Michael is an exceptionally friendly and passionate engineer and he will take very good care of you and your project.

I connected with Michael for a consult on vaulting a ceiling in a potential house we were considering to buy. The contractors we spoke with needed input from a structural engineer, and Michael was able to do a quick summary of structural ramifications and structural redlines of the rough floor plan. I was extremely impressed by his responsiveness, professionalism, and quality of work even for this small ask. He charges by the hour and I was more than happy to pay for his time, but he provided the detailed summary with just the floor plan and didn't even ask for payment in the end as we were just looking for an estimate for cost of construction. I would recommend Michael to anyone seeking a structural engineer, and would be happy to hire him in the future if I need his services again. read more

Strong Work Structural Engineering - Summary of structural ramifications - Structural Engineers Near Me

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Appreciated their expertise and ability to offer different solutions to address issues.

Dr. Jones has an incredible staff! I am always greeted with a friendly smile. Dr. Jones is professional and knowledgeable. I would recommend Dr Jones to anyone looking for a great dentist in the Shoreline area. read more

Mike has engineered multiple projects for our architecture office and we are consistently impressed with his attention to detail and careful consideration of buildability and coordination with other trades. Equally adept at single family and large multifamily projects. Highly recommend! read more

Michael was so prompt in getting back to me about my issue. He explained my issue and directed me to the correct person I needed for my problem. Very kind read more

Don't hesitate to reach out to Michael even though the reviews suggest he is busy. You might be surprised at how much help he can provide even over email! I contacted Michael explaining a structural concern of mine and a couple photos of the site. First thing the next morning, Michael had responded to my email with very thoughtful suggestions, and by just a second email, Michael had given me tons of pointers and things to watch out for. It turns out my project is better suited for a mason, but not only did Michael help me out with contacts, I feel I have a much better understanding of the problem I'm trying to solve. That experience was super fast and such a tremendous help! read more

Smart, affordable and polished - I had a lot of questions going into my basement remodel project; old rotting beams, questionable patch work, cut joist, you name it. I had various contractors come out to the job scratching their heads; in comes Michael Chamberlain. Michael walked me through not only my basement but my first floor and Attic. He spoke to me as he would a fellow competent engineer, but stopped and listened when i was unfamiliar with some of the industry terms. Because of which, not only did i come out with a list of task for my builders; but feel like a more informed home owner. I highly recommend SWSE and am looking forward to working with Michael again in the near future. read more

There is a reason Michael is always booked out weeks in advance, but if you have the patience and the time, he's worth the wait! I called around asking for quotes with other structural engineers and I found NO ONE with prices as affordable as Michael's. Not only that, he's genuinely helpful, even when he's swamped with projects, and he'll try his best to provide you with information and other referrals and contacts if he can't do the job himself. Michael is knowledgable, great to work with, and doesn't overcharge. He truly cares about his clients and I will continue to use him anytime I need an engineer. read more

Michael is great; knowledgeable AND personable. He goes out of his way to be helpful, and when he has time, he is prompt and thorough. He doesn't often have time. If you need something tmrw, it's probably not going to happen. If you need it next month, you have better chances. Such is the price for being excellent. You are busy. read more

Very responsive for my project on converting my shed to an ADU. He also was willing to come out and see what the issues are currently at my site. Very fast response time, and a very nice guy. read more

We had a slowly sinking 1908 house with an oddly poured basement and a full brick fireplace added in 1953. The Northwest corner where the fireplace was beginning to sink a few inches over a few years. The guys who advertise on TV and other companies like them offer a guarantee that could leave your house a mess. There are a few different techniques in which to support a house and stop it from sinking. After years of concern, we have lived in this house over 30 years, we began to interview engineers who had expertise with how structure and foundation. We have an odd foundation. So many people wanted to lock us into a contract and we were so insecure. A few would allow us to hire them by the hour. We were comfortable to pay as we go. So many of the structural engineers have to become salespeople for their business. An uncomfortable position for experts to have to read justify every justify. One of our requirements, was a gentle person who is a volunteering communicator. Someone who was clearly well brought up and has a desire, from the heart to truly help people. You know what I'm talking about. In the middle of mistrustful situations that require specialized expertise some individuals demonstrate a caring warmth underneath or within their explanations of how they will fulfill your dreams and needs. Strong Work Structural Engineering is a wonderful business run by a gentleman named Michael Chamberlain. He is youthful of spirit and mature with knowledge. Mr. Chamberlain was outstanding in his patient explanations of what was best and how to go about it. We found wonderful contractors who worked with Mr. Chamberlain like a dream. Strong Work Structural Engineering went above and beyond. They dropped by the jobsite by surprise to make sure his plans and our wishes were going perfectly. It is beyond our imagination that you could be disappointed in any fashion with Mr. Chamberlain's work or expertise. We were guided through all the government paperwork in the most confident and sophisticated way. We were insecure and Strong Work Structural Engineering was confident and absolutely competent. We recommend Strong Work Structural Engineering now without question. We are proud to use them again. Please use them with confidence to satisfy your needs. Knowledgeable and understanding is good. Prices are very reasonable too. Best Value. Yeah, where is the six star? read more

Micheal was extremely responsive and helpful with my inquiry. He responded by phone within 2 hours. I have gotten myself in a little bit of a pickle by purchasing a home plan online. As it turns out the home is not up to code for Washington State and needs to be altered and engineered to make it through the building permitting process. Although, Michael is currently too busy to meet our timeline he gave me some very valuable advice, referrals, and tips on how to save money when we alter our plan. If only I had planned better.. I won't hesitate to reach out to him for future projects. read more

Michael is great and fast responding to my message and provide suggestions.

