When should you hire a civil engineer? From the plot to the deed

Every property has a story. First, it is an empty plot. Then it becomes a design, a construction site, a pile of documents at City Hall and the land registry. Years later comes the sale, the financing, a renovation or a report to solve a problem. At each of these moments, someone has to answer technically for what is being done.

Here you will learn what an engineering company does, when you need one and what changes when there is a real technical manager. At the end are the most common mistakes made by people who try to solve everything without engineering.

What a civil engineer does

When people talk about civil engineers, most think of construction work. That makes sense, but it is only one part. A civil engineer studies the soil, calculates structures, designs installations, plans and monitors construction, values properties, investigates problems and prepares the technical documents required by City Hall, banks, land registries and public agencies.

In Brazil, the profession is regulated by law (Federal Law 5.194/1966). To practise, an engineer must be registered with CREA, the Regional Council of Engineering and Agronomy. In Minas Gerais, that is CREA-MG. This registration defines the professional's attributions, that is, what they are qualified to do, and allows them to take technical responsibility for the services.

In practice, this means there is an identified person, with training and registration, who answers for the calculation, the design, the report or the construction. If something goes wrong because of a technical failure, there is someone to turn to. And, above all, there is someone who worked to make sure it does not go wrong.

Take a simple example: a two-storey house. Before construction, someone had to measure the plot, understand the soil, calculate the beams and columns, and size the water, sewage and power systems. During construction, someone checked that what was being built matched the design. And, in the end, someone prepared the documents so that the house would also exist on paper.

That is why the engineer appears at so many stages in the life of a property, and not only on the day the concrete mixer starts turning.

Technical responsibility and the ART

Here comes an acronym you need to know: ART, the Technical Responsibility Note, established by Federal Law 6.496/1977. The ART is the record, at CREA, that a specific professional has taken on a specific service. It states who the engineer is, who the client is, what the service is, where it takes place and which technical activities are involved.

The ART is required by law for engineering services, and it protects both sides. For the client, it is proof that the service has a qualified person responsible for it. For the professional, it defines exactly what they have taken on.

There is more: many agencies simply do not accept a technical document without an ART.

• City Hall asks for an ART for the design and for the construction.
• The bank asks for an ART in the valuation report.
• The Fire Department asks for an ART for the fire safety design.
• The land registry asks for an ART in surveys and specification reports.

An important tip: you can and should check. Every ART has a number and can be looked up on the CREA website. Before hiring, ask for the professional's registration number. After hiring, ask for the ART for the service. A serious professional will have no problem with that.

BARRETO.eng's six areas

At BARRETO.eng, the work is organized into six areas that follow exactly this life of a property.

• Engineering Design: architectural and structural design, retaining walls, plumbing, electrical and gas installations, waterproofing, automation, swimming pools, accessibility, fire safety, lifelines, health surveillance and designs for industries and fuel stations.
• Reports and Valuations: diagnosis of building pathologies such as cracks and leaks, pre-construction neighbour survey reports, expert witness work, building inspection, handover inspection, lightning protection reports, due diligence and valuation of urban and rural properties.
• Surveys: topography, georeferencing, soil boring and drone inspection. This is the engineering that measures the land before any decision is made.
• Technical Documents: studies and documents required by agencies, such as neighbourhood impact studies, area schedules, specification reports, construction waste plans, risk management programmes, noise reports, lifting plans, Caixa financing, rural credit and biodigesters.
• Management and Consulting: construction planning, administration, supervision and auditing, technical visits and development consulting.
• Regularization and Permits: deed registration of buildings, plot subdivision and merging, and installation of lightning protection systems.

There are more than fifty services, all listed on the services page. But the idea is simple: from the plot to the deed, there is always a technical stage, and someone has to take care of it.

When you need engineering

Now, the question that matters most: at what moments in your life will you need an engineer? Here are the most common ones.

• When you buy a plot or a property. Before closing the deal, it is worth knowing whether the area matches the title record, whether the building is regularized and whether there are hidden problems.
• When you are going to build or extend. The design comes before the permit, and the construction needs a technical manager.
• When you are going to renovate. Removing walls, opening spans, replacing installations or renovating in a condominium calls for a technical assessment before you start.
• When you are going to finance, offer the property as collateral or go through probate. That is where a technical valuation comes in.
• When a problem appears: a crack that grows, a leak that will not stop, a conflict with a neighbour or a court case.
• When you open or regularize a business, which needs a Fire Department permit, accessibility or health surveillance approval.
• When you have an industry or a rural property, where occupational safety, georeferencing, dams and rural credit come into play.

Notice that hardly anyone needs all of this at once. But almost everyone will need some of these things at some point.

How a service works

And how does hiring an engineering service work in practice? At BARRETO.eng, the process has five steps.

• Initial conversation: you explain the need, and we work out what really has to be done. Clients often come asking for one service and discover they need another.
• Document analysis and, when necessary, a site visit.
• Written proposal, with the scope, the deliverables, the execution time and the price.
• Execution, with the ART registered and progress monitored.
• Delivery: a design, report or study written clearly, so you understand what you are receiving, and not just a document full of technical terms.

And the service does not end at delivery. If City Hall asks for a change to the design, if the bank has a question about the report or if the land registry makes a request, whoever did the work follows it through to the solution. This closeness is one of the things that matters most to people who hire engineering: knowing who to talk to and getting an answer.

How to choose a professional

Whether with BARRETO.eng or any other professional, use this checklist before hiring:

• Does the professional have an active CREA registration?
• Will they issue an ART for the service?
• Does the proposal describe the scope and deliverables in writing?
• Do they explain which technical standards they will follow?
• Is communication clear, with answers to your questions?

If the answer to all of these is yes, you are in good hands.

Common mistakes

• Starting construction without a design, thinking you will save money, and paying for it later in rework.
• Hiring on the lowest price alone, without knowing what is included.
• Failing to demand the ART for the service.
• Leaving regularization for later, until the day you need to sell, finance or go through probate.

Frequently asked questions

What is an ART?

It is the Technical Responsibility Note, registered with CREA, which identifies the professional responsible for an engineering service, the client, the location and the activities. It is required by law and can be looked up by its number.

How do I know whether an engineer is registered with CREA?

Through the public search for professionals on the website of the state CREA (in Minas Gerais, CREA-MG), using the name or the registration number.

Does a small renovation need an engineer?

It depends. Renovations that alter the structure, installations (electrical, plumbing, gas), façades or condominium areas call for an assessment and a technical manager. In buildings, ABNT NBR 16280 provides guidance on the renovation plan.

What services does a civil engineering company offer?

Designs, reports and valuations, topographic and soil surveys, technical documents for public agencies, construction management and property regularization.

Where does BARRETO.eng operate?

Araxá (MG) and region.