Residential Structural Design Across Texas

What Does Structural Design Cover?

Structural design translates the architectural intent of a project into engineered specifications for the components that carry load. A licensed Professional Engineer seals those specifications, which is what makes them acceptable to a permit office, a lender or a code review department.

HGS Engineering's design work spans four areas of residential and light commercial structural practice.

• Foundation design. The engineer determines the appropriate foundation system for the site conditions, building loads and local code requirements, and produces sealed drawings specifying the slab thickness, beam sizes, pier schedule, reinforcement and bearing capacity assumptions. Foundation design is available for new construction and for additions that change the load path of an existing structure.
• Framing design. Structural framing drawings cover the load-bearing members, connections, lateral bracing and header schedules needed to carry the roof, floor and wall loads to the foundation. For projects that need to satisfy a permit review, the framing plan must be sealed by a licensed engineer in Texas or Oklahoma, depending on the project location.
• Retaining wall design. Walls that retain soil require a structural design that accounts for lateral earth pressure, surcharge loads and drainage conditions. HGS Engineering provides sealed retaining wall drawings as a standalone service or as part of a larger site and foundation package. See also the retaining walls service page.
• Plot plans. A plot plan documents the location of structures, setbacks, easements and utilities on a given parcel. Some permit offices require a sealed engineer's plot plan as a condition of permit issuance. HGS Engineering provides plot plans on their own, too.

Structural Design Across Texas and Oklahoma

Structural design is a sealed deliverable rather than a site visit, so the geographic footprint of the service follows the states where the engineer holds a Professional Engineer license.

The firm is based in Arlington, Texas, at the center of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Most design projects are in the DFW area, but the practice is not limited to North Texas. Contractors and developers in other parts of Texas and in Oklahoma can engage HGS Engineering for foundation design, framing design, retaining wall design and plot plan work without a site-specific geographic restriction.

To request a fee estimate, write to projects@hgsengineering.com with the project type, location and a brief description of the scope.