Author: Matthew Cornell

Matt Cornell is a structural engineer with 25 years experience in residential structural engineering. He lives in Northgate on the northern side of Brisbane, Australia.

Tips & Tricks

Renovation Project at The Gap

Post author By Matthew Cornell
Post date July 16, 2021

We just signed the final Form 16 inspection certificate for our renovation and extension project at The Gap today.

Project Team

The team involved in this lovely project were:

Proudly built by Next Level Construction Queensland

Proudly designed by Matt Esler at MR Designs.

Structural engineering proudly provided by Rachel Tsang and the team at Cornell Engineers.

Soil testing by Apod Soil Testing.

Construction Photos

Have a look at our series of photos of how this renovation project progressed through construction.

Tips & Tricks

Chelmer House Renovation

Post author By Matthew Cornell
Post date July 11, 2021

Peek inside this structural house renovation project in Chelmer, Brisbane to see how it started and how it progressed through construction.

A big thank you to all of the people involved in this project:

Construction by Richie from ROH Building
Building Design by Home Design and Drafting By Brooke
Soil Testing by Apod Soil Testing.

How to Plan Your Home Renovation

Check out our article on how to plan your home renovation project for some great ideas on where to start ad how to plan your home renovation project:
https://cornellengineers.com.au/our-services/renovations-and-extensions/

Photos of this Chelmer house renovation project

From initial scoping inspection all through to the final framing inspection, Cornell Engineers Brisbane Structural Engineers were there to help.

Tips & Tricks

Spot the Problem

Post author By Matthew Cornell
Post date January 16, 2021

Just some of the Spot the Problem photos that we’ve helped solve. Have you got a problem you think we can solve? Give us a call.

Should we move the stairs or move the door??

Wet it up, boys. A wet concrete mix is easy to spread and easy to work (who cares if it cracks like anything tomorrow!)

Tips & Tricks

How to Cyberstalk a Queensland Property Like a Pro

Post author By Matthew Cornell
Post date January 15, 2021

This is our toolbox for cyberstalking a property like a pro.

This simply marvellous list of resources will help you find (just about) all you need to know about a (Queensland) property you own or are interested in buying.

Tips & Tricks

Urban Utilities Mapping Site

Post author By Matthew Cornell
Post date January 5, 2021

So Urban Utilities has finally come to the game and provided an online GIS (that stands for graphical information system) so that we humble mortals may identify the depth and diameter of their precious underground infrastructure (ie pipes).

Until now we’ve been using the free Dial Before You Dig website to identify what services are located on a property we are interested in, and a Dial Before You Dig is still an excellent tool for identifying whether buried infrastructure might affect your project. So probably run a DBYD first.

Now, if there are sewer pipes indicated in the DBYD (in the Brisbane area) then the next step is to head to the Urban Utilities GIS Website to get the details on the buried sewer pipes:
https://urbanutilities.com.au/about-us/who-we-are/asset-gis-information

Click on the Open GIS Maps link and away you go.

Click “I agree to the above terms and conditions.”

Type in an address in the search bar.

Click on a line (a sewer line) or a circle (a sewer access hatch) and you’ll be able to identify the depth and diameter of the Urban Utilities sewer infrastructure near you (so long as you are in an area serviced by Urban Utilities).

If your property is mid-way between two access hatches, you’ll need to interpolate the depth of the pipe between the two known invert levels because Urban Utilities does not give invert levels along pipelines – only at specific connection points and bends.