Skip to content
ujenva
Sign inDescribe a problemNew problem
ujenva
Describe a problem
Sign in
Construction

You want to build, extend or fix a building

The most expensive mistake in building work is doing things in the wrong order - commissioning a design before anyone has checked whether the structure can carry it. Ujenva works out which professional you need first, what they should establish, and what it is reasonable to spend before committing.

Describe your situationHow Ujenva works

Free to start · No card required · Takes about 10 minutes

Sounds familiar?

You don't have to phrase it properly.

These are real ways people have described problems in this field. Any of them is a complete starting point - Ujenva asks for the rest.

What Ujenva establishes first

Before suggesting anything, it works out what it does not yet know.

  • Whether original building plans exist
  • The age and construction type of the building
  • Whether any cracks are active or historic
  • What approval the work will require locally

Who this usually needs

You don’t need to know which of these applies - that is the part Ujenva works out, including the order they should come in.

Structural engineerArchitectQuantity surveyorMain contractorSurveyor

Ujenva is not any of these professionals. It prepares the brief and the questions, then steps back - the work, the fee and the relationship stay between you and them.

Covers

Residential buildingStructuralFinishingRenovationSite works

Common questions

Construction questions people ask first

Ask about your own situation
Do I need an architect or a structural engineer first?
For an extension on an existing building, usually the structural engineer. They establish whether the foundations and walls can carry what you want. An architect designing before that is designing something that may have to be discarded - which is the single most common way people waste money on building projects.
Is a crack in my wall serious?
It depends on whether it is growing. A hairline crack at a window corner that has not changed in years is usually cosmetic; one that widens over months suggests movement. Photograph it against a ruler with the date, and note any change - that record is what a structural engineer will actually want.
How much does a structural feasibility assessment cost compared with a full design?
Substantially less - typically a small fraction of a design package. That gap is the whole argument for doing it first: it either confirms the project is viable or tells you cheaply that it isn't.

Other fields

Problems rarely stay in one box.

If this isn't quite it, start anywhere - Ujenva works out which field the problem actually belongs to.

AgricultureSoftwareElectricalPlumbingBusinessAll fields