4.979 Google reviews Utah · Engineered · Stamped

Engineer-Stamped House Plans in Utah. Foundations, Framing and Lateral Design.

PE-stamped structural plans for new homes, additions, ADUs, shops and manufactured-home foundations, ready for your building department or lender. 110 foundation and structural design jobs in our records since 2000, 31 of them in the last three years. Engineering from $1,800, fixed fee.

Engineering by J. Brett Ludlow, PESurveys by Daryl Penrod, PLS · Utah No. 5331527Updated November 10, 2026

Request a Stamped Plan Quote → Call (435) 623-0897

The short answer

When Do You Need Engineer-Stamped Plans?

Most Utah building departments want a PE stamp on the structural design of a new home, a large addition, anything that moves a bearing wall, an ADU on a slope, and foundations on problem soils. Lenders want an engineer’s foundation certification for most manufactured homes. Your building department makes the final call, and we can help you ask the right question.

We can draw the plans, engineer them and survey the lot, so the house, the structure and the site plan all agree.

Our records110 structural design jobs since 2000
Engineering only$1,800–$4,500 · 2–3 weeks
Plans + engineering$3,500–$8,500 · 4–8 weeks
QuoteFixed fee, usually within one business day

01 · When Utah permits require a stamp

Projects That Usually Need Engineered Plans

The building department decides, but these are the projects where a PE stamp is the rule rather than the exception.

New homes

New custom home construction

Most Utah building departments want engineered foundation and structural sheets for a new home, especially with long spans, open plans or non-standard framing.

Remodels

Large additions & major remodels

Removing bearing walls, adding a story or opening up a floor plan usually needs beams, posts and connections designed and stamped.

ADUs

ADUs & sloped lots

Accessory dwellings over garages or on bench lots often need stepped foundations, retaining elements and lateral design.

Foundations

Engineered foundations

Footings and foundations designed for the soil report, the slope and the loads, a large share of our structural work.

Manufactured homes

Manufactured home foundations

Permanent foundation designs and certifications that FHA, VA and many conventional lenders ask for.

Light commercial

Shops, barns & small buildings

Structural plans for shops, sheds, locker rooms and small commercial buildings.

02 · Sample deliverable

What’s in an Engineer-Stamped Plan Set

A typical structural set for a new home. Smaller projects, like a beam or a foundation, get only the sheets they need.

Sheet S-0

Cover & general notes

Code edition, design loads, materials and inspection notes the plan reviewer looks for first.

Sheet S-1

Foundation plan

Footing sizes and depths, foundation walls, reinforcing and hold-down locations.

Sheets S-2, S-3

Floor & roof framing

Joists, beams, headers, trusses or rafters, and how each load gets to the foundation.

Sheet S-4

Lateral design

Shear walls, braced panels, hold-downs and connections for wind and seismic forces.

Sheet S-5

Details & sections

Connection details and wall sections the framer builds from.

Calculations

Stamped calc package

The structural calculations behind the sheets, stamped for the building department when it asks.

No plans yet? See house plan drafting. Need the site plan too? See site planning & design.

03 · Volume over the years

Real Structural Work From Our Files

Real jobs by town and year, without client names.

2026Structural plans for homes in Nephi and Ephraim, a townhome in Orem, structural reviews, and footing designs in Nephi and Payson.
2025Home structural engineering in Moroni, Pleasant Grove, Nephi, Levan, Genola and Santaquin, and the structural design of an ADU in Payson.
2024Structural home plans in Manti, Ephraim, Fairview and Birdseye, concrete footing designs in Mona and Mapleton, a shed design, a locker-room building, and a foundation design in Milford.
2017–2023A commercial building structural design in Nephi, a run of foundation designs in Delta (2017–2019), house plans with engineering in Nephi and Genola, and foundation designs across Juab, Sanpete, Millard and Beaver counties.
2002–2016Footing and foundation designs from Payson and Manti to Richfield, Price and Beaver, retaining walls, structural inspections and home plans with engineering.
By the numbers110 foundation and structural design jobs since 2000, 31 of them since 2024, and 5,607 jobs in all.

04 · Lenders & agencies

Who Our Stamped Plans Are For

Our plans and certifications are prepared for the people who review them.

Building departments

Permits and plan check

City and county building departments reviewing new homes, additions and ADUs
Plan-check comments answered on the engineered sheets
Site plans from our own survey when the permit needs one

Lenders

Loans and certifications

FHA and VA loans on manufactured homes, which call for a permanent foundation certified by an engineer
Conventional lenders asking for an engineer’s foundation or structural letter
FHA foundation inspections for existing manufactured homes

Towns where we’ve engineered homes and foundations

Nephi
Levan
Mona
Eureka
Payson
Genola
Santaquin
Mapleton
Orem
Pleasant Grove
Spanish Fork
Moroni
Fountain Green
Fairview
Spring City
Ephraim
Manti
Sterling
Delta
Fillmore
Milford
Beaver

05 · How it works

Our Engineered House Plan Process

Engineering only typically takes 2–3 weeks; a complete package with drafting, 4–8 weeks.

