Whether you are a real estate tycoon or an everyday homeowner, hiring a civil engineer can be a stress-inducing decision. How do you know if they are any good? Are they licensed? How expensive is this service going to be? These and other questions can lead to sleepless nights and stressful projects.
Luckily, there are ways to ensure that your job is done right and you get a firm with the civil engineering experience you need. The following are four things to look for when selecting civil engineers in Georgia:
- Make sure they’re accredited: Engineers, like doctors and lawyers, need special training and licensing before they can go out in the world and design structures for the rest of us to use. So, if you are looking for a project lead, it’s best not to go with someone off the street. Look up their licenses, check to see if there are any background issues and weigh them against other civil engineers in the industry.
- Check their work: We are not saying that you should actually be going through their work with a fine-tooth comb, but we are suggesting that you look at their previous projects, talk with their partners and vet them a little. A good civil engineer will either be working for a reputable company or be able to provide references to some of their current and past projects. When it comes to your project, there is no room to hire someone without the skills you need, so call around.
- Where’s their backup: Depending on the size of their business, you may be getting a team of people with your civil engineer. If they work for a larger company, they will likely have support staff to help them manage the projects that are on their plate. That being said, larger businesses are typically more expensive due to the overhead and are often working on several medium- to large-sized jobs at the same time.
- Know the true cost: As with many other decisions we all make in life, the cost of services is a factor. But unlike some of those decisions, you don’t always get what you pay for. With civil engineers, it’s a little different. They will likely be more expensive the more experience they have. If the company they work for is regularly doing multi-million dollar jobs, there is a chance your home improvement job is not going to get them out of bed. It’s a double-edged sword, but it is possible to find the middle ground where the experience and cost balance each another out.
Here at Moon, Meeks, Mason & Vinson, Inc., our team of professional civil engineers in Georgia has decades of experience in both the public and private sectors, including residential subdivisions, commercial developments and erosion control plans. The job of a civil engineer is comprehensive, ranging from planning and designing developments to permitting and more, and we are available to take on projects of all sizes. Call us today for more information!