Building Engineering

When you look through the gigs on offer in Building Engineering (aka MEP - Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing), they’ll fall in 4 main sub-categories - Civil & Structural, Electrical Engineering, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), Plumbing, drainage, fire fighting sprinklers or any other system in your apartment, house, villa, office etc. Professionals will provide you with source files for detailed system design and planning, material takeoff, load calculations, architectural drawings and 3D models and also analysis and simulation.

Experience in projects similar to yours, a relevant degree/training and the use of building engineering tools needed for planning, 3D modelling, takeoff etc, are all very important factors. Building trust with the professional and not just saving money and time is key so do a lot of research prior to contacting them. Read the reviews closely and ask for additional references . If anything in the gig description is unclear or you have more requirements, always discuss prior to ordering.

When you ask for material takeoff the seller will identify, measure and price the relevant elements of the construction works. These will be used to produce a bill of quantities for the complete design and specification. This is done usually by a quantity surveyor who prepares the taking off list of all the individual elements for the works. The ‘working up’ process that follows means that all elements are measured (volume, length, area, weight, numbers) and collated in one bill.

There are two main elements that determine the final price that the freelancer will charge. Firstly, the services included in the gig package itself (e.g. material takeoff, detailed system design for construction, electrical, hvac, plumbing and drainage, detailed system design, load calculations, analysis and simulations etc.) and the number of additional or custom extras you might need. Secondly, the delivery time. The more services and revisions you add, and shorter the deadline, the higher the price will be.

The final delivery will include the pre-agreed number of drawings for a certain size construction (usually measured in surface area e.g. sq. ft. or sq. m.), the detailed system design and the source file(s). If you need 3D models or simulations as well as material take off or any other services, make sure you specify them in your initial conversations and that they appear in the custom offer or gig by the seller before you pay.