Yes, we do! RYALL Structural Engineers provides structural and civil engineering for residential projects of all sizes. Many of our clients are local home owners, architects and developers looking to improve or preserve a property. We also engineer new build projects of any size for private individuals, as well as commercial clients.

We provide structural engineering calculations and drawings for all types of structural renovations and alterations, including property extensions and loft conversions. Our experience includes engineering bespoke new-build residential properties using traditional or modern methods of construction, including modern innovative green construction methods. Working with a large network of local architects, our engineers ensure that beautiful buildings are delivered with a robust, yet efficient structural design.

RYALL Structural Engineers carry out structural inspections to solve structural problems on every scale. From identifying the cause of a cracked lintel, through to addressing property subsidence or collapsing retaining walls. We also carry out full property ‘peace of mind’ structural surveys for home buyers.

We pride ourself on delivering practical, budget-friendly engineering solutions. You can also expect the highest levels of service regardless of the scale of your project.

To find out more visit our Services page. Alternatively contact us to discuss your needs and get a free no-obligation estimate.

The answer would almost certainly be ‘yes’ if you are considering renovations that might affect the structural integrity of your property in any way, such as knocking through an internal or external wall.

General rule of thumb – if the work alters the building structure or requires Building Control approval, you should seek the advice of a structural engineer. If in doubt, contact us and we can advise you further. We have a 100% success rate for Building Regulations Applications.

In simple terms, Planning rules determine the buildings appearance whilst Building Regulations ensure the building is constructed in accordance with currently approved standards. So you should always check whether you require Planning Permission before taking your project forward.

Planning Permission and Building Regulations are two completely separate sets of legislation, carried out by two different departments within your local council. If you require more information, you may find The Planning Portal website helpful.

We are not able to advise on this question, but If you are not sure whether the work you wish to carry out qualifies as permitted development, we would highly recommend that you seek the advice of an architect or contact your local council Planning Department for more information.

If you need a recommendation, we can help by putting you in touch with several trusted local architects that would be best suited for your project.

If you have employed an architect to design your new build or property extension project, they will send us their drawings via email.

With all necessary information in hand, one of our structural engineers will visit the site. We then provide a full set of structural calculations and detailed drawings necessary for your project, liaising along the way with your architect.

If any intrusive investigations are required, we will advise you of where these are needed. Your builder can then ‘open up’ where any further exploration needs to be carried out. Once this done, we can return to your property and obtain the information necessary to enable us to complete our structural details.

The information package created by your architect and structural engineer is then submitted to Building Control for approval. Your project can be put out to tender at this stage. Building work can begin once you have Building Regulations approved and any other approvals, such as those required under the Party Wall Act 1996 etc.

The turnaround time will depend on our current workload and the type of project you are undertaking.

Once we have made our initial site visit, we aim to issue drawings and calculations for basic home alterations, property extensions and loft conversions within 7 days, depending on the scale and complexity of your project.

Structural engineering for new build properties may take longer but we can give you an approximate turnaround time when we have received your architect’s drawings.

If your project is time dependent, please call us on T: 01803 470971 and we will be able to give you a precise turnaround time for your structural calculations and drawings. Alternatively, email us the details via our contact form and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

The cost will vary according to the type of job, its complexity, and how much time is involved. Our competitive fees are calculated on an hourly rate and according to the level of structural engineering required. We then provide a fixed fee quotation for the project.

One way to keep engineering costs down is to keep site visits to a minimum. This is perfectly feasible if you have appointed a competent building company, as they will keep us advised of progress and raise any unexpected issues with us. In most cases, we will only need to make one initial site visit for a property conversion or extension project.

If you are looking to keep costs down on structural reporting, we offer the option of ‘Rapid Reporting’. Instead of compiling and sending a lengthy report document, we email you the key engineering details in a concise bulleted format. This is a quicker and cheaper way to find out the outcome of a structural investigation and is normally preferred by our clients.

We are always happy to provide a free estimate for your project – just give us a call on T: 01803 470971 to discuss the details. If you already have architects drawings, you can email them to us to get a precise project fee proposal.

Yes, all our structural and civil engineering design services are covered by professional indemnity insurance. Confirmation of insurance cover can be provided on request.

Yes, our engineers are qualified and extremely experienced. You can have confidence in our ability to meet the highest standards when it comes to producing structural calculations and designs for your building project. We have a 100% success rate for Building Regulations Applications.

Generally speaking, an Architect can provide designs for the overall appearance and layout of your proposed building or property extension. A Structural Engineer provides the necessary calculations and detailed drawings to ensure your building project is structurally sound and complies with Part A (Structure) of building regulations.

In most cases, the Architect and Structural Engineer will work hand-in-hand to ensure property extensions and new build homes are attractive, functional and able to meet Local Authority Building Control standards that ensure the design can be safely constructed.

If you are unsure whether you need the services of a structural engineer, it is safer to check whether you do, rather than falling foul of Building Regulations if you don’t. Although generally an architect should be your first port of call, you can always contact us to double check the best way forward with a member of our engineering team.

It is not our responsibility to ensure that your builder carries out the work in accordance with our drawings and specifications once they have been issued. You should ensure that your project is undertaken by a competent builder and that work is reviewed on site by a qualified construction professional and your designated building control officer.

We can carry out inspections during the project, but an additional fee will be charged accordingly, based on the amount of visits requested.

We have a Quality Management System in place to monitor and manage the ongoing progress and standard of your project. We pride ourselves in quality and customer satisfaction. We currently have a 100% 5-star Google rating.

