What to Expect — and When to Bring Us In. When is the best time to engage an Engineer?

Our Process

STEP 1. YOU HAVE A PROJECT IN MIND

Most clients begin by hiring an architect or designer. They help you develop your vision, navigate local requirements, and prepare design drawings.

In civil-heavy projects (like lot splits or new construction), you may start by engaging a land surveyor or planner first. Either way, your design team is your guide through early planning.

STEP 2. WE JOIN THE TEAM

Once your design plans are underway or complete, your architect or designer will often bring in engineers.

  • For civil engineering, we usually need a topographic survey and sometimes a geotechnical report.

  • For structural engineering, we typically need your architectural or design plans.

Send your plans and other relevant documents our way and we’ll prepare a proposal and contract for our services.

STEP 3. DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

Once under contract, we’ll develop the civil or structural plans needed to support your permit submission with the city or county.

We’re well-versed in local city and county codes and will tailor our plans to meet permitting requirements.

STEP 4. PLAN REVIEW

We typically include time in our contracts to respond to plan check comments from the city or county during the review process. This helps facilitate timely approvals and keeps your project moving through the permitting phase.

STEP 5. CONSTRUCTION

Once your project is permitted and construction begins, we remain available to provide construction administration, including answering contractor questions and clarifying design details as needed.

 FAQs

  • We are based in Lafayette, CA, and serve surrounding regions but may take on projects farther in distance on a case by case basis. Contact us for more information.

  • Yes, we offer consultations to help assess your project needs and determine the scope of engineering services required. If you choose to work with us, the consultation fee will be applied toward the total cost of our services. Contact us to schedule a consultation and learn more about how we can support your project.

  • We provide permit-ready plans and calculations to ensure your project complies with local building codes. While we offer guidance throughout the permitting process, clients are responsible for submitting the plans to the city or local jurisdiction.

  • Please send us any relevant design or architectural plans, sketches, photos, property surveys, or other documents. You can email these materials to info@upcivil.com. Once we’ve reviewed your information, we can either prepare a proposal or schedule a call to discuss your project in more detail.

REACH OUT TO OUR TEAM TODAY

Send us a message to request a quote or discuss how we can support your project goals.

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Wondering when to bring an engineer onto your project? At Upright, we typically step in once you have design plans from your architect or designer. From there, we develop the civil or structural plans needed to submit to your city or county for permi
Came across this cool guy on a recent site visit in Rockridge. 🦚 #surpriseconsultant