RE: balance side mounted engine?
You should always balance laterally. I dont think it's as important as CG. Others wouldn't fly without it.
What you dont want to do is compensate with aileron trim, if you roll inverted you have magnified the problem. If you're so out of balance laterally that it effects the way it flys, weight it. Just because the engine is mounted sideways doesn't mean you have to weight it though.