Michigan pole buildings can be fairly simple and straightforward to design and build. With minimal site prep, mostly pre-fabricated materials, and a building code that provides general sizing and dimensions, these buildings don’t seem very complicated. So why hire a Professional Engineer?
3 Reasons to Hire a PE
- A registered design professional can help you from overbuilding your pole barn, therefore saving you money on expensive oversized materials.
- A structural engineer with a Professional Engineer (PE) license utilizes their extensive education and experience to ensure your structure is efficient, resilient, and complies with the local building codes.
- In some cases, you might not have a choice. Local building codes are always changing. More counties in Michigan are requiring a professional engineer to stamp your pole building plans before approving a building permit.
Kyle Moore, PE, can provide you with engineer sealed plans so that your Michigan pole building project can stay on schedule. Plus, keep reading to find out even more benefits of hiring a structural engineer to review and stamp your pole barn plans!
The Benefits of Hiring a PE to Stamp Your Building Project
While your building project may not require a structural engineer, it is still a very good idea to get their valuable insight on your pole barn or other post-frame building. Their expertise will help ease the permitting process, and prevent problems down the road.
Why hire a Professional Engineer? Here are the ways a PE can help with your next building project:
- Experience and knowledge: A PE needs at least 8 years of experience before even getting licensed. They have extensive knowledge in their field of expertise. A PE can provide custom designs and solutions to fit your exact needs – and anticipate problems before they arise.
- Safety: A professional engineer’s number one goal is safety, which means that all pole buildings are designed to put safety first. A skilled structural engineer can identify hazards and mitigate risks through proven design techniques.
- Cost-efficiency: By right-sizing your materials, you save money from over-built designs. An engineer can prioritize energy efficiency to save on heating and cooling. In addition, a reputable structural engineer will be practical, designing for materials that are economic and readily available. Costly specialty materials that require long shipping times can jeopardize your entire schedule.
- Building code compliance: A professional engineer is an expert on the national and local building codes, regulations and standards. A PE stamp adds credibility to your project, a show of confidence in the design’s compliance. Avoid delaying your building permit or risking a failed inspection by hiring a local professional engineer.
- Innovative solutions: Unexpected problems are inevitable for any project. With a skilled professional engineer on your side, you’ll have access to quick and intelligent solutions for any unforeseen challenges.
- Professional Liability: A registered design professional carries liability insurance, because they are accountable for the designs they release to their customers. You are financially protected in the event that your building project does not perform as intended.
Working with a professional engineer can give you the peace of mind that your pole building will withstand the test of time. They can help you save money on up-front costs by right-sizing your materials, and save you money by preventing design failures in the future.
Why hire a professional engineer? There is no substitute for the experience and education of a skilled professional engineer.
What is a Professional Engineer?
A professional engineer is an engineer who has put in time and dedication to attain a prestigious license.
A professional engineer has graduated from a four-year accredited engineering program. They must have passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam to become an Engineer in Training (EIT), and completed at least 8 years of engineering experience before they taking the PE exam. Most engineers combine 4 years of college and 4 years of working under the guidance of an experienced Professional Engineer to complete the necessary experience requirements.
In addition, most states require PEs to have both character and professional references from other licensed professionals to attest to their moral character and engineering competency. Upon completion of all of the education and experience, the licensing board will review the engineer’s work and determine if they are competent to practice engineering in the state.
After passing the PE exam, a professional engineer must keep up with Continuing Professional Competency requirements, which means keeping up-to-date through continuing education requirements, conferences and more.
What Is a Professional Engineer Stamp?
A PE stamp, sometimes known as a professional engineer seal, shows that a PE has completed the load calculations and approves of the pole building design. The engineer has determined that your building is structurally resilient against the expected forces of nature and will perform as intended. The stamp also ensure your design meets the local building codes, and that the PE assumes liability for the design specifications.
If you’re looking for a PE stamp on your post-frame construction project, Michigan Building Design can create or review your design with a PE seal of approval.
RELATED: What is Post-Frame Construction?
Hire Kyle Moore, PE for Your Next Building Project
Kyle Moore has been a professional engineer since 2019, and he holds a PE license in both Michigan and South Carolina. He likes to think of himself as a professional problem-solver. Kyle is constantly looking for newer, better, and more cost-effective solutions for his customers.
At Michigan Building Design, we know what Northern Michigan residents value: a practical, cost-efficient design for a fair price. Kyle is happy to work closely with clients to make sure he is providing exactly what they need.
Kyle specializes in structural engineering for post-frame structures (pole buildings), foundations, beam sizing, and lateral-force resisting systems. He also has extensive experience in designing for snow loads, hurricane-force winds, and building seismic zones.
If you’d like to know more about getting a professional engineer stamp on your Michigan pole barn plans, call (231) 577-9523 or send us an email. We’d love to help you turn your building project into reality.