Beam installation costs are an important consideration if you’re building a home or doing renovations. Learn about average costs and factors in this guide.
How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Structural Engineer in Chicago? [2025 Data]
Normal Range: $397 - $796
Hiring a structural engineer in Chicago, IL costs $555 on average, or between $397 and $796, depending on the exact services you need from a pro.
How we get this data
Cost Insights
Structural engineer costs in Chicago, IL, increase with project scope, with inspections ranging $450 to $900 and foundation evaluations reaching $1,300 or more.
Older Chicago masonry homes often require extra calculations or beam sizing, raising engineering fees to $2,500 to $9,000.
Complex remodels or home additions needing stamped plans can push total engineering costs toward $3,000 to $12,000.
As a major Midwest metro with dense housing and varied building ages, homeowners in Chicago, Illinois, should plan carefully when budgeting for structural work. Structural engineer costs in Chicago average $555, with most projects falling between $397 and $796.
From historic brick two-flats in Lincoln Park to modern condos in the Loop, many Chicago homes require detailed load assessments, foundation evaluations, or beam sizing before renovations. Local factors—such as freeze–thaw cycles, clay-heavy soils, and strict city permitting—can also influence the total price. Below, explore what you can expect to pay for a structural engineer in Chicago.
Structural Engineer Cost Factors
Structural engineer cost factors in Chicago, Illinois, reflect how fee structure, inspection type, and project complexity shape pricing, especially when evaluating signs of structural damage or creating engineering plans for the city’s older brick homes and dense urban buildings.
Fee Structure
When hiring a structural engineer in Chicago, you will pay per project, per hour, or per square foot. If your engineer charges by the project, they may either charge a flat fee or a percentage of the entire renovation cost or the cost to build a house. The type of billing depends on the professional and the exact scope of work requested.
| Price Structure | Average Cost |
|---|---|
| Per project (fee) | $2,500–$9,000 |
| Per project (%) | 1%–10% |
| Per hour | $120–$250 |
| Per square foot | $2–$10 |
Project Complexity
The cost of a structural engineer for a home inspection will also vary based on the complexity of your project. If you’re just building an add-on to your existing home, your engineer will have minimal work to do to ensure the addition is safe.
If you’re instead altering your roof structure, replacing standard beams with more supportive steel I-beams to open up your space, or removing load-bearing walls, your engineer will have more work to do and will charge more accordingly. Custom new construction projects are the most involved and will be the most expensive.
Type of Inspection
When working with a structural engineer, an inspection is the first step—and may also be the only step, depending on why you’re hiring them. A structural engineer charges a flat fee for inspections, including checks during the sale of a home. The cost of a structural report sits at $650, but prices can range from $450 to $900, depending on the size and complexity of your home.
Your structural engineer inspection cost will likely reach $1,300 or more if you’re having your professional perform a foundation inspection for foundational cracks, bowing foundation walls, wavy rooflines, or sagging or squeaky floors.
| Type of Inspection | Average Cost |
|---|---|
| Beams/joists/trusses | $450–$500 |
| Buying or selling a home | $650–$1000 |
| Foundation damage | $700–$1,500 |
| Home remodel | $700–$1,800 |
| Load-bearing walls | $450–$900 |
| New construction | $550–$1,200 |
| Storm damage | $700–$1,500 |
Engineer Plans
Engineer plans are the drawings that detail the construction project, and in the case of new construction, they’re the plans that an architect and builder will work off of to construct your home safely.
The engineer plans themselves, and the process to produce them, will cost you anywhere from $500 to $3,500, depending on the scope of the project. The cost can be much higher for more complex, large-scale projects, sometimes reaching 45% of the engineering budget. It’s a good idea to budget an additional $300 to $700 for revisions in case you want to make changes after the first round of drafting. Additional revisions after that point will cost the same amount.
Below, we've included some average pricing for standard drawings you might request from a structural engineer:
| Drawing Type | |
|---|---|
| Commercial construction | $7,000–$120,000 |
| Home add-on or bump-out | $3,000–$7,000 |
| Major home renovation | $3,000–$8,000 |
| New construction | $3,000–$12,000 |
| Outbuilding construction | $800–$10,000 |
Additional Structural Engineer Costs
Structural engineering work in Chicago often includes added expenses tied to local labor rates, required documentation, and professional certifications. Understanding these location-based factors can help you budget more accurately for your project.
Labor
Labor makes up a large portion of your total cost, especially given Chicago’s higher-than-average engineering rates. A professional structural engineer inspection in Chicago reflects hourly rates between $120 and $250, with prices trending higher for complex evaluations in older brick two-flats, multi-unit condos, or homes requiring crawl-space or attic access.
PE Stamps
Chicago projects often require PE-stamped drawings for permitting, especially for foundation work, load-bearing wall removals, and multi-story additions. A PE stamp in Chicago costs $150 to $450, but fees can reach $600 or more when engineers must prepare additional calculations to satisfy the city’s strict building code requirements.
Permits
Structural engineering work itself doesn’t require a permit, but the construction work that follows often does in Chicago. Homeowners, not engineers, are responsible for paying building permit fees, which range from $150 to $600 for minor structural changes and can exceed $1,000 for major remodels or additions, depending on project valuation and square footage.
Taxes
Illinois and the City of Chicago do not charge sales tax on professional engineering services, so homeowners don’t pay tax on structural engineering labor or drawings. However, Chicago’s combined 10.25% sales tax still applies to any taxable materials purchased for the construction work that follows, and permit fees and administrative filing charges set by the city must also be paid by the homeowner.
Tipping
While tipping isn’t expected or customary for structural engineers in Chicago, some homeowners choose to offer a small courtesy tip, often $20 to $40, if the engineer completes extra on-site review, rushes documentation, or provides detailed guidance beyond the contracted scope. It’s entirely optional and not part of standard practice.
Can a Structural Engineer Add Value to Your Home?
Hiring a structural engineer doesn’t generate a direct return on investment (ROI) on its own; your ROI depends on the construction project their plans support. For example, if you hire a structural engineer in Chicago because you’re building a home addition, you may see an ROI of 20% to 50% depending on size, materials, and neighborhood demand. If you’re hiring a structural engineer for a pre-purchase structural inspection or to assess post-storm foundation concerns, the financial return is less significant, though the risk prevention and negotiation leverage can still offer meaningful value to Chicago homeowners.
How Angi Gets Its Cost Data
Home is the most important place on earth, which is why Angi has helped more than 150 million homeowners transform their houses into homes they adore. To help homeowners with their next project, Angi provides readers with the most accurate cost data and upholds strict editorial standards. We survey real Angi customers about their project costs to develop the pricing data you see, so you can make the best decisions for you and your home. We pair this data with research from reputable sources, including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, academic journals, market studies, and interviews with industry experts—all to ensure our prices reflect real-world projects.
Want to help us improve our cost data? Send us a recent project quote to [email protected]. Quotes and personal information will not be shared publicly.
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