If you’re looking for an engineer in New York State to help with your straw bale build, please read on. Touson Saryon, the architect of the most popular home designs that we sell, recently gave me a recommendation for an engineer in New York State that I want to share with you all. It can be very difficult to find an engineer that understands straw bale construction well enough to engineer a good set of plans. All too often, engineers that are new to the “straw bale game” will significantly over design the house; adding details that simply are not needed.

I totally get why this happens. After all, it’s their name and license that is on the line. If something goes wrong with the design, the building department will point to the engineer and so will any attorney that gets involved. They are designing things to exceed the code and structural limitations of the materials (which I like, by the way…to an extent) so that they can be sure to protect their business and themselves.

What you don’t want is for their self preservation to be a burden on your build or your pocketbook. It’s all fine and dandy for them to design a bullet-proof house, but not if it’s going to raise the construction costs by a significant margin. As such, you need to find someone who understands that balance: high quality design details at a reasonable price. This is true for both their services and for the build components they call out. The engineer below seems to have nailed that combination.

Here’s what Touson said about James:

“Yes, I’d recommend him. He seems easy enough to work with and is thorough.  He only had a few minor edit to my plans.”

So if you’re looking for an engineer who can help you with your straw bale build, you might consider contacting James about your project.

Happy Baling!!!