Any concerns you may have about the service or recommendations we provide are dealt with as a priority. If an issue arises with any aspect of our service, please contact us directly. Customer satisfaction is extremely important to us and we aim to resolve concerns or complaints as swiftly as possible.

If you have a structural engineering emergency, please contact us straight away and we will endeavour to get to your property as soon as possible.

If you require standard engineering services, such as structural designs / calculations or an inspection for a structural report, the lead time is usually around 2 weeks from instruction, although this can increase during busy periods. In some circumstances, we may be able to take on your project sooner than that, but as you will appreciate we are a reputable company and our services are in high demand. A busy business in this industry is a good sign of quality – so please bear with us! If you want to check availability, please get in touch.

Our domestic services are primarily delivered in Torbay, Teignbridge, South Hams and surrounding areas in Devon and the South West. We also provide structural and civil engineering services on commercial and larger scale residential projects across the country. Our Steel Connection Design services are also delivered UK-wide.

Engineering Services for Homeowners
We are popular in the local area, as most domestic customers prefer to appoint a structural engineer closer to home. We are always willing to travel further afield if we have come recommended and you are keen to appoint us as your structural engineer. However, please note that our costs may increase to accommodate the travel expenses incurred. In most cases, we normally only need to carry out an initial site inspection and then all structural drawings and calculations or structural reporting is undertaken at our offices.

Commercial and Residential New Build
We work with contractors and clients across the country delivering cost-effective, buildable Structural and Civil Engineering services on projects of every type and scale. Whatever your location or scope of project, please contact us to find out how we can help you.

Steel Connections Design
Highly-experienced in steel connection design, we prepare calculations and drawings for numerous steel fabricators across the country. We work remotely in collaboration with design teams and steel fabricators to deliver professionally engineered Steel Connection Design calculations and drawings at competitive cost.

Need more information?
For full details of our structural and civil engineering services please visit our Services page. Alternatively contact us if you prefer to speak directly with an engineer.

We do not do Homebuyers Reports, as defined by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). However, we do undertake structural appraisals of all building types, particularly for domestic customers who are purchasing a property and the Homebuyers Report highlights possible structural defects.

We are called upon to do surveys and inspections of structures for a variety of reasons. These include:

• • Investigation of visible structural defects; such as cracked walls, broken lintels, sagging roofs and floors etc.
  • Assessment of structural damage following a fire, flooding or collapse in a property.
  • Appraisals to establish if a proposed property alteration or extension is structurally feasible.
  • Assessments and reports on structures built without Buildings Regulations Approval.

The type of structural inspection carried out will depend on your needs or what has been recommended by a third party, such as your insurance company or property surveyor.

Surveys can range from a basic visual inspection to a full structural assessment. The latter can be more intrusive if we need to get to the cause of a significant structural problem.

In-depth inspections might require floorboards to be lifted or walls opened up by a builder.  But be assured that this level of investigation is only undertaken if absolutely necessary.

Our inspections and surveys focus solely on the structure of a building. We do not investigate or provide advice on defects such as damp or peripheral elements such as electrical wiring or plumbing. If you need further help in this respect, you will need to speak to specialist contractors or other consultants.

If you need further information, you can always contact us to discuss your structural issue with an engineer. They can then advise you on the level of inspection for your needs and can give you an estimate of the costs involved.

If you are seeking a general condition survey or a pre-purchase survey for the purposes of obtaining a mortgage, we would recommend contacting a Chartered Surveyor as they are specialised in this field. If you need help finding a reputable Surveyor in your local area, we would recommend visiting the RICS website (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors), or simply call us and we can put you in touch with a recommended practice.

A structural inspection on a standard residential property takes approximately 1 hour. The time required will vary according to the size of the property and how accessible any potential structural issues may be. Once the inspection has taken place, we will aim to issue your structural report within 1 week. This timescale can be affected during busy periods, but we will inform you if there is likely to be any delay.

Our engineers address structural problems on any scale and across a range of building types – from new build homes to historic period properties.

RYALL Structural Engineers has broad experience spanning both the commercial and residential sectors. You can have every confidence in our ability to identify, assess and make the right recommendations to resolve the vast majority of structural issues that occur both above and below ground.

If a structural problem requires specialist input – such as CCTV drainage surveys or restoration of a sensitive listed building – we can recommend trusted professionals in our network to ensure the work is carried out correctly.

If you have a significant structural problem and you are unsure whether we can help, please contact us with details of the issue.

If you have a structural engineering emergency, please contact us straight away and we will endeavour to get to your property as soon as possible.

If you require standard engineering services, such as structural designs / calculations or an inspection for a structural report, the lead time is usually around 2 weeks from instruction, although this can increase during busy periods. In some circumstances, we may be able to take on your project sooner than that, but as you will appreciate we are a reputable company and our services are in high demand. A busy business in this industry is a good sign of quality – so please bear with us! If you want to check availability, please get in touch.

Following the structural inspection, a full structural report document is prepared. Delivery usually takes around 1 week.

Alternatively, we offer the option of ‘Rapid Reporting’. In this case, we simply email you the key engineering details in a concise bulleted format. This is a quicker and cheaper way to find out the outcome of a structural investigation. Rapid Reporting usually takes 1-2 days.

For project enquiries and quote requests, please send a message using the online form.

For anything more specific, just give us a call. If we are unavailable, please leave a message and we will return your call as soon as possible.