Aug 6, 2026
Structural Engineering Explained: Foundations, Costs And Cracks
Why does your structural engineer cost you more than expected?
Engineering fees often take the blame, but the real cost drivers lie elsewhere.
This episode unpacks what a structural engineer does on a residential project, from foundations and load paths to deflection and embodied carbon. We look at the design decisions, not the fees, that push steel tonnage and construction costs up.
We also cover underpinning, why it is one of the most expensive interventions a homeowner can make, and how to tell which cracks in a wall need attention and which are simply a house settling. A £40 soil test can save thousands off a foundation bill.
Get these decisions right and a project runs efficiently. Get them wrong and the cost, and the carbon, only grows.
"A good engineer should be trying to find efficient solutions." - Alison Wallis
You’ll hear about:
- What a structural engineer does
- Which building elements engineers design
- When engineers join a residential project
- Why efficient load paths cut costs
- Explaining deflection in plain terms
- How architects and engineers share options
- Design decisions that drive up costs
- Beam shape versus material weight costs
- Foundations, clay soil, and tree roots
- Embodied carbon in concrete and steel
- Cheap tests that reduce foundation depth
- Underpinning costs and cracks worth worrying about
Connect with Alison:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alison-wallis-a5302919/
Weave Engineers - https://www.weaveengineers.co.uk/
Connect with us:
Tima Patel - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tinapatel/
Bart Kolosowski - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bartkolosowski/
Produced by Between Tracks - https://www.betweentracks.com/
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