Residential Engineering

Modern building construction is more than just timber, nails and concrete. Correct design and installation of footing systems, earthworks, retaining walls, stormwater disposal, bracing, framing and tie-down are all extremely important factors for the satisfactory long term performance and structural integrity of your new home or extension.

Baker Rossow's Engineering and design team specialise infooting design, earthworks, structural engineering for your new swelling.

An engineering survey allows the designer of your dwelling to determine realistic floor levels with respect to the slope of the land and if necessary step the house down the slope to help minimise the extent of cut and fill.

It allows the need and extent of retaining walls to be determined, and the extent of land disturbed by cut-and-fill earthworks to be assessed. It will also facilitate design of waste disposal systems and allow for storm water drainage design so that inadequate disposal methods do not impair the performance of the footing system.

Accurate site levels can ensure that you obtain the desired result with minimum overall cost.

FOOTING SYSTEM

The footing design will be based on the information gained from the geotechnical investigation. It will detail the individual needs of your dwelling, and take into account the house style proposed.

SITE WIND ASSESSMENT

A site wind assessment can be carried out to determine the correct wind loading applicable for the structure. This will minimise the cost of structural elements by not over-specifying the requirements for bracing, framing and tie-down.

ROOF WATER DISPOSAL

The method of roof water disposal may be critical in steep country to avoid causing slope instability or erosion. It is also necessary to dispose of roof water carefully to avoid a decrease in the performance of the footing system. Standards for proper installation are a regulatory pat of the Building Code of Australia. We can provide designs that ensure that Standards are met.

DRIVEWAY AND ACCESS

Some sites may have difficulty with vehicle access. A steep driveway, although trafficable in dry weather, may be untrafficable in wet weather or frosty conditions.

A driveway check for adequate clearances and trafficability is essential on steep sites to prevent bottoming out of vehicles over driveways or entering garages.

RETAINING WALLS

Timber post-and-sleeper retaining wall

Timber retaining walls are economical and easy to build. However, correct design and construction practice is extremely important to their longevity. The wrong timber species or poorly installed rear drainage can result in premature decay of timber. Even a small thing like not greasing galvanised bolts and fixing can have a huge impact on the durability of timber construction.

Retaining walls may be an essential consideration in planning your dwelling. Let us correctly design a retaining wall for your particular application.

OTHER STRUCTURES

Will other structures be installed such as: a tennis court, swimming pool, garden shed or a separate garage/carport?

DCP REPORTS/GEOTECHNICAL REPORTS

Various Council's provide policies for development by way of their "Development Control Plans". Baker Rossow will be able to provide you with a detailed Development Control Plan report where specifically required by the Local Authority. We can also supply or a geotechnical report on your land as required by other Councils.

ENGINEERING CERTIFICATION

All work by Baker Rossow is carried out using up-to-date information and methods by experienced personnel.

We carry professional indemnity insurance and, where required, issue certificates of engineering design to clients in conjunction with work that we produce.

PRE_PURCHASE INSPECTIONS

If you are considering purchasing or selling a steeply sloping block of land you may be interested in our site inspection service where, for a nominal fee, we will inspect your land and advise you as to potential problems that may exist. We can also advise you on structural questions if you have doubts about the integrity of framing elements present in an existing facility