Operating from Point Loma since 1992, David D. Smith Engineer A.P.C. is a civil and structural engineering practice focused exclusively on single-family residential construction. Structural calculations for new custom homes and seismic-retrofit additions feed directly into the permit sets of general contractors like Complete Builders Inc, who frame against the engineer's beam-and-header schedules. The practice serves architects, contractors, and homeowners, producing foundation plans, shear-wall layouts, and lateral-force-resisting systems engineered to current California Building Code seismic provisions. Code-compliant deflection limits, material-parameter alternatives, and cost-impact analysis are discussed collaboratively before final structural drawings are issued, giving each project a tailored engineering solution rather than a template. Architectural firms such as McGee Sharon Architects rely on that structural coordination to keep design intent and load-path efficiency aligned from schematic through construction. The practice's most demanding projects are multi-story hillside residences on Point Loma's steep lots, where custom moment-frame connections, stepped foundations, and grade-beam networks must resolve complex lateral loads under California's seismic-design categories.