ProConsult

Comprising 6 engineers and 2 architectural draughts people, we are well-positioned to assist you with your house design or alterations, commercial project or industrial maintenance. ProConsult strives to assist home owners, developers, managers, and architects with complex alterations in a timely and proficient manner. You can trust our small team to personally manage design and compliance issues on your behalf.

ProConsult specialises in:

• New house design
• Alters, renovations and re-clads
• Structural and civil engineering
• Retaining walls
• Architectural plans drawn up, or we can work alongside your own architect
• Failure analysis for commercial or industrial sites
• Reports for council or insurance purposes
• Certificates of Acceptance (COA)
• Temporary works
• Storm water and wastewater design for small lots
• Full building consent processing
• Experience New Zealand wide including Auckland, Waikato, Whakatane, Mt Ruapehu, New Plymouth, Queenstown, Wanaka, Invercargill

ProConsult applies structural engineering skills to your project to find the right solution for you, providing structural solutions for architects, homeowners and builders.

Not only do we resolve your design issues before and during the consenting stage, but we can also provide construction phase solutions, more often than not with on-the-spot decisions that save you time and money.

ProConsult works directly with your LBP and architects and has trusted preferred suppliers in many areas.

ProConsult is Auckland Council registered and can prepare plans, producer statements and Certificates of Design Work (COAs). Do you need house plans? Structural calculations? Large job or small? Various materials? Balustrade and deck design, inspection and repair are a common undertaking for ProConsult. We do it all and you’ll work alongside the engineer who is assigned to your project.

ProConsult's experienced team can provide a range of solutions for:

• Building inspections
• Design of retaining walls
• House beams, bracing, foundations calculations
• Concrete, timber and steel structures
• Re-clads
• Alterations and renovations
• Bridging foundations and piling
• Multi-dwelling unit construction
• Full building consent process
• Construction advice
• Body corporates

ProConsult's architectural drafting services allow us to specialise in turn-key design and consent lodgment for Building Consents and Resource Consents: a truly one-stop-shop.

We have two drafting staff who can work with you and your suppliers to provide accurate and compliant details for Council. From concept to consent, ProConsult can handle everything. Our consent plans and documentation not only meet the requirements of the consenting authority, but they also provide the necessary details for your builder which saves you time and money.

ProConsult prides itself on finding solutions for difficult jobs and this is to a large extent due to the broad experience we have in the local structural engineering landscape. We'll look at problems from all sides - design, compliance and buildability - and quickly resolve them. As a consequence, we're adept at providing turn-key services with architecture, engineering and draughting all in one package.

Why use ProConsult? Because of our experience. We ask the right questions to find out what you need. ProConsult wants to understand clearly what you are really doing, and in that way we can anticipate what your local Council will allow, therefore providing you with the best solution for your project.

The building environment in New Zealand is becoming more complicated and expensive. Our daily work with suppliers, contractors, builders, and council will help ease your way through the process.

ProConsult can undertake the entire structural engineering process or give assistance to other teams. For larger projects, the structural portions of any building project involve a Prime Consultant who pre-selects their team members from various sources and promotes their combined strengths in a proposal to prospective clients.

ProConsult can support these larger projects by providing a skilled resource from which to draw on a contract basis.

Working with many and various large companies and with councils, we've honed our abilities and are professional and transparent. We can design a building maintenance programme, conduct building inspections, plan renovations and alterations, undertake consent applications, and report on assessments of need, including strengthening and replacement needs.

Contact ProConsult if you have a small lot needing any of the following:

• Shoring and retention works such as retaining walls
• Site works including pile design, raft foundations, remedial slope works, ground retention, and stability
• Drainage for small sites including stormwater and wastewater
• Pipe bridging

Do you need retaining walls? Siteworks or temporary works? Drainage can be especially complicated, but ProConsult has worked all over Auckland and further afield managing stormwater and wastewater for small lots. Land development for small lots is another area ProConsult can help you with.

If you need specialist advice on the durability of concrete structures at all stages of deterioration and during the design process, ProConsult has experience. Analyses of crack propagations, life cycle analysis and remedial techniques for concrete are amongst ProConsult's specialities.

