Which comes first - structural engineer or architect/draftsman?

[alpina]

Hi all,

We recently purchased a small multilevel commercial property in Sydney that we want to remove a number of structural walls from to open it up and to create a void.

Should we first call in an engineer to confirm that the walls can be successfully removed or should we first have an architect or draftsman draw up what we want and then confirm that it's possible with the engineer?

We are just not sure what order to do these things in. How much do engineers generally charge to do a visual inspection like this? Can anyone recommend a good sydney based one?

Thanks.

 

[Kenster]

The order is vision first, layman second: You'll need to see how things look like when done before starting.

If you are not used to the visioning, get in an experienced architect. He should be able to tell if an engineer can implement.

 

[alpina]

the vision part is clear in my head
preliminary chat with my builder tells me it's possible
so i think i'll get an engineer to do a site inspection to confirm that i can take out all these walls and then get a draftsman / architect to draw it up
thanks.