Permit-ready, PE-stamped structural plans for new homes and buildings from the foundation up.
Call (720) 740-4060
Every new building starts with the same question: what is holding it up, and will it hold up? New construction structural design is the engineering behind that answer the foundation, framing, and load calculations that turn a set of architectural drawings into a building department can actually permit and a crew can actually build. ISTA Engineers prepares complete, PE-stamped structural plans for new construction across Colorado, sized and detailed for your specific site and design.
Talk to a New Construction Structural Engineer
PE-stamped foundation, framing, and lateral design for custom homes, small multi-family, and new-build ADUs.
Whether you’re building a custom home, a small multi-family building, or a small commercial project, we work alongside your architect, builder, or design team to deliver a coordinated structural package not a generic template, but a design built around your soil, your loads, and your local code.
Why New Construction Needs Structural Engineering
Unlike a remodel or an addition, new construction starts with nothing to build on the foundation, the framing, and the lateral system all have to be designed from the ground up. That means every load path, from roof to footing, has to be sized correctly the first time.
Virtually every Colorado building department requires engineered, PE-stamped structural plans before issuing a permit for new construction, and the structure is checked again during foundation and framing inspections. Getting the design right up front is what keeps a project moving instead of stalling in plan review.
What’s Included in Our New Construction Design
A complete new construction structural package from ISTA typically includes:
- Foundation design footings and foundation walls sized to your soil report, frost depth, and loads.
- Framing plans floor, wall, and roof framing, including beams, headers, and connections.
- Lateral / shear design the bracing and load path that resist wind and seismic forces.
- Structural load calculations dead, live, snow, wind, and seismic loads calculated to the adopted code.
- PE-stamped drawings & calc package a permit-ready set sealed by a Colorado-licensed Professional Engineer.
- Construction administration (optional) RFI responses, submittal review, and structural observation during the build.
Projects We Design
Custom Homes
From a straightforward single-family layout to a complex custom design with long spans and large openings, we engineer the structure to support the architecture not constrain it.
Small Multi-Family Buildings
Duplexes, triplexes, and small townhome buildings bring shared walls, fire separation, and load paths that differ from a single-family home. We design for those conditions from the start.
Small Commercial Buildings
Retail, office, and light commercial buildings have their own occupancy, egress, and load requirements. See our commercial structural engineering services for more.
New-Build ADUs
A detached accessory dwelling unit is new construction on a smaller scale, with its own foundation and framing. For ADU-specific guidance, see ADU structural engineering.
New construction design is different from an addition: new construction designs a complete structure from the foundation up, while an addition ties new structure into an existing building. If you’re adding onto an existing home rather than building new, see New Addition Design instead.
Designing for Colorado Conditions
Colorado’s conditions vary block to block, let alone city to city. Snow loads on the Front Range are very different from the loads in mountain communities. Expansive clay soils are common across much of the Denver metro area and require specific foundation detailing. And seismic design, while typically moderate in Colorado, still has to be accounted for in the lateral system. We design each project around its own site conditions rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.
Our Process & Timeline
We typically start from a soil report and your architectural or conceptual design, then develop the foundation, framing, and lateral systems together as one coordinated package. Throughout the process, we coordinate directly with your architect, builder, or design team so the structural plans match the design intent and we respond to plan-review comments to keep your permit moving.
Why Choose ISTA for Your New Build
- Colorado-licensed Professional Engineers who seal every plan set, licensed in approximately 18 states.
- Certified WBENC, WOSB, MWBE, and DBE a women-owned, minority-owned firm.
- Permit-focused plans designed to clear review with fewer corrections.
- Coordinated delivery with your architect, builder, or design team from concept through construction.
New Construction Design FAQ
Do I need a structural engineer for new construction?
Yes. New construction requires engineered, PE-stamped foundation and structural plans as part of the building permit in virtually every Colorado jurisdiction.
What’s included in a new construction structural design package?
Foundation design, framing plans, lateral (wind/seismic) design, load calculations, and a PE-stamped drawing set ready for permit submittal.
How is new construction design different from an addition?
New construction designs a complete structure from the foundation up. An addition ties new structure into an existing building, which adds compatibility and load-path considerations.
Do you design for custom homes and small commercial buildings?
Yes. We design structural plans for custom homes, small multi-family buildings, ADUs, and small commercial projects across Colorado.
How much does structural design for new construction cost?
Cost depends on project size and complexity; for most residential new construction, structural design is typically 1 to 3 percent of total project cost.
Which areas do you serve?
We’re based in Denver and serve the Denver metro area and Colorado’s mountain communities, with Professional Engineers licensed in approximately 18 states.
Start Your New Construction Project
Tell us about your new build and we’ll outline exactly what your structural design package will include. Request a consultation or call (720) 740-4060.