FRS Engineering - San Francisco, California

cpe123 A.

My experience with FRS Engineering and Cesar was terrific and I will be using them on future projects without hesitation.
In collaboration with a Geo Engineer, contractor & County of SM - Cesar designed a somewhat involved residential retaining wall system with deep piers and decking. The process was lengthy and with many changes over a full year plus. Cesar was always prompt to respond - working with all involved professionally and diligently to keep the project moving forward. It was a pleasure to work with Cesar and FRS Engineering.

Canseco C.

We are a design and build firm and have been working with FRS Engineering for over 3 years.

Here is what you need to know -

Quality - Cesar Flores is highly knowledgeable when it comes to engineering plus CA codes which makes pulling permits a seamless process as the number of comments from the city/county is always minimal. This is extremely important when picking the right structural engineer as it minimizes the duration of the permitting process.

Time Sensitive - FRS engineering typically delivers drawings in a timely fashion. Interim of hurdles, which at times is inevitable the Principal of the firm communicates that to you ahead of time so you can plan accordingly.

Multi step designing process - Cesar Flores has adapted to our Demo and Discovery phase which helps tremendously when it comes to the build phase. By doing so more than likely there will be no change in plans which helps for a seamless build process. Incase there are surprises during the demo and discovery phase he pivots very quickly thus saving you time and dollars.

Pricing - Their designing package is very fairly priced and the one thing we enjoy a lot about working with FRS engineering is that just like us they are extremely transparent about pricing form the get go and believes in a “No change order” policy thus keeping projects within the original budget.

We 100% vouch Cesar Flores & FRS Engineering.

David A.

I reached out to Cesar regarding a project I was doing in my Kitchen which required tearing down a low bearing wall. I needed a new house plan (blue print) to submit to the city. Cesar was able to design a new house plan in a timely manner. After submitting the new plans to the city, they requested additional drawings (since we made changes) which Cesar was able to get right away in order to pass our final inspection. I highly recommend Cesar, he was honest, efficient and offers great customer service. I will be reaching out to him for any future projects. Thanks Cesar !!!

Suparn G.

My review is a long overdue. To summarize, Cesar is one of the most collaborative person I have worked with who will listen to your needs and execute on your vision.

I first met Cesar in 2021 through ThumbTack. I had purchased a house built in 1950s and was considering remodel. I was concerned about the foundation because the house had settled in some spots. I called a few different foundation inspection companies and they all spend 1-2 hours inspecting the house. They all described how bad the settlement was and suggested using push piers and helical piers. I wasn't convinced, because I didn't trust their process of measuring above the finished floor and mostly, the settlement was about 1/2" inch on average. They were mostly selling their products.
Thats when I called Cesar for an independent opinion. He went straight to the crawlspace, explained the issues and their severity and what I'd have to do to resolve them. And what he said made more sense. He was genuine.

After that, I hired Cesar for 2 structural plans and each time, he delivered the plans in great detail. During the design phase, I contacted him multiple times to evaluate the cost of different options from a structural point of view. For example, I wanted to do stick framing in the roof to keep an open attic space instead of trusses. Since we had long spans of open concept hall, Cesar clearly told me it would cost more than trusses because LVLs are costly. Having someone to rationally discuss the options rather than doing what they normally do is why I love working Cesar. Many times, you are doing things that seem very similar to what people normally do on the surface. But the devil is in the details and it may require out of the box thinking. Thats what Cesar did for my project.

Throughout my project, he was mostly punctual. A few times, I had to remind him about some items before time, but he rarely missed the deadline.

Cesar cares for his clients. I witnessed it on multiple occasions. For example, when I called him for special inspections for epoxy hold downs and anchor bolts, he was not forgiving to any corners cut. He stood by the workers, watched them clean every single hole until he was satisfied. He was stern with his directions, not rude or disrespectful to anyone on the crew. As a special inspections inspector, he ensured I got things done right.

Lastly, there will always be issues when your start building out, especially connecting the old structure with new since you don't know what you are gonna find behind the walls. For that, availability and reachability is the key. Cesar was always available to take my call, whenever we found difference in the plan vs the real thing or if the framer decided to do something that was not in the plan and we needed a course correction. The inspector asked for a few revisions too because of these changes and Cesar was prompt and helpful enough to provide those with reasonable hourly rates.

Cesar is dependable. His work is detailed and professional. His opinions are rational. I will hire him again for my next project.

Adele H.

Cesar was very responsive in providing structural engineering for our small project's building permit. He was straightforward and practical in his approach, and quite competent.

Lowell K.

Cesar helped us with engineering some structures on our property. He was quick and responsive and we were very happy with the result! I highly recommend him.

Rebecca H.

Cesar has been great to work with over multiple projects. Always on time with quality work. Highly recommend.