I'm not a demo expert, but I'd guess there are entire books written on this subject. A lot more than can be discussed in a forum/thread format like this. I'd suggest posting any specific questions you have on the Student Forum.
I don't do the tests. I'd love to have a testing lab, but that's just not practical. I do a lot of historic restoration design, so I would like to set up a small testing lab for historic materials - masonry, brick, wood - and get the field tools to do more robust assessments of existing...
I think we have very different ideas of pomp and circumstance. Only difference is whether or not I put the inspection requirement in a schedule during design and whether or not I send the report to the building official after substantial completion of the structural elements of the building...
If anyone hasn't seen this, it's worth wasting some time reading through the comments. I think it started as an architectural student roasting the devolution of architectural design and the rise of the "McMansion."
McMansion Hell
It's a strip of sheet steel with holes. Nothing especially proprietary about them. If you start looking at the dimpled ones, maybe, but the regular straps are simple enough that you can use them for pretty much whatever you want so long as you can justify the behavior of the connection. Beam...
You mean the EOR takes a special trip out to the site to inspect it?
That's my point. That exception, as you quoted, says "as approved by the building official." Should that approval be given positively or passively? In other words, should they have to say "this counts as minor, no special...
I specify/detail ridge straps on top of the sheathing. Works the same, they can see where the rafters are by the nails in the sheathing, and you avoid this issue. Also easier to inspect/verify they're installed.
Same here, at least with houses. But lately I've been questioning the ethical implications of this approach.
If something is designed per the prescriptive code, then sure - no special inspections needed. But say I have a steel moment frame in the house. The house still falls under the IRC...
This is 100% true, but it remains the contractor's responsibility to call for inspections and wait for said inspection before covering the work.
And for what it's worth, commercial construction here requires the same (or at least very similar) inspections as residential permits. So there's...
The permit holder. The general contractor is in charge of construction and the construction schedule. It's not practical to put the onus on an engineer or architect, who might have 10 or more projects in construction at a time, to monitor the construction schedule and divine the necessary time...
Biggest issue I've been seeing recently is roof lines not aligning with bearing points. They get the pretty picture just the way they want it, but don't realize that the roof now bears 2' down on the wall, or 2' above the top of the ceiling joist.
Also worth noting the difference between an...
@gte447f CWB1 is correct - the homeowner who hires the contractor who then hires the engineer has no contractual relationship with the engineer. Therefore, any damages due to inadequate design will have be collected from the contractor who provided the end product supported by those services...
You're probably thinking of some statements I have made. I used employment loosely, as a 1099 contractor (so long as the contract is structured the way you described) counts as 'employment' per the regulation here.
I'll be detailing one of these in the next week or so. My plan is to break it up into 8' or 12' stud heights with double plates and then offset the sheathing joints half of the stud height and put corner braces on the plates. Mine is partially in and partially out of the building and with no...
If it is work that requires a license, then you would have to do it under the responsible charge of another engineer licensed in that state. Be very careful with the 'if it requires a license' bit. The specific rules around the industrial exemption vary state to state, so whether or not a 1099...
Yes. I see now that you're in Australia, so perhaps AIA isn't applicable, but I'm sure you all have a similar organization down there.
Sounds like you don't work with the right architects. My margins on fixed fee design work are much better than what I can get from an hourly rate.
What do...
Join your local AIA chapter. Go to hard hat tours and lunch and learns. Talk with the architects there and get to know them a little. Let them know you exist and what you have to offer.
You can do the same with contractor organizations if that's your preferred client base.
Or you can...
If it was designed for vehicle traffic, make sure you're going wide enough to adequately dowel into the existing to avoid differential movement across the joint.
I think you're right to consider that moment. If the connection configuration can attract the moment, it will. So it becomes of question of how your connection handles that deformation and whether or not it fails. A simple shear connection transfers some moment at service level, but as loads...
