Structural Engineering FAQ — Ottawa and Eastern Ontario
Common questions about structural engineering in Ottawa — when a permit needs an engineer's seal, what a structural letter is, how load-bearing walls and additions are handled, and what we need in order to quote. If your question is not here, telephone +1 (613) 883-5883 or write to info@paramountengineeringsolutions.ca.
Homeowners, renovations and small structures
Do I need a structural engineer to remove a load-bearing wall?
In practice, yes. Removing a load-bearing wall transfers what that wall was carrying onto a new beam, and from there down through posts and footings, and the City will want drawings showing that load path before it issues a permit. We size the beam and its supports, check what is underneath it, and issue sealed drawings for the permit application.
How do I know whether a wall is load-bearing?
Some signs are reliable: a wall running perpendicular to the floor joists, a wall that stacks above a beam or another wall on the floor below, a wall sitting on its own footing in the basement. Others are misleading, and finishes hide most of it. If you are not certain, send photographs and any original drawings you have — a site visit settles it.
Do I need engineered drawings for a building permit in Ottawa?
It depends on the work. Houses fall under Part 9 of the Ontario Building Code, where drawings may be prepared either by a qualified designer holding a BCIN or by a professional engineer. Once a design leaves the prescriptive tables — longer spans, unusual loads, underpinning, retaining structures, or any Part 3 building — the reviewer will expect an engineer's seal. Send us the scope and we will tell you which applies.
What is a structural engineer's letter?
A short sealed document in which an engineer states an opinion on a specific structural question: that a proposed alteration is sound, that an observed crack is not a structural concern, that an existing member is adequate for a load. Insurers, lenders, lawyers and building departments all ask for them. It is not a design package and not a home inspection.
Can you provide a structural letter for a home purchase or for my insurer?
Yes. We attend the property, look at the item in question, and issue a sealed letter setting out what we observed, what it means structurally, and what should be done about it if anything. Tell us who is asking for the letter and what they need it to address — the wording often matters as much as the finding.
Do you design additions, second storeys and dormers?
Yes. That work is mostly a question of what the existing house can carry: whether the foundations and the walls below can take the new load, and where the new load path runs. We assess the existing structure, design the new framing, beams and connections, and issue sealed drawings for the permit.
Can you engineer underpinning or a basement lowering?
Yes — underpinning, bench footings, basement lowering and walkout openings. These are staged excavations under a house that is still standing, so the drawings cover the sequence as well as the final condition, and we stay available to the contractor while the work is under way.
Do decks, canopies, garages and sheds need an engineer's seal?
Sometimes. Small accessory structures can often be built to the prescriptive tables, but a seal is commonly required once a structure is large, carries an unusual load, is attached to the house, or uses a member the tables do not cover — cantilevered canopies and wide garage openings in particular. Your building department's checklist for that permit type is the quickest way to find out, and we can read it with you.
A home inspector found a crack in the foundation or a sagging floor. What now?
Send the inspection report and photographs. A good deal of what gets flagged is cosmetic or historic and has long since stopped moving; some of it has not. We will tell you which category it is likely to fall into, attend if the question needs to be settled on site, and design the repair if one is needed.
Do you visit the site, or is this all done remotely?
We visit. Anything involving an existing structure starts with a site visit and a measure-up — you cannot assess what you have not seen. The practice is remote in the sense that drawings, models and reviews move through the tools our clients already use rather than through an office.
Commercial, industrial and heavy civil
What is independent design review, and when is it required?
It is a third-party check of someone else's design — load paths, code compliance and constructability — reported so the design team can act on it. Owners and contractors commission it on bridges and major structures, and some contracts require it outright. Paramount carries out independent design review on heavy civil structures.
Can you assess whether an existing building will carry a new load or a change of use?
Yes. A capacity assessment establishes what a structure can carry today: what it was built to, what has changed since, and what it would take to make it carry more. The usual triggers are new equipment, a mezzanine, racking, rooftop plant, or a change of occupancy that raises the design loads.
Do you provide temporary works and construction engineering for contractors?
Yes — shoring and excavation support, temporary works, bridge erection engineering, and jacking and blocking systems, with field inspection and site support while the work is built. This is engineering for the means and methods, designed around the contractor's own sequence.
Working with Paramount
Where are you licensed to practise?
Our principal engineer is a licensed professional engineer in Ontario and Québec, and a PE in Texas. Paramount Structural Solutions Inc. holds a Professional Engineers Ontario Certificate of Authorization, C of A 100676394. Work is carried out and sealed by an engineer licensed in the province concerned.
What do you need in order to quote?
Tell us what you are building, altering or assessing, and send whatever you already have — drawings, photographs, a survey, a home inspection report, the permit application. Every enquiry is read by our principal engineer, and you will hear back within one business day with first thoughts on scope and what is needed to price the work.