Structural engineer - initial drawings are wrong

[CourtesyFlush]

Looking for some advice.

We are wanting to remove some walls on the ground floor and remodel slightly. A local structural engineer was recommended - he counted the walls that we would be looking to remove / alter and quoted us £900 for 3d model, architectural drawings and technical calculations.

He spent some time measuring up and has just sent us still shots from a 3d model of our ground floor - existing and proposed. The existing is wrong - windows missing, measurements slightly wrong. The proposed is nothing like what we'd asked for.

I appreciate that this is a first draft and the intention is that he will visit us and walk through the plans together, but I'm just feeling slightly spooked and disappointed about the fact that he's gotten things wrong this early on. I feel as though if he's making simple mistakes now, what will potentially happen when he's made calculations which we don't have the expertise to check.

I need to be able to trust who I'm working with, especially on something as important as structural alterations. I feel as though I don't want to work with him anymore. DH thinks that we should give him the opportunity to talk us through the plans and maybe we've misunderstood.

I see red flags and want to work with someone else but I think I'm perhaps reacting emotionally and shouldn't.

Any advice gratefully received.

Bumping for the evening crowd

I've never had a structural engineer do anything more than calculate the loads and steels/footings needed. Are you asking him to design your house?
Plus £900 seems really cheap for all you mention - last time I used one (about five years ago) it was £500 just for the site visit and the calcs. The drawings were as it was and how the supports should work (cross sections etc). No 3D model, no finished look including windows or whatever.
I'd give him a chance to talk it through with you though so you can explain what he's got wrong.

Thank you - that's useful. No, he's just calculating the steels needed but as part of that he will give us a 3D model first - to allow us to determine exactly which walls will be removed. It's useful to know that we're not being overcharged. I guess I'm just worried that if this first part is wrong - the initial measurements for the floorplan, it doesn't bode so well for the rest of it!

They do a lot of guessing on measurements with the caveat that the builder should confirm on site and report back. As long as they assume worst cases for the spans then the beams will be over specced.
They don't want to do more work then necessary but they do have to make sure the beams are speced for the layout they have outlined.
Good luck

Thank you @johnd2. That's useful to know. He came back today and measured up again and took the time to go through all the proposed changes, fixed all the errors so I'm feeling much better about it all.