How Long Does Engineering Take for a Beam?
clearspan
A load-bearing wall removal is one of the most common residential structural projects. The framing is routine, the scope is well-defined, and the beam design itself is straightforward. Despite the simple scope, getting a design engineered can take weeks.
Most of that time has nothing to do with engineering. Let's break it down:
The Traditional Beam Calc Timeline: 2–3 Weeks
A single beam calculation passes through several stages before a stamped deliverable reaches the contractor. Here is where the time goes. All durations below are approximate and measured in business days.
Contact and scoping
1–3 days
The contractor reaches out to one or more engineering firms, describes the project, and sends photos or drawings. Response times vary and many firms take a day or two just to return the initial call or email. An engineer may have additional follow up questions to define the scope.
Site visit
3–7 days
Depending on how much information is available the scope discussion may extend beyond a couple days. The engineer may want to visit the site in person to gather information needed for the design. Site visits take time to schedule, easily adding a week to the timeline.
Fee proposal
1–3 days
The engineer will write a fee proposal that defines the project scope, deliverables, assumptions, exclusions, and design fees. It will take the engineer some time to draft the proposal and estimate a design fee.
There may be additional back and forth discussion of the scope and fee before a final proposal and contract are signed. Meanwhile, no design work has started.
Design and calculations
1–2 days
The engineer will run structural calculations either by hand, spreadsheets, or other structural software. The calculations will be assembled into a calculation package.
Stamped deliverables
1-2 days
The engineer will take the design results and incorporate them into the appropriate deliverables. For a beam replacing a bearing wall the deliverables may consist of a few sketches of important details and a memo summarizing the review and design.
Contractor review
1-2 days
Once the deliverables are drafted, the engineer will send the contractor a preliminary package for review. The contractor may have questions or feedback.
Total: roughly 2–3 weeks
And that assumes no delays, revisions, or significant scheduling conflicts.
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Why Beam Calcs Get Stuck in the Queue
The actual engineering accounts for just one to two days of a much longer process. Everything else is coordination overhead: scheduling, phone tag, planning staffing, and document formatting.
The engineer is not the bottleneck — the process is.
This is compounded by the economics of residential work. A beam calculation is a relatively low-fee project. When firms are busy, these jobs sit behind larger contracts. A $1,500 beam calc may not compete for priority regardless of how urgent it is to the contractor waiting on it. A fee this low may not even be worth the coordination effort to many engineers.
The result is either a frustrating process or a contractor deciding to proceed without engineering support.
How Clearspan Delivers Stamped Beam Calcs in Days
Clearspan compresses the timeline by reducing the coordination overhead. The durations below are estimates based on typical projects and are not guaranteed. Actual timelines may vary depending on project complexity and engineer availability.
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Gather project information
15–20 minutes
The contractor enters the information they have on the framing condition. The clearspan tool will identify loads, spans, and bearing conditions. It will automatically run a full beam design calculation.
If there is not enough information available or the condition is too complex, clearspan will identify this and notify the user. The input information will be saved and transmitted to the engineer. This means even if the condition is more complex, there is already a head-start on contact and scoping.
Contractor review of design
5 minutes
Clearspan generates calculations in seconds and displays beam size and material options. The contractor can immediately review for constructability. In traditional design this may occur later in the design phase.
The contractor will then select the preferred option and submit the design to engineering review.
Fee Proposal
5 minutes
The review submission workflow in clearspan automatically generates a fee and contract, based on the engineer's pre-defined settings. The contractor will review and sign to begin the review phase. Note that the clearspan fee and contract are limited in scope to the single beam design. Additional scope and services can be discussed with the engineer outside of clearspan. This keeps the beam design moving.
Engineer review
1 day
A licensed professional engineer reviews the information provided by the contractor during the input phase. Then once they have verified the calculation inputs and assumptions are correct the engineer will review the calculations within clearspan. Once they mark review complete the contractor will receive a notification.
Stamped deliverables
1-2 days
At this point the calculation package is complete and the engineer just needs to take the clearspan results and incorporate into a memo, sketches, or drawings. This phase is assumed to be the same as the traditional process.
Still Engineer-Stamped, Still Code-Compliant
Clearspan does not replace the engineer. It allows the reviewing engineer to focus more on where they can provide the most value: expertise in evaluating the load path, verifying assumptions, and clearly communicating the design in the deliverables.
Clearspan's analysis engine has been verified against published design examples, matching textbook results, in addition to additional extensive testing.
Get Stamped Beam Designs in Days, Not Weeks
Clearspan was built for contractors and engineers who want to deliver designs faster. It is a tool that helps:
- Engineers enhance their level of service and responsiveness
- Contractors provide quick access to engineering on their projects, even for small items or field surprises.