Hired Monte Stott structural engineer recently-last year or this year?
We heard that Monte Stott is fantastic structural engineer, but we haven't heard back from him or his office. Have you hired him in 2015 or 2016 and do you recommend his company? Should we keep trying? There aren't any recent reviews in BPN so recommendations from those who've used him would be helpful.
Jul 9, 2016
Parent Replies
Hi, my name is Holly Rose, and I am a local real estate agent with lots of experience working with Monte. He is a great engineer. I have called on him many times when my clients have needed expert consultation regarding seismic retrofit, foundation issues, or just all-around structural evaluations of residential property. His "office" is just him, and he can get overwhelmed with the admin side of running his business. (For example, if he says he will have his report written in 2 days, it might be more like a week.) However, if you are not in a big rush, it's worth being patient and persistent. He is very personable, easy to talk to, willing to take the time to explain everything in lay terms, good with discussing a variety of potential solutions to a specific problem, understands budget limitations, and isn't rigid about doing things by the book -- although he certainly makes safety and structural integrity a priority.
Monte Stott is a gold standard for structural engineers in the area however, he is very very busy and very slow to respond. Your experience is pretty common. If you need a quick turnaround you would do well to hire a more available engineer. Sometimes Monte can be best reached through a contractor or architect with whom he does a lot of business and so may be more responsive. Monte's great but there are a lot of other good engineers in the area as well. I have worked with Gregory Wallace at 510-654-6903 and found him to be excellent. Have also heard good things about Dave Olnis 510-568-2162. This is the busy building season so all may have long delays but may be more communicative than Monte may be about their schedules. Good Luck.
I found that he was worth the wait when I hired him about 2 years ago. He explained his hard-to-reach element by saying there are three things to look for when hiring someone: skill, cost, and quick response and availability. He thinks busy professionals can only be counted on for two of the three and he has chosen to be strong in the first two areas. He is easy to work with and does excellent work!