In short
A structural engineer in New Town, North Hobart, West Hobart and Mount Stuart mostly works on older Victorian and Federation homes: sloping floors, cracked brickwork, wall removal and second storeys. Some streets sit in Hobart heritage precincts, and building within 1 m of a council stormwater pipe needs the City's consent. Wall removal designs start from $550 + GST, with a fixed quote within 1–2 business hours.
Structural engineer New Town: local facts
- Council
- Hobart City Council
- Typical homes
- Victorian and Federation brick and timber homes, many with raised timber floors
- Heritage precincts
- New Town had a heritage precinct under the 2015 interim scheme; the Hobart LPS draft proposed splitting it into Tower Road and Springvale Avenue precincts
- Heritage studies
- The City of Hobart's heritage studies covered North and West Hobart
- Council pipes
- Work within 1 m of a council stormwater pipe needs consent (Urban Drainage Act 2013 s13, Building Act 2016 ss73–74)
What structural problems do New Town's older homes have?
The usual ones are sloping timber floors, cracked brickwork above doors and windows, and earlier alterations that cut into walls. Victorian and Federation homes in New Town, North Hobart and West Hobart have had a century or more of seasons, plumbing changes and renovations, so some movement is expected. The engineer's job is to separate old, stable damage from movement that is still going on.
- Sloping or bouncy floors on raised timber floors, often from old stumps, bearers or damp subfloors
- Cracks in brickwork, especially stepped cracks and cracks from the corners of openings
- Doors that bind after a dry summer or a wet winter
- Past renovations where a wall, chimney breast or post was removed without a record of what replaced it
When the stumps are the problem, restumping replaces them under a raised floor. We set out the stump layout, bearers and footings and certify the work: see restumping and our restumping cost guide.
Can I remove a wall in my New Town home?
Usually, yes, as long as a beam, posts and footings are designed to carry whatever the wall was holding up. In older homes that can be more than it looks: ceiling joists, a roof strut, a chimney or a floor above may all bear on the same wall.
Send photos of the wall from both sides, the ceiling and roof space above, and the rough room sizes. Our wall removal design from $550 + GST gives your builder the beam size, post and footing details and a Form 35 when the work needs approval. Planning a second storey instead? We check whether the existing walls and footings can carry it, then design the new frame: see extensions and renovations. Get a wall removal quote.
Do New Town heritage precincts affect structural work?
They can. A building in a Hobart local heritage precinct usually needs a planning permit for works, though some maintenance is exempt. Under the Hobart Local Provisions Schedule, in effect from 26 September 2025, precinct buildings are rated contributory, non-contributory or neutral.
New Town already had a heritage precinct under the 2015 interim scheme, and the City's draft LPS proposed splitting it into Tower Road and Springvale Avenue precincts, so check the adopted maps for your street. For a contributory building, the City asks owners to keep what is significant: original features, materials, colours, scale and form. Structurally, that usually means strengthening what is there rather than replacing it, and fitting new loads behind the street face. Our heritage and older homes service documents the existing structure for the application.
Can I build over a council stormwater pipe in New Town?
Only with the City of Hobart's consent if the work is within 1 m of a council stormwater pipe. That consent comes under section 13 of the Urban Drainage Act 2013 and sections 73–74 of the Building Act 2016, and usually travels with the planning or plumbing application.
The council weighs the risk of damage to the pipe, access for maintenance, flood risk and waterway values, and consent can carry conditions such as an indemnity or an obligation to remove the structure later. Our part is the engineering: locating the pipe on the plans, designing footings that keep loads off it, and documenting that for the council. Read building over a stormwater easement in Hobart before you finalise an extension layout.
