retaining heights change more Hobart designs than anything else. We check them from the address before we design, so the design suits the site from the start.
Wind classification
Bracing and tie-down follow the site's own AS 4055 wind classification, which depends on terrain, shielding and topography. We never assume one wind class for Hobart.
Reactive clays
Clays weathered from dolerite are documented as expansive in Hobart. Footings are designed for the site class, not an assumed one.
Landslip bands
Low-risk work in a landslip band becomes notifiable, and Class 1 work in a High band becomes permit work. We check LISTmap first.
Retaining heights
Walls over 1.2 m, or over 0.5 m within 1.5 m of a boundary, are no longer low risk. Up to 1.8 m they need a licensed builder and an engineer's design.
Code edition and bushfire
NCC 2022 applies in Tasmania until 30 April 2027, and NCC 2025 from 1 May 2027. We don't prepare BAL assessments or bushfire hazard management plans: an accredited bushfire hazard practitioner prepares those, and we work alongside their report.
Independent
Why use an independent engineer?
An independent engineer only designs, inspects and certifies, so there's no build or repair to sell and no reason to over-design. We never build, sell repairs or recommend a contractor, which means we never price against you, and our drawings are written for any licensed builder to follow. Licence: Engineer – Civil, [licence no.]. Credentials: [CPEng / NER].
Guides for builders and designers