A PE seal for the sets you draw, without losing the client

This page is for drafters and residential designers. You draw the set, your client needs a PE seal to permit it, and you want an engineer who reviews the work quickly, talks to you instead of around you, and doesn't redraw your sheets. That's how Nick works with drafters.

How the relationship works

You stay the designer of record for the drawings. Nick is the engineer of record for the engineering he seals. In practice, the job runs like this:

1. You send the drafted set, the project address and the jurisdiction.
2. Nick reviews the sheets he'll be sealing against the code that jurisdiction has adopted.
3. If something needs fixing, redlines come back to you with the code reference for each one.
4. You revise and send the updated sheets.
5. Nick checks the revisions and seals the set, digitally or wet-stamped, whichever the jurisdiction wants.

We don't take over the drawing. If a fix is a one-line note, we tell you the note. If it's a design change, we explain what has to change and why, and you draw it.

Redlines go to you, not your client

Your client hired you. When we find something, it comes to you first, so you can fix it and keep the conversation with your client on your terms. We'll talk to the builder or owner directly only if you ask us to, or if you want us on a call to explain an engineering question.

That also means you aren't competing with us. A1 doesn't do drafting, so we're not going to pick up your client's next job.

One set or a standing arrangement

Some drafters send us a set when a client asks for a seal. Others set up a standing arrangement so every job they draw has an engineer lined up before it's finished. With a standing arrangement:

• We learn your sheet layout, notes and details, so reviews go smoother over time
• You can quote your client a sealed set, not just drawings
• Recurring issues get caught once and fixed in your template, not on every job

Either way, each set gets a flat fee and a turnaround quoted before we start.

Is your set ready to seal?

Running through this list before you send a set cuts most of the back and forth. It covers what we look for on the electrical side:

• Project address, jurisdiction and code edition noted on the cover or general notes
• Title block complete, with room left for the engineer's seal
• Service size, voltage and meter location shown
• Load calculation included, or enough equipment information for us to run one
• Panel schedules for every panel, with totals filled in
• Major equipment listed with ratings: HVAC, water heater, range, dryer, EV charger, solar
• Kitchen, bath, laundry and garage circuits identified
• Smoke and CO alarm locations shown where the jurisdiction requires them on the plans
• Sheet references that point to real sheets and details

Missing one doesn't mean we can't start. It means we'll ask for it, and that question is better asked now than by the plan reviewer. If you'd like a review before you're ready to ask for a seal, see plan review.

Structural sheets go through our network

Nick's seal covers electrical. If your set has structural sheets, framing, foundations or beam sizing that needs an engineer, those are reviewed and sealed by a licensed structural engineer in our network, licensed in the project's state. You send one set to one office and get one set back.

A1 doesn't do surveys or site plans. If your client is unsure who provides what, survey vs site plan vs engineering drawings lays it out.

Questions

Want an engineer lined up for your next set? Send one over or call Nick at (214) 382-9584 to set up a standing arrangement.