Let us provide specialist knowledge on paint systems and technical coatings or specialist advice in areas such as concrete repair and water ingress on high-rise and multi-unit buildings. Do you have a problem with a non-consented building addition or alteration? ProConsult can help with retro-fitting and retro-consenting.

When do we need to engage a structural engineer?

Whenever you need to comply with the Building Code and the project includes non-exempt works – meaning that you need a Building Consent. However, some work, although exempt under the Building Act, will still require the services of a structural engineer.

These items are well-described on the MBIE website here. This website explains exemptions that relate to building work for which the design is either carried out or reviewed by a chartered professional engineer, thus negating the need for Building Consent in relevant instances.

Structural engineers are chartered professionals who are trained to analyse factors that might exert force on a building and to calculate whether or not the structure can resist those forces (could include gravity, wind, temperature, earthquakes etc). They have training in areas concerning the structural soundness of buildings and makes sure structures support and resist the loads which might be brought to bear on a building. You might hire a structural engineer when:

• Altering or adding to a home: the structural engineer can ensure that you have enough support in places where you might alter loads and foundations.
• Building a new home: you need to ensure a new house plan is sound, therefore you would hire a structural engineer to maximise efficiencies of materials, compliance and soundness.
• Adding solar panels: load-bearing calculations on the existing roof, and subsequent calculations to re-design for any additional loads placed by adding solar panels on a roof.
• Buying a house or building: if there’s a structural problem – e.g., someone has done unconsented work, you can engage an engineer to report on what the actual situation is with Building Act/Council compliance.

Structural damage: you might have noticed cracks in walls, doorways or foundations, due to things like subsidence of the soils, watercourse changes, excavations the neighbour might have done, or earthquakes. You might have bowing floors, standing water in basements or doors that have started sticking. A structural engineer can work out the causes, extent of damage and possible remedies.

A previous owner completed some work that I think may not be compliant. Can you inspect it and tell me what I need to do?

Yes, we can. It’s always best to know what Council requires ahead of doing work because in some cases Council requires photographic evidence of underlying structure. If this existing structure can’t be proven, then you may have to go backward to provide the proof. We can advise on these matters. To get post-construction compliance you may need to apply for a Certificate of Acceptance.

Does the builder I use have to be a Licensed Building Practitioner?

Yes, you usually do need an LBP if it’s Restricted Building Work. In this case, the LBP must carry out or supervise the work.

What happens if the designs you provide me with do not get Building Consent?

This does happen from time to time because various councils’ inspectors do have the power to make independent decisions. However we stand by our work and if the Council has any issues at lodgement, we take it on ourselves to satisfy their questions until the Consent is approved. This is at no cost to you.

What level of commercial work does ProConsult get involved with?

We’ve worked as part of a team on many high-rise and multi-unit developments. Other examples include certifying lighting standards as street infrastructure. Designers have brought prototypes to us for calculations: notably a proposed monorail design for New Zealand.

Along the way, we’ve also worked on a variety of projects such as a container-based gym, house designs for group housing companies and converting commercial buildings for an education provider. We’ve also handled smaller commercial projects.

Stewart Hobbs, our principal engineer, is often involved with assessments of issues and writing reports on behalf of Councils, lawyers or body corporates. Whatever the scale, we can usually get involved in some way.

Can we retain your services for a large project with a light completion date?

Yes, we can arrange to work almost exclusively on a large job; we need an opportunity to negotiate the time frames due to other ongoing work.

Are you happy to work with other consultants and contractors?

This is our standard modus operandi. Many of the jobs we work on involve collaboration and we’re happy to either take the lead or a back seat.

What kinds of industrial work does ProConsult get involved with?

For many years ProConsult has handled the building and hangar maintenance queries and advice for Air New Zealand. We regularly consult with various large industrial sites with regard to maintenance, alterations and safety issues. Stewart, our principal engineer, has previous experience with dangerous, dirty and difficult site access - tanks, tunnels, towers, ovens, pipelines etc - so you can be assured that we have experience in most situations. Call us to discuss.

What does ProConsult know about industrial coatings and waterproofing systems?

This is an area we specialise in, along with concrete. Happy to discuss your requirements.