Additions, Decks & Renovations
Permit ready drawings
for the build you are planning.
Sealed structural drawings for room additions, second stories, decks, porches and garages, prepared to the Virginia Residential Code.
An addition is two structural projects at once. There is the new structure, which is straightforward, and there is the existing house, which is now being asked to carry something it was never designed for.
The second half is where additions go wrong. A new second story lands on walls, then on framing, then on a foundation that was sized for a single story built decades ago. It is entirely solvable, but only if somebody checks.
Decks are not simple
Deck failures are among the most common residential structural failures, and the ledger connection to the house is usually the culprit. Footing depth, guard and railing loads, and stair framing all follow prescriptive requirements that get missed on a sketch.
Drawn once, priced accurately
A properly detailed set does not just get you the permit. It gets you comparable bids, because every builder is pricing the same structure instead of guessing at what you meant.
Project types
- Single story and two story additions, including the effect on existing framing and foundation
- Second story additions and roof raises over existing structures
- Decks, porches, screened rooms and pergolas, including ledger and footing design
- Garages, shops and accessory buildings
- Open plan renovations involving wall removal and new beams
- Dormers, skylights and roof framing modifications
- Basement finishing and new egress openings in foundation walls
How It Works
What the process looks like
Share the plan
Architect drawings, a builder sketch or a description with photos. Any of those is a valid starting point.
Evaluate the existing house
Field measurement of what is there now, because that is what the new work has to land on.
Design the new structure
Framing, connections, foundations and the load path where new meets old.
Issue sealed drawings
For the permit office and for pricing.
Answer field questions
When the wall opens up and reality differs from the drawing, which it sometimes does.
Common Questions
Straight answers
I already have an architect. Do I still need you?
Usually yes. Most residential architects and designers work with a structural engineer for the framing, foundations and load path, and many of them bring us in themselves. We work alongside your architect rather than replacing anyone.
Can you design from my builder’s sketch?
Yes. A great deal of residential work starts as a contractor sketch or a conversation. We will tell you if the concept has a structural problem before you get attached to it.
Does a deck really need an engineer?
Not every deck. But raised decks, unusual spans, difficult attachment conditions and anything the building official flags will need sealed drawings, and deck ledger failures are a genuinely common cause of injury.
Will my foundation take a second story?
That is exactly the question to answer before design, not after. Sometimes yes as built, sometimes with defined reinforcement. Either way you want it on paper.
Planning something for this year?
The earlier the structural question gets asked, the cheaper the answer is.