FAQ
Questions, answered.
The questions owners, contractors and plan reviewers ask us most. Not here? Ask in the request; a licensed engineer answers.
Getting started
- What is a wind load calculation, and why does the permit want one?
- It is the engineering calculation of the pressure wind puts on a building component (a window, door, roof covering, solar array or piece of equipment) at your address, from the mapped wind speed, the exposure, the height and the location on the building. The permit office uses it to confirm the product you are installing is rated for that pressure. The product approval says what the product resists; the calculation says what your site demands; the letter connects the two.
- What is an engineer letter for wind load compliance?
- A one- to three-page letter, signed and sealed by a Professional Engineer licensed in the project state, stating the design pressures at your address and confirming the installed product (by its NOA, Florida Product Approval or cut sheet) meets them. The calculation pages are attached so the plan reviewer can follow every number. Most of our packages are exactly this letter. Doors & windows letter →
- How do I order a wind load calculation for a permit?
- Pick the package that matches the job, or start a request if nothing fits. The online request takes about two minutes: address, what is being installed, the product approvals, photos or plans. Set-price packages are paid at the end of the request; everything else gets a written proposal, usually the same business day. See the packages →
- What do I need to send?
- The project address (and permit number if you have one), what is being installed with sizes and locations, the product approval or cut sheet for each product, and plans, a sketch or phone photos. If something is missing we ask before work starts; nothing is charged twice.
- Can a homeowner order, or does it have to be the contractor?
- Either. Homeowners order the door, window and roofing letters every week; the letter is written for the permit, whoever submits it. If your contractor has the product data, we are happy to collect it from them directly.
Prices and payment
- How much does a wind load calculation cost?
- Set prices for single-family homes run from $249 to $1,800 depending on the component, and you see the exact price on the package page before you start. Custom and commercial work is quoted from your files, typically $1,000–$2,100 for openings and components and $1,400–$2,600 for solar arrays. Pricing →
- How do I pay?
- Set-price packages are paid by card through Stripe at the end of your request; the receipt comes from Stripe. Quoted work is paid when you accept the proposal, 50% to start and 50% at delivery for larger jobs.
- What if my product does not meet the pressure?
- We tell you before the letter is issued, with the rating you need, so you can choose another product or a different installation. The fee covers the check either way; we do not seal a letter that says the installation fails.
- Do you give an RTU estimate or a per-site price for a rollout?
- Yes. Rooftop equipment anchorage is a set price in Austin and quoted elsewhere; multi-site programs (camera poles, solar fleets, a roofing company’s season) are quoted as a batch with a flat per-site price. RTU wind load calculator →
Florida and the HVHZ
- What is a Florida engineer wind load certificate?
- The Florida name for the same letter: a PE-sealed statement of the design pressures at your address per the Florida Building Code (8th Edition, 2023) and ASCE 7-22, confirming your door, window, roof covering, solar array or equipment is approved for at least that pressure. Florida certificate page →
- Do you cover Fort Lauderdale, Broward and Miami-Dade?
- Yes. Broward and Miami-Dade are the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone: products need a Miami-Dade NOA, design speeds run 170–180 mph and the reviewers expect the HVHZ wording. Most of our Florida letters are for Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach addresses.
- My product already has an NOA or Florida Product Approval. Why do I still need a letter?
- The approval lists the pressure the product resists in a lab. The permit office needs the pressure your opening or roof must resist at your address, height and zone, and proof the rating meets it. The letter is that proof.
- Which code edition applies in Florida right now?
- The Florida Building Code, 8th Edition (2023), which adopts ASCE 7-22 for wind. Our Florida letters cite both. Outside Florida we use the edition your jurisdiction has adopted, 7-16 or 7-22.
What we calculate
- Do you do wind load analysis for a solar installation?
- Yes: roof-mounted PV arrays (uplift by roof zone, attachment spacing and the rail or racking check), ground mounts and solar light poles. Set prices for single-family roofs in Florida, North Carolina and Boulder; commercial arrays are quoted. Solar wind loads →
- Rooftop units, condensers and generators?
- Lateral, uplift and overturning per ASCE 7-22 Chapter 29 with the curb and anchor demand the inspector asks for. Set price in Austin; quoted elsewhere. Components & equipment →
- Cameras, antennas and lights on an existing pole?
- We compare the attachment’s EPA and moment against the pole manufacturer’s chart (or the pole section) and the foundation, and write it up for the pole owner or the AHJ. There is a free screening tool and a set-price sealed report. Pole EPA calculator →
- Fences, pergolas, signs and canopies?
- Yes. Set prices for fences and gates in Austin and for pergolas, decks and signs in Boulder; the same scope is quoted anywhere else.
- Do you work outside Florida?
- Yes. Set-price packages exist for North Carolina, Boulder County and Austin, and custom work is available in every state where the firm is licensed (38 plus DC and the USVI).
- Do you provide site-specific installation drawings, not just a letter?
- Yes. When the permit set needs an installation drawing (fastener schedule, attachment details, the wind pressures on the sheet), we produce the sealed drawing with the calculation. Site-specific drawings →
Turnaround and the deliverable
- How fast is it?
- Most packages are delivered in 2–3 business days once we have the project details. If a permit is waiting, say so in the request and we tell you the same day what rush is possible.
- Is it sealed, and in which state?
- Yes. Every letter is signed and sealed by a Professional Engineer licensed in the project state, delivered as a PDF with a digital signature the permit portals accept.
- What if the plan reviewer has a comment?
- Send us the comment. Clarifications and resubmittals on our own letter are part of the job; a change in scope (a different product, more openings) is quoted as a small add-on.
- How are the free calculators different from the sealed letter?
- The calculators run the same ASCE 7-22 method on the inputs you type, for planning and product selection; they are not a permit document. The sealed letter is an engineer’s verified, site-specific calculation with the product check, and carries professional responsibility. Free calculators →
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