You may consider speaking with a civil engineer that specializes in this type of project too.  

I read the sad transcript of an Engineer who got in big trouble following Kiyosaki's advice. 

I'm very surprised I joined BP after all the Detroit bashing Josh and Brandon do on the podcasts.I went to Michigan State for my bachelor's in electrical engineering and Oakland University for a master in engineering management. 

Anyone that can pay above 1600+ a month in rent can buy a house. average salary for starting engineers is 180k. 

I don't want to run into any problems with that, so we're working with the structural engineer to change our LVLs and trusses between the 1st and 2nd floor from 18" to 12".

And because of that I say that you should use a professional any time that you want to address mold correctly, using the latest standards, engineering controls (to prevent cross-contamination), trained staff, be covered by THEIR insurance, etc.I realize that many people here on BP have chosen to do it themselves and some of them don't ever have downstream problems. 

Just make sure that you're one of the nearby results for the search engines.  

This does not include inspection, which is ~$300 - get a licensed engineer and not a home inspector.  

I prefer to master simple deals over sophisticated engineering.

I was hoping to figure out the best use of the land and then hire a full service firm (including architecture, engineering, permits,e tc) to get me a full set of plans.