From removing a wall to designing a full house extension or investigating worrying cracks, our team delivers clear structural calculations, drawings, and reports, all at a fixed, transparent fee. No jargon, no surprises, just honest engineering advice tailored to your project.
What Does a Structural Engineer Do for Homeowners?
A structural engineer works out whether a building is safe, stable, and strong enough to carry the loads placed on it, and what needs to happen when you want to change it. For homeowners, that typically means designing the steelwork for a knocked-through wall, calculating the foundations for an extension, or producing a professional report on cracks or subsidence. In plain terms, we figure out what holds your home up, and make sure any changes keep it that way.
Common residential projects we support include single storey and double-storey extensions, loft conversions, open plan layouts created by removing internal or external walls, and structural surveys for worried homeowners or prospective buyers. Before building control will approve most structural changes, you’ll need calculations and drawings prepared by a qualified engineer, that’s exactly what we provide.
It’s worth knowing the difference between the three key professionals involved in a home project. An architect focuses on layout, aesthetics, and planning drawings. A builder constructs the work on site. A structural engineer designs and calculates the structure itself, the beams, columns, foundations, and load-bearing elements. At Paddick Engineering, our team covers architectural design and structural engineering under one roof, which means fewer phone calls and a more joined up service for you.
Our Structural Engineering Services
We offer a comprehensive range of structural engineering services for homeowners and developers, all delivered with the same personal touch that has kept clients coming back to us since 1981.
Our core services include structural calculations and drawings for extensions and renovations, RSJ and steel beam sizing for wall removals and open-plan layouts, structural surveys and investigation reports for cracks, movement, and subsidence concerns, and home buyer structural surveys ahead of a property purchase. We also prepare full building control drawing packages, so your project has everything it needs to get approved without delays.
Because we’re an architectural, civil, and structural engineering consultancy, we can also handle planning drawings, drainage design, flood risk assessments, and project management, meaning one call to us can cover a remarkable amount of ground on your project.
How the Process Works
We’ve refined our process over four decades to be as straightforward as possible, especially for homeowners who’ve never worked with a structural engineer before.
First, get in touch, by phone or via our quick online message form. We’ll have a friendly initial conversation, ask a few straightforward questions about your project, and give you an honest steer on what’s needed and roughly what it will cost. No hard sell, no baffling terminology. From there, we’ll either visit your property or review your existing plans remotely, depending on what your project requires and where you’re located. We’ll then carry out the necessary calculations and produce the drawings and reports you need, delivered to an agreed timescale. Where required, we can also liaise directly with your local building control office or planning authority, taking that administrative burden off your shoulders.
Typical turnaround times vary by project complexity, but straightforward structural calculations for a wall removal or small extension are often turned around within a few working days. Structural survey reports and more detailed building control packages naturally take a little longer, we’ll always give you a clear timeline upfront so you can plan accordingly.
Fixed, Transparent Pricing
One of the most common frustrations homeowners have with professional services is not knowing what they’ll end up paying. That’s why Paddick Engineering operates on clear, agreed fee structures rather than open-ended hourly rates that creep upwards.
As a ballpark guide, structural calculations and drawings for a straightforward project, such as a single wall removal or a modest extension, typically fall in the range of a few hundred pounds. More complex projects, full building control packages, or detailed structural surveys will carry higher fees that reflect the work involved. The best way to get an accurate figure for your specific project is simply to get in touch: we’ll ask the right questions and come back to you with a clear quote, usually very quickly.
A standard structural engineering package from us will typically include the calculations required by building control, structural drawings, and any reports needed to support your application. Where your project also needs architectural or civil engineering input, we can bundle those into a single, coordinated package, which is far more efficient than hiring several separate consultants.
Areas We Cover Across the UK
Our main base is in Leeds, West Yorkshire, and from there we serve a wide network of towns and cities across the north of England and beyond. In West Yorkshire and the surrounding region we regularly work in Bradford, Wakefield, Castleford, Pontefract, Harrogate, Ilkley, Knaresborough, Huddersfield, Sheffield, York, and Hull, so if you’re searching for a structural engineer in Leeds or anywhere across that patch, we’re well placed to help.
