"Tom at TAS Engineering was professional, friendly, helpful, patient and highly competent and efficient. He did the assessment of my attic structural issue and identified the simplest and most cost-effective solution. He ensured that my contractor did the work to his specifications and provided the certified engineering letter that all had been addressed properly. This was exactly what I needed. I would highly recommend him and would hire him again."
"We've never done a remodel before. We live in a high-rise and needed to update our kitchen, put in some pocket doors, and a laundry closet. We thought we needed an architect to give us ideas and the structural parameters within which we needed to work. We bought the Big Deal for an architectural consult. Mr. Madeiros was very professional and offered us a few ideas. He is relatively new to the Denver area and wasn't sure if we needed permits for the work we wanted to do. He called the city for us, which was helpful. He gave us drawings of what we had described and his added idea. It ended up that we didn't need his services as we discovered that general contractor could do what we needed. We had the building and unit floor plans and lots of our own ideas, having done a lot of research. I think if you were going to create something out of nothing, his services would be more helpful. "
"From the start I knew Ryan was the right person, because he called me, the only one of the engineers that actually called me. He communicated regularly, let me know straight up the results and explained it all to me. Is also willing to answer questions from my contractor."
"Michael was a great find for architectural drawings for our Pop-Top remodel. He was far more affordable than other options, and though he offers a standalone architectural design service (meaning we had to separately obtain structural engineering plans), he was extremely helpful in pointing us in all the right directions. He was responsive and patient at every step of the process, and his designs turned out great!"
"We had a great experience working with Vital Architecture and highly recommend her.
For Little Village Childcare, she helped us save money by confirming certain landlord requests were not required by code and securing a waiver that saved space and costs.
She also reduced civil engineering expenses by preparing the playground drainage plan herself.
During construction, she provided extra support at no cost and helped us handle contractor changes wisely.
For another church childcare project, she identified zoning issues early so everyone understood the risks.
In Colorado Springs, she warned a tenant about higher plumbing costs required by childcare regulations, helping them avoid a bad lease.
For an adult care project, she reviewed the food area and explained new kitchen and ventilation requirements.
Carmen is knowledgeable, thorough, and truly looks out for her clients’ best interests."
"Marc helped us take an unexpected home disaster and turn it into our current dream home. He was patient with a process that rapidly expanded from a kitchen remodel, due to water damage, to an almost complete tear down. He helped us with selecting Pine Contruction, with whom Marc has an amazing working relationship. This came into play many times as the challenges of in the field changes, city requirements and unexpected delays came up. As they always do! Marc s calm approach and willingness to help is not something you that can be effectively marketed or advertised. You have to live through it to get it. Beyond the top notch work as an architect Marc is just a great person who makes sure his clients can depend on him to be fair and look out for their interests. I highly recommend Marc and his business and we are grateful to be in a MaliaKai Designed home. It s truly beautiful."
"Ellen was such a great partner for working on our remodel! It was complicated, our house is old and nothing is square, but Ellen really showed up and was always on top of making changes needed. She also took into account the style of house while keeping an eye to modernity. I have found a lot of folks talking about renovation of older homes trying to shoehorn in modernity when none is needed; or at least, not listening to their clients - Ellen was the opposite. She listened, ideated, and crafted with an eye to the era."
Structural Engineering questions, answered by experts
Yes, you can put a doorway in a structural wall; in fact, most exterior doors are set into structural walls. The project is a little more challenging than installing a door in a non-load-bearing wall because you need a structural engineer to assess the wall and make sure it’s safe to create a wall opening. Your engineer’s report will include instructions for your contractor on how and where to install additional supports, like steel headers above the door, to distribute the weight above to the wall on either side of the door.
Although the two terms are closely related and often used interchangeably, pier and beam foundations and crawl spaces are different things. A pier and beam foundation is made up of concrete piers and wooden beams and creates a space under the home known as a crawl space. There are several types of foundations that create crawl spaces, often collectively known as “crawl space foundations,” but the crawl space itself is separate from the foundation.
A structural engineer's report provides a professional assessment of a property's structural condition. It typically includes an evaluation of the foundation, key structural elements like roof trusses, floor joists, studs, beams, and rafters. The report will also contain a detailed description of the engineer's findings, often supported by photographs, and provide recommendations to correct any identified issues. Depending on the scope of the inspection, it might also include an assessment of property drainage, potential issues from environmental conditions like extreme weather or tree placement, and an estimated time and cost for any recommended repairs.
Foundation cracks that are 1/8 inch wide or less, aren’t uneven across the gap, and don’t continue widening over time are usually just normal settling cracks and don’t suggest structural issues. Horizontal cracks and stair-step cracks on foundation walls, any cracks that continue widening, are wider than 1/8 inch, or where one side juts out beyond the other, are often indicative of structural damage.
Costs depend on desk size, labor, included features like drawers or motorized height adjustments, and required wall anchoring.
The Gunbarrel, CO homeowners’ guide to structural engineering services
From average costs to expert advice, get all the answers you need to get your job done.
The cost of a structural engineer is easily justifiable given the value they bring to the table. Use this guide to see what hiring your professional will total in Denver, CO.
The cost of a structural engineer is easily justifiable given the value they bring to the table. Use this guide to see what hiring your professional will total.
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.
It can be hard to choose the right pro for any job, but it matters. Learn how to hire a structural engineer who'll get the job done right from start to finish.
