Most structural engineering shops in Utah won't publish prices. We understand why — every project is different and they don't want to commit to numbers in writing. But the result is that homeowners spend hours calling around trying to figure out whether their project is going to cost $500 or $5,000, and contractors do the same thing on their clients' behalf. So here's the actual answer, with real numbers, for the kinds of residential and light commercial work we do every week in northern Utah.
The four tiers
Most of our work falls into one of four price tiers:
$400 – $700: Letters and small calcs
The single most common deliverable. Includes:
- Load-bearing wall removal letters
- Header design for a single new opening
- Beam sizing for a basement remodel
- Egress window header letters
- HOA or pre-sale deck letters
- Post-repair certification letters
These are usually 3-7 business days from initial information to signed PDF. Site visits aren't always required — if the existing condition is clear from photos and your description, we can often write the letter without a visit.
$800 – $1,500: Inspections and small projects
- Pre-purchase structural inspection with written report
- Foundation evaluation and findings letter
- Stamped deck plans
- Stamped patio cover plans
- Retaining wall design (4-6 ft, no surcharge)
- Simple addition calcs without full plan set
$1,500 – $3,000: ADUs, additions, and medium walls
- Internal ADU stamped structural set
- Garage-to-ADU conversion package
- Single-story addition (full stamped set)
- Pole barn or shop engineering
- Foundation repair plans (helical piers, underpinning)
- Retaining walls 6-10 ft
- Bowing basement wall repair design
$3,000 – $7,500+: Custom homes and complex projects
- Full custom home structural design
- Second-story additions with foundation upgrades
- Tiered retaining wall systems
- Light commercial tenant improvements
- Change-of-use structural evaluations
- Multi-system or multi-building projects
Numbers above the top of this range start to get into "very large custom home" territory or significant commercial work, which is increasingly project-specific.
What affects the price
- Scope. One opening vs. five. One wall vs. three. One story vs. two.
- Complexity. Standard wood framing is cheaper than steel beams or hybrid systems.
- Existing-condition uncertainty. A 1960s house with no original drawings takes more time to evaluate than a 2010s subdivision house with full plans on file.
- Site visit requirement. Visits add cost. We skip them when we can.
- Soils. If the project needs a geotech report or specialized foundation design, that affects the engineering scope.
- Turnaround. Standard timelines are included. Rush turnarounds are available for an extra fee, but we keep this minimal.
What's almost always included for free
- The fixed-fee quote
- One round of design revisions
- Plan-check response if your city has comments
- Email and phone access to the engineer
- Clean PDF deliverable (wet stamp on request)
Is it worth it?
For most residential projects, yes — for a really straight- forward reason. The cost of the engineering is almost always less than the cost of trying to skip it. If you build a retaining wall over 4 feet without engineering and the city catches it, you're looking at a stop-work order, having to retroactively get the engineering done (which is more expensive because the engineer has to design conservatively without seeing what's behind), and potentially tearing out work. The $1,500 you saved becomes a $5,000 mistake.
For load-bearing wall letters specifically, the math is even more lopsided. A $600 letter is the difference between a properly designed beam and a sagging ceiling that costs $20,000 to fix later.
Our rule
We give a fixed fee up front. We tell you what the deliverable is. If we don't think you actually need an engineer for what you're doing, we'll tell you that too — and we won't charge you for it. There are plenty of small remodels that don't need engineering, and saying so when it's true is a faster path to a good reputation than billing for unnecessary work.
See our pricing page for the same tiers in a more compact format, or send us your project for a real quote.