An engineer who signs
The PE who stamps the calculations is the one who answers for them, to the city and to the owner.
About us
A project you can review at any moment.
Civil engineering for residential, public works and industrial projects, with an office in Charlotte and job sites across the region.
We design, build and oversee, depending on what the project needs.
Our approach
We design what can be built, and we build what was designed.
Plumbline grew out of a simple observation: most problems on a job aren't technical, they're about information. The owner doesn't know what's happening until it's already expensive to fix.
- A technical firm, with licensed engineers in charge of every project.
- The capacity to cover the full cycle, with one person accountable.
- Reliable: every stage is documented, billed and delivered with backup.
Three capabilities, one team
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Structures
Code-compliant design based on the real soil at the site, with calculations and reinforcing drawings.
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Buildings
Construction with a superintendent in charge, a weekly schedule and pay applications the owner understands.
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Oversight
Independent technical oversight of someone else's work, with reports and a daily log kept current.
What we solve
A project can start with a single question.
We start from the decision behind your question, not from a service catalog.
Pick a question to see how we'd tackle it.
What can I build on my lot?
We review the zoning and the lot, and tell you how many stories, how much square footage and with what restrictions, before you hire anyone.
View related serviceCan my house take another story?
We document what was actually built, check the structure against the new load and tell you whether it can be done, with what retrofit and at what cost.
View related serviceAm I being charged a fair price?
We review the budget line by line against the project's real takeoffs and current market prices.
View related serviceHow do I know they're building it right?
We oversee the work for you: we inspect the rebar before every pour, track the concrete cylinder tests and record it all in the daily log.
View related serviceThe city sent back my permit set with comments.
We review the comments, fix what needs fixing and resubmit. Most of them are conflicts between sheets, not calculation errors.
View related serviceCan this ground carry what I want to build?
We run the geotechnical investigation with borings and lab tests, and deliver the bearing capacity and the right foundation type.
View related serviceI need to expand without shutting down the plant.
We plan the work in phases and during the hours operations allow, with work zones isolated.
View related service Stage by stage
We can step in at any point in the project.
The owner decides where we start and how far we go. Every stage can be contracted on its own.
- Site
- Studies
- Design
- Permit set
- Construction
- Closeout
How we work
Five stages, one person accountable.
That's how we work when we carry the full job. If you already have part of it done, we jump in wherever you need us.
1 2 3 4 5
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Site and scope
We review the lot, the zoning and what the owner wants to achieve. That conversation sets the real scope of the project: what the code allows and what the budget can carry.
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Preliminary studies
No calculation rests on assumed soil. We order the geotechnical investigation and the topographic survey, and design only starts once those results are on the table.
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Design and documents
We develop the structural design with its calculation package, drawings for every discipline and a budget backed by quantity takeoffs. The set goes out ready for permitting, not for corrections.
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Construction
We build or oversee, depending on the contract, with progress tracking, monthly pay applications and a daily log that reflects what actually happened, including decisions made in the field.
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Closeout
The job is turned over with as-built drawings, test reports and the final sign-off. Anything that ended up different from the design is documented, not hidden.
Why PLUMBLINE?
What the owner gains by working with us.
It's not just about handing over the building. It's about you knowing at every moment what was done and what it cost.
A budget you can audit
Every line item has its takeoff and its unit-price breakdown, so the budget can be reviewed line by line.
Soil before calculations
We don't size a foundation on assumed soil: first the geotechnical report, then the design.
A complete document set
Drawings, calculations, specs and takeoffs that go into permit review without avoidable comments.
Documented construction
Progress, pay applications and changes are all on record, so at the end you know what was done and what it cost.
Judgment before the pour
Whatever we catch in the field gets fixed before the concrete goes in, while it's still cheap to fix.
5 Project stages From the lot to the certificate of occupancy.
8 Service lines Four in design and four in construction.
1 Engineer of record One licensed PE in charge of the project from start to finish.
Who we are
Who we are, in six answers.
What's worth knowing about Plumbline in our first conversation.
What we do
Structural design, building construction and construction oversight.
Where we're strongest
Mainly residential and building projects, and the oversight that protects the owner.
Who we work for
Families and small investors, cities and agencies, and companies expanding a plant or a store.
The problem we solve
Making sure an expensive project gets built with enough information, instead of ending up costing twice as much with nobody knowing why.
How we do it
Studies before calculations, a coordinated document set, and progress and spending documented week by week.
What sets us apart
We don't oversee work we build ourselves: when we're your representative, the only interest we serve is yours.
Next step
Let's talk about your project.
Tell us what you'd like to build, and we'll tell you what it takes to get started.