Further afield, we work with clients in Manchester, Liverpool, Nottingham, Birmingham, and Stoke-on-Trent. We also take on projects in other parts of the UK, including London, Bristol, Cardiff, and Edinburgh, combining remote working, where calculations and reports can be handled without a site visit, with planned visits when the project demands it.
For projects outside West Yorkshire, we’ll be upfront about when a site visit adds real value versus when everything can be managed efficiently from drawings and information you supply. Either way, clients across the UK get the same responsive, personal service our local clients have relied on for over four decades.
Why Homeowners Choose Paddick Engineering
Paddick Engineering has been helping homeowners and developers since 1981, over 45 years of continuous, family-run engineering expertise. That longevity isn’t just a number; it means our team has seen virtually every residential structural challenge there is, and knows how to navigate building control, planning authorities, and site complexities without fuss.
In 2015 we were recognised as LABC Partnership Award Winners, an acknowledgement of the quality and reliability that building control professionals themselves have experienced when working with us. That kind of recognition matters when you’re trusting someone with your home.
Perhaps most valuably for our clients, we offer architectural, structural, and civil engineering under one roof. That means one phone call, one point of contact, and a design package that holds together from planning all the way through to building control sign off. We’re a small, dedicated team, which means you deal with experienced people, not a call centre, and the advice you get is always honest, practical, and genuinely tailored to your project.
Questions About Your Project?
Frequently Asked Questions
Based in Yorkshire and planning a property project nearby? Paddick Engineering has over 45 years of local expertise in architectural and structural engineering design across Yorkshire, get in touch today for a friendly, no obligation chat about your next project.
How much should I pay for a structural engineer in the UK?
Fees vary depending on project complexity, but straightforward structural calculations, for example, for a wall removal or a modest extension, typically run into a few hundred pounds. More detailed work, such as full building control packages or structural survey reports, will cost more. Paddick Engineering offers clear, fixed-fee quotes so you know exactly what you’ll pay before we start.
How do I find a reliable local structural engineer?
Look for a firm with demonstrable experience in residential projects, transparent pricing, and a track record you can verify, accreditations, awards, and longevity all help. Paddick Engineering has operated since 1981, holds the LABC Partnership Award, and covers a wide network of UK locations, making it straightforward to get reliable help wherever you are.
Should you hire a structural engineer, and when?
If your project involves changing any load-bearing element, a wall, a floor, a roof, or if you’re concerned about structural movement or cracks, then yes, a structural engineer is essential. It’s best to involve one early, ideally before or alongside your architect, so structural considerations shape the design from the outset rather than creating costly changes later.
What does a structural engineer do for a house extension?
For a house extension, a structural engineer designs the foundations, specifies any steelwork or beams needed at openings, and produces the structural calculations and drawings required for building control approval. At Paddick Engineering we can also provide the architectural drawings and building control package, covering the whole design process in one place.
Do I need a structural engineer to remove a wall?
If the wall is load-bearing, meaning it supports the structure above it, then yes, you will need structural calculations and a beam design from a qualified structural engineer before building control will approve the work. Even for non-load-bearing walls, it’s worth getting professional advice to confirm their status before any work begins.
How long does it take to get structural calculations or a report?
For straightforward projects such as a single wall removal, calculations and drawings can often be ready within a few working days. More complex building control packages or detailed structural survey reports take longer. We always agree a clear timescale with you upfront so your project stays on track.
What is included in a structural engineer's report?
A structural survey report from Paddick Engineering will typically describe the construction and condition of the relevant elements, identify any signs of movement, cracking, or structural concern, explain likely causes, and recommend any further investigation or remedial action needed, all written in plain English rather than impenetrable technical language.
Can a structural engineer help with cracks in my walls?
Yes. Investigating cracks and structural movement is one of the most common reasons homeowners contact us. We carry out structural surveys, assess the cause and severity of cracking, and provide a written report with clear recommendations, whether that’s reassurance that nothing is seriously wrong or a plan of action if remedial work is needed.