Step 1

Scope & quote

Send the address, the project and any drawings. We reply with a fixed fee, usually within one business day.

Step 2

Architectural plans, if needed

No plans yet? Our drafting team draws the floor plans and elevations first.

Step 3

Engineering analysis

Loads, foundation, framing and lateral design worked out for your site.

Step 4

Stamp & delivery

Stamped sheets and calculations delivered as PDFs ready to submit.

Step 5

Plan-check support

If the reviewer has comments, we revise and resubmit the engineered sheets.

06 · Pricing

Engineered House Plan Pricing in Utah

Planning ranges. Every quote is a fixed fee in writing.

Service	Typical range	Typical use
Engineering only	$1,800–$4,500	Your plans, our structural sheets and stamp
Complete package	$3,500–$8,500	Drafting plus engineering for a new home
Engineered addition	$1,500–$4,000	Additions and major remodels
ADU engineered plans	$2,000–$5,500	Detached or over-garage ADUs
Engineered foundation only	$1,200–$3,500	Footings and foundation walls
Manufactured home foundation	$1,500–$3,200	Permanent foundation design and certification
Shops & small commercial	Quoted by scope	Shops, barns and small buildings
Plan-check revisions	$500–$1,500	Changes after the first review

07 · Utah conditions

What Utah Engineering Has to Account For

The same house can need a different design in Nephi, on a Wasatch bench or in the mountains.

Seismic

Seismic design

Much of the Wasatch Front and central Utah sits in a high seismic design category, which drives shear walls, hold-downs and connections.

Benches

Bench and foothill foundations

Sloped lots need stepped footings, retaining walls and drainage designed together.

Soils

Expansive and collapsible soils

Some Utah soils swell or collapse when wet. A soil report sets the footing design, and we design to it.

Climate

Snow & wind loads

Design snow and wind loads change with elevation and location, so a plan engineered for one town may not work in another.

08 · Who stamps it

The Engineer and Surveyor Behind Your Plans

Licensed in Utah, in one office in Nephi.

J. Brett Ludlow, PE

Civil engineer · Ludlow Engineering

Brett designs and stamps our foundation and structural plans, and handles plan-check comments on the plans he stamps.

Daryl Penrod, PLS

Professional Land Surveyor · Utah No. 5331527

Daryl’s survey gives the plans real property lines, setbacks and grades, so the house fits the lot the building department approves.

Meet the whole team, or read our story since 1975.

09 · Direct answers

Engineer-Stamped House Plans FAQ

Do I need a PE-stamped drawing for my home renovation permit in Utah?

It depends on the work and your building department. Cosmetic remodels usually don't. Removing or moving a bearing wall, adding a story, cutting a large opening, or building on a slope or problem soil usually does. Call your building department with the scope, or send it to us and we'll tell you what the stamp needs to cover.

Why would a lender require a structural engineering report?

To confirm a building is sound and meets the loan program's rules before they fund it. It's most common for manufactured homes, where FHA, VA and many conventional lenders want an engineer to certify a permanent foundation, and for homes with visible cracking, settlement or unpermitted structural work.

How long does a PE-stamped structural drawing take?

Engineering only, on plans you already have, typically takes 2–3 weeks. A complete package with drafting and engineering typically takes 4–8 weeks. Plan-check revisions can add 1–3 weeks.

What are engineer-stamped house plans?

Residential drawings sealed by a licensed Professional Engineer, certifying that the structural design meets the code. The stamp covers the foundation, framing and lateral design.

How much do engineer-stamped house plans cost?

Engineering on plans you already have typically runs $1,800–$4,500, and a complete drafting and engineering package $3,500–$8,500. Engineered additions run $1,500–$4,000, ADUs $2,000–$5,500, and engineered foundations alone $1,200–$3,500. Every quote is a fixed fee.

What's the difference between engineered plans and drafting?

Drafting produces the floor plans, elevations and basic sheets. Engineering adds the structural design, load calculations and the PE stamp. Most new homes need both, and we do both.

Can you engineer plans an architect or designer already drew?

Yes. Send the drawings, the site information and the soil report if you have one. We add the engineered sheets and the stamp.

Do you do manufactured home foundations?

Yes. We design and certify permanent foundations for manufactured homes, the documentation FHA, VA and many conventional lenders ask for. We also do FHA foundation inspections on existing homes.

Do you serve all of Utah?

Yes, from our Nephi office. Most of our structural work is in Sanpete, Utah, Juab and Millard counties, and every quote is a fixed fee.

Engineered · Stamped · Since 1975

Need Engineer-Stamped House Plans?

Send the address, the project and any drawings or sketches. We’ll confirm what needs a stamp and send a fixed fee.

Request a Stamped Plan Quote →Call (435) 623-0897