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How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Structural Engineer in Raleigh? [2025 Data]
Normal Range: $234 - $476
Hiring a structural engineer in Raleigh, NC costs $345 on average, or between $234 and $476, depending on the exact services you need from a pro.
How we get this data
Cost Insights
Structural engineer costs in Raleigh, North Carolina, increase with project complexity, ranging from $350 for inspections to $12,000 for full drawings.
Older Raleigh homes in Oakwood and Five Points often need extra foundation or framing evaluations costing $700 to $1,200.
Clay-heavy soils and humid summers can drive up structural report prices by $100 to $300, especially for moisture-related issues.
Homeowners in Raleigh, North Carolina, should plan carefully when budgeting for structural work, especially in a fast-growing metro with a mix of new builds and older bungalows. Structural engineer costs in Raleigh average $345, with most homeowners spending $234 to $476 depending on the project’s complexity.
Many homes in neighborhoods like Five Points, Oakwood, and North Hills require evaluations for foundation settling, load-bearing walls, or planned remodels. Raleigh’s clay-heavy soils, humid summers, and expanding housing stock can all influence inspection needs and pricing. Below, explore what you can expect to pay when hiring a structural engineer in Raleigh.
Structural Engineer Cost Factors
Structural engineer cost factors in Raleigh, North Carolina, depend on your project’s scope, the inspection type, fee structure, and whether detailed plans are required, especially when investigating signs of structural damage in older or expanding homes.
Fee Structure
When hiring a structural engineer in Raleigh, 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) | $1,500–$6,000 |
| Per project (%) | 1%–10% |
| Per hour | $100–$130 |
| 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 $500, but prices can range from $350 to $750, depending on the size and complexity of your home.
Your structural engineer inspection cost will likely reach $1,000 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 | $400–$600 |
| Buying or selling a home | $700–$1,200 |
| Foundation damage | $700–$1,200 |
| Home remodel | $600–$1,500 |
| Load-bearing walls | $400–$600 |
| New construction | $500–$900 |
| Storm damage | $700–$1,200 |
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 $3,000, 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 | Average Cost |
|---|---|
| Commercial construction | $5,000–$80,000 |
| Home add-on or bump-out | $3,000–$6,000 |
| Major home renovation | $4,000–$10,000 |
| New construction | $5,000–$12,000 |
| Outbuilding construction | $1,000–$8,000 |
Additional Structural Engineer Costs
Beyond base inspection or design fees, homeowners in Raleigh may encounter several extra costs tied to permitting, documentation, and local labor rates. These add-ons vary by neighborhood, project scope, and how much documentation the city requires before approving structural changes.
Labor
Labor rates for a professional structural engineer inspection in Raleigh range from $100 to $130 per hour, with higher pricing in areas like North Hills, ITB, and rapidly developing suburbs where demand is strong. Costs may rise when engineers need crawl-space access, attic evaluations, or travel to communities outside the Beltline, such as Apex or Wake Forest.
PE Stamps
A PE stamp in Raleigh costs between $150 and $400, but fees can reach the higher end when engineers must verify designs for clay-heavy soils, elevated decks, or older homes in Oakwood and Mordecai. Projects requiring multiple revisions or city review cycles often add time and cost to the stamping process.
Permits
Structural engineer services themselves do not require a permit in Raleigh, but the construction work that follows, such as removing load-bearing walls or adding square footage, almost always does. Homeowners are responsible for paying these City of Raleigh permit fees, which range from $100 to over $600, depending on the project valuation and whether structural alterations are involved.
Taxes
North Carolina doesn’t charge sales tax on professional engineering services, so homeowners in Raleigh don’t pay tax on structural engineering labor or stamped plans. Permit fees, however, are still subject to standard municipal charges, and homeowners, not engineers, are responsible for covering them.
Tipping
Tipping is not expected or customary for structural engineers in Raleigh, but homeowners occasionally offer a small gesture, such as $20 to $40, when an engineer provides extra guidance or squeezes in a last-minute visit. This is entirely optional and has no impact on the quality or scope of the professional service.
Can a Structural Engineer Add Value to Your Home?
Hiring a structural engineer in Raleigh doesn’t generate a direct return on investment (ROI) on its own—your actual gains depend on the project that follows. For example, if you hire a structural engineer in Raleigh because you’re planning a home addition, you may see an ROI between 20% and 50%, especially in high-demand neighborhoods like North Hills or ITB. If you’re bringing in an engineer for a pre-purchase structural evaluation or post-storm soil assessment, the financial return is smaller, but the risk reduction and negotiation power during a home sale can still be significant.
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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