Fire Engineering FAQs

What is a Fire Report?

A Fire Report is a Technical Document to be usd by Architects, Engineers and Local Councils to determine the required Fire protection for the specific building they have.

This information is then read, understood and added to Building Plans to be submitted with a Building Consent.

What Type of Fire Report do I need?

A New build is required to meet all requirements of the Building code clause C1-C6 (https://www.legislation.govt.nz/regulation/public/1992/0150/latest/whole.html#DLM164793)

An Alteration is to meet Section 112 of the Building Act 2004 (https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2004/0072/latest/DLM306875.html)

A Change of Use is to meet Section 115 of the Building Act 2004 (https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2004/0072/latest/DLM306880.html)

A Subdivision is to meet Section 116A (https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2004/0072/latest/DLM306884.html)

Earthquake Strengthening of a Building is required to meet section 133AT (https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2004/0072/latest/DLM7333567.html)

How is your Price Lower than other Fire Engineers?

As a Solo Practice we have limited overheads, including limited rent for larger buildings, efficient systems to maximize performance, competent workers, and most of all limited profit margins to maximize your savings.

Is the Quality of Your Fire Report Lower or am I paying more for my Fire Design?

Quite the opposite, we have consistent reports that don’t differ one engineer to another, we use full color markups with clarity notes, concise language for easy understanding and a professional report that exudes quality. We also provide Fire Safety Plans and advice for systems that are required for compliance. We adhere to the minimum requirements set out in the Building Code unless instructed to be more onerous by the client we will maintain this requirement.

What are the Alarm Types?

Fire Engineers will use Jargon Terms in their Fire Reports sometimes so our fire reports are provided with a basic guide at the bottom so you can clearly understand what is being said. Alarm Types are classified at the Appendix of our Reports for clarity.

Type 1 – Domestic smoke alarm system
Type 2 – Manual fire alarm system
Type 3 – Automatic fire alarm system activated by heat detectors and manual call points
Type 4 – Automatic fire alarm system activated by smoke detectors and manual call points
Type 5 – Automatic fire alarm system with modified smoke detection and manual call points
Type 6 – Automatic fire sprinkler system with manual call points
Type 7 – Automatic fire sprinkler system with1.2.3 smoke detectors and manual call points

Do I need to Upgrade my Building to todays standard?

Not at all if you are doing and alteration or change of use we can provide insight to limit the work required by providing GAP Analysis to show to the Council you are improving the building but not making it fully compliant. This is a suitable method in achieving fire compliance in New Zealand

Can we issue PS1’s and PS4’s for Fire?

Because we have such low prices and the work we will take on does not require Specific Design under C/VM2. There is no requirement to issue a PS1 or PS4 before or during the course of works. Our Fire Reports are completed under C/AS1 or C/AS2 which do not require any Producer Statements.

Structural Engineering FAQs

When do I need a Structural Engineer?

You will need a Structural Engineer when your required to comply with the Building Code even sometimes for exempt works where life safety is involved.

Further guidance can be found here - https://www.building.govt.nz/projects-and-consents/planning-a-successful-build/scope-and-design/check-if-you-need-consents/building-work-that-doesnt-need-a-building-consent/technical-requirements-for-exempt-building-work

We are Chartered Professional Engineers (CpEng) and are on the Council’s list of Accepted Producer Statement Authors we also have 2M of professional and public indemnity insurance.

Generally, you will require a Structural Engineer when building a new home, commercial or industrial building, altering an existing building, adding weight to an existing building such as a heavier roof or solar panels, or if a structural problem has arisen on an existing building. You will also require a Structural Engineer to conduct Seismic Assessments for Commercial and Industrial Buildings.

If you are unsure reach out and we will be happy to guide you in the right direction.

Can you give me a Fixed Price?

Yes, we understand the importance of having fixed costs when completing building work so we are always happy to provide you a fixed price, an estimate or an hourly rate.

For site inspections however we will always complete works at an hourly rate as the time spent on site can be dependent and the amount of inspections can differ.

We will also let you know any cost changes relating to significant change to the building, at Fair Structures we are more than happy to not charge for minor changes that occur during the course of works to make sure you have confidence of the fixed price.

How are your fees calculated?

Our fees are priced once the scope of works has been provided to us, if your Architect has a good idea of the structural requirements this can be straightforward in terms of items needing design input or drawings required for consent and for construction. We will generally estimate the time it will take to complete the design and drawings and provide a fixed fee associated with that initial estimate, we do however require full set of architectural plans for the best price.

If I have changes on my project will i be charged for them?

This is dependent on the change, we are flexible for minor changes that may arise as part of the design process, however if a substantial change is made we will communicate with you the change in price before continuing.

What is the timing of your services?

The timing of our services is extremely fast, in some cases we can get 24 hour turn around for small structural items, full calculation sets and construction drawings will however be dependent on the size and scope of work, we will always let you know these time frames when we provide a short form contract.

Do you do large and small projects?

Yes! We will let you know if the project is too large for us to complete but we specialize in small-medium structures (under 4 stories) we have efficient methods of designing these types of structures but we will happily price all jobs provided.

During construction are you able to inspect the works when required?

We will make sure when construction starts the construction monitoring is a priority and will generally take precedence over design work because we understand the costs associated with on-site holdups. We will then only require 24-hour notice before a site visit if requested and in some cases, we also make allowances for less than 24 hours if the job requires on-site attention.

Are you happy working with other consultants and contractors?

We will happily work with any other consultant or contractor unless there is a conflict of interest which we will make you aware of as soon as we understand the conflict.

I have a specific engineering question will I be charged for your time?

No, whilst our time is valuable we will not charge you for initial queries or even general queries throughout the building process.