Simplengi

We have worked with David on multiple occasions on the remodel of our home in Berkeley. He’s been instrumental in providing us with options, drawings and calcs for things like shear walls, load bearing beams over open spaces, stairs, cantilevered decks, etc. Basically all the stuff we needed to both get our permits approved and feel confident that our house wasn’t going to collapse around us after construction. As other reviewers have said, he is creative, expert, super responsive, easy to talk to and comes highly recommended.

Pulled together drawings for a kitchen renovation. David came out quickly to get the details he needed and has been super responsive as our contractor has come back asking for more details.

Professional and kind. David came over to look at done deck and other issues. Inspectors and engineers can sometimes be alarmists but David was reasonable and spelled out clearly the things I should be concerned about and those I shouldn’t. Would hire him again.

I’ve never paid anyone $ 200 for nothing and been so happy that I had. David came over for a brainstorming initial consult. My wife and I were wanting to finish our attic space, which is a big beautiful space. David, in an hour, looked at our space and told us what he thought our options were. He said we would spend a good amount of money doing this project right, here are the hurdles with the potential project, etc. He helped us understand the project enough to do a go/​no-​go, which is exactly what I wanted. We’re not finishing our attic, but we’re not getting a divorce or wasting our precious life force. Plus, David was an easygoing, genuinely cool dude. Thanks David!

I am super excited to write this review for David’s services. I was in a panic to find a structural engineer after finding out my newly purchased condo had a load bearing post removed. Not one post, but two. I am the top unit so it wasn’t imminent danger unless people started walking around on the roof — which is exactly what will happen once our roof is replaced in December!
David was able to look through all the units in my building and actually find that the ground level unit had the same load bearing wall removed — an exponentially worse condition. David was able to expedite creating plans and running them through San Francisco’s DBI planning services within a matter of days, delivering to me a package fully approved, signed off, and ready for implementation.
I know that this is pretty much a standard description of what a structural engineer should do, but the way David did this is what truly made him stand out. He was very easy to communicate with, dealt with me introducing him to the other panicked owner with professionalism, and overall executed putting plans together to augment the remaining beam in our units with sister beams within a matter of a few days. His expertise is exactly what I needed and is going to not only bring structural stability to our 100 year old Victorian, but also peace of mind.

Our company has worked with David and he is a excellent engineer. I like his methodical approach and the fact that he makes sure to address the clients needs, budget and best methods to provide good value.

I am a contractor and I have worked with many engineers. My experience with David at Simplengi stands out as a very positive one.
I have worked with David on a few projects and really appreciate the ease of communication and his availability when needed. He pays close attention to detail, and in an industry with a lot of inefficiencies, it pays off in time and money.
I also appreciate that he has an eye on sustainability and being a more «green» engineer, while also considering cost and not over-​engineering things. As a contractor, it’s important to me that the engineer I’m working with has worked in the field and knows how buildings get put together.
Thank you for making it a pleasurable experience to work with you.

I recently worked with David Yadegar on a landscape project I was designing. He came very highly recommended to me by a colleague who’d used his services, and David did not disappoint. He prepared all the engineering specs and calculations for the project’s cantilevered patio, retaining walls, in-​ground spa and water features, as well as the outdoor staircase coming down from the home’s second story. He handled all of these aspects easily with his great knowledge of construction materials and methods, and he delivered his work precisely when he said he would. His efforts allowed our project to pass the City of Oakland Engineering Department’s review and permitting process without even the slightest hiccup.
Both the client and I found David to be very professional, approachable, and easy to work with. I have recommended him now to two other clients because I have full faith he will treat them and their projects with the same professionalism and produce the same high caliber service.

We hired David as a structural engineering consultant during our recent kitchen remodel. We had some structural facets of our remodel that required his expertise regarding load bearing walls. David was very responsive to our time demands, and our contractor found him great to work with. He was more than helpful with our foundation and ceiling joist issues, giving us great confidence with our decisions. He also appended our city building permit drawings and helped that process along. If you need a structural engineer, Simplengi is a great choice.

We consulted with David before we recently purchased a house. Because the house was a «contractor flip», we wanted to feel confident about the quality of the work that was done. On very short notice, David made time for us so that we could schedule his visit in tandem with the regular home inspector that was scheduled to come.
David was fantastic! Knowledgable, easy to talk to, and thorough, he not only gave us his assessment of the place, but also collaborated with the home inspector to make sure nothing was missed. We were so happy he was there.
We cannot recommend him highly enough. If you need some structural engineering contracting done, definitely call David.

I am an architectural designer who has worked with numerous structural engineers over the years. That being said, David is by far the best I’ve ever come across.
First off, David is approachable and empathetic. David is not only interested in giving you good drawings and calculations, he is interested in the quality of his relationship with others. As a designer, I feel open to asking him any question because he doesn’t give me a look like, «What, you don’t know that?!» Instead, he is huge on establishing rapport, speaking in simple, easy to understand terms, and making things go smoother for everyone, including the client, contractors, and designers.
He also doesn’t oversize beams just to make things easier for him as some of my past engineers have done. As one who truly cares for the well being of his clients and the planet, he does the calculations to know exactly what size is needed without wasting unnecessary money or material.
As a contractor recently said to me after the three of us met on a job site, «That dude’s awesome! I’ve never met an engineer like that.» What more can I say?