When the vendor we'd hired to waterproof our basement got in over their heads and ditched, Michael responded right away to my call. Answered my questions and referred me to another contractor. NO FEE. Wow. Thank you Michael. read more

Michael happened to be booked out on a project, so I wasn't able to officially hire him, but he was super helpful in giving me direction on my home renovation and, ultimately, referring me to a local structural engineering company that I'm using today. read more

I hired Mike based solely on the positive reviews here on Yelp, and it wasn't a mistake. He's prompt, communicates well, and is completely solution-oriented. Let the positive reviews here speak for themselves--you won't be disappointed by your choice! Does Yelp give six stars? P.S. I just noticed a link at the bottom of the page that says "(15 Filtered)", which leads to a whole different pile of stellar reviews. Mike has earned 21 perfect reviews, and I understand why! read more

Mike is an amazing engineer. He is thorough and detailed with his work. He designed and oversaw our inside jungle gym at my office. I feel so confident that the children and their families are safe. Mike is easy going and open to his client's needs. read more

I hired Mike to provide structural drawings for two projects in our house: removing a bearing wall and vaulting the living room ceiling. I needed to obtain a building permits and provide designs for our contractor. Mike arrived at our house, made a structural assessment, took measurements, explained to me the various options and then started working at my kitchen table using his computer models and his highly trained engineering brain. Three and a half hours later, I had drawings of both projects which included an overview and specific details to be referenced by the contractor. Then, he explained them to me, in as much detail as possible, given that my talent for spatial relationships is limited. He answered all of my questions and told me specifically how to present the information for the permit. He provided his contact information for our builder and encouraged him to call us with questions. When he left, he took our "As Built" drawings with him, promising to return them quickly. They were scanned and emailed back to me by the end of the day. I gave copies of Mike's drawings to our contractor and after he looked at them, he called Mike and they met to discuss the project. From that meeting, a few changes were proposed and Mike quickly revised the drawings, sending them back to me and to our contractor, with his engineering stamp on them. The drawings passed easily through the permit office and we are now ready for construction. Once the building actually begins, Mike will be available to talk to the contractor if any questions arise. Mike is a very capable and competent engineer. He responds quickly to any communication and is delightful company. I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with him. Our contractor agrees with this assessment. Karen Seeley read more

I contacted Michael regarding plans for a seismic retrofit to my basement. He was willing to read the plans, give me extensive feedback, and explain the process in basic terms so I understood what I was paying for. He answered my questions and went above and beyond my expectations. I feel very lucky to have found him - thanks Yelp and Michael! read more

Michael was so generous with his time - even though our schedules may not permit us to work together, I was so impressed with his tip, and for providing us with an alternative contact. Fingers firmly crossed we can work together at some point. read more

I'm an architect and have been collaborating with Mike Chamberlain of Strong Work Structural Engineering for 11 years. We worked on at least a dozen projects together. There's a reason I keep going back to him - he's incredibly easy to work with and ALWAYS willing to entertain my grounded and not-so-grounded ideas. But I think what makes him my first phone call when a project comes my way is he's extremely available all the time - in fact I recall him crunching numbers for me on a weekend, when I asked him where he was he said "on a chairlift!" He's always ready to put in the extra effort. As a small business owner myself, I know it's a struggle to not make clients or collaborators wait in line. I want all my clients to feel their project is my highest priority. Mike is the only structural engineer I've worked with that operate the same way. He takes care of his clients/architects! A HUGE recommend!!! read more

Mike has been fantastic to work with. He is extremely responsive and helpful with regards to educating me on the components of my project. I live in a condo and wanted to complete some structural work. He was more than happy to talk to my condo board president and contractor multiple times to clarify what needed to be done. Truly focused on the customer. read more

As an architect, I've worked with Mike on 3 projects including addition/remodels and a (structurally complicated) modern new house. He worked with me to create several custom details for exposed structure as well as providing guidance on an open riser floating glulam treads for a feature stair. Good service and good documentation. read more

Had the pleasure to work with Mike for both a roof project and also room remodeling. He was referred to us from a friend. For the room remodeling, we wanted to take down the wall between the kitchen and dining room to make it a great room. He was very professional and detail oriented. He was also easy to work with and listen to your ideas. He explain how the projects will work will detailed drawings. We also appreciate that he gave us referral of a few contractors when we requested. Hoping to work with him on our next remodeling project. read more

I needed a structural engineer for a 1,000 square foot addition I'm having put on my house. I talked to and got bids from about 5 engineers and decided to go with Michael. He's amazing to work with and I would HIGHLY recommend him to anyone. Such a smart guy, very responsive and provided me exactly what I needed to get permits. He's also been available for questions even after he was done with all of the drawings. He showed up when he was supposed to, answered all my questions, educated me on a few things and had the drawings back to me in timely manner. Very good about responding to calls and e-mails. Communication is so important and he's so dependable. I like the fact that he's an independent and not part of a firm - which enables him to charge so much less and you get great personalized service. I can't thank him enough and would definitely work with him again. read more

Great work! Experienced, great attention to details, and easy to work with. Mike came in and expertly put together a cost effective plan for a basement wall removal and seismic stabilization for a house built in the 20's. read more

Working with Michael was great. Before getting the kitchen remodeled, we had him come out to see if we could safely remove a wall. The appointment was quick, and Michael was very helpful in promptly answering all of our questions. Our needs were fairly straightforward (thankfully), but we really appreciated an expert's opinion. read more