There's no rocket science to this. Some basement contractor perforated the foundation block to create a drainage path for groundwater that was migrating into the block. Two things have failed: the original damp proofing bitumen layer (which doesn't last forever anyway), and the exterior...
The only barrier to entry in the one-man-show engineering business is a PE license and the engineer's experience. I've had two guys try to sell me their companies so they could retire. It's a ridiculous proposition. I don't need your furniture, your desktops, your plotter lease, your office...
You're going to get absolutely no where trying to get an opinion on this from the other side of the internet. This is not how the practice of structural engineering or structural assessments are conducted. You have to have an experienced structural engineer looking at everything: the building...
Samey sames, jerseyshore. I'm in north jersey, and I wouldn't spec a product that didn't have an ESR report unless I was designing it myself, or it came with a calc package with a raised seal. I don't want that liability.
Getting to the point where tasks are piling up is a good indicator that your scheduling system needs tweaking. I have a calendar, and if I can't fit the work in, I'm up front with them. "We're pretty loaded up right now, but if you don't find anyone, give us a call back in [X] weeks."
As for...
I grew to hate having partners. We viciously resented each other. It all had to do with the effort that was contributed by each equal partner. We based compensation and profit sharing on capital contribution originally. But, oh mother of god, that became a bone of contention when it slowly...
New Jersey has a pretty clear law called the Professional Services Act, and it defines who can prepare and stamp what. In the case of using an architect's floor plan or elevation as the basis of a structural sketch or print, you can use the pertinent portions as long as you reference the...
This is the time of year that the heat is cranked and the framing is drying out and contracting. Could be that the attic framing is adjusting to the contraction in the of the wood in the lower floors, which may have gotten wet from a recent leak (roof, plumbing, etc.).
Graduate level computational fluid dynamics, and graduate level combustion analysis. I had both of these when I got my masters. I would have at least made an interview for that job out of grad school. Turbine blade design, shock waves, surging. It was fun, but structures held more appeal to...
Music to my ears. 20 years ago I had 28 employees and hated every second of every day. Went solo in 2013, and the last 10 years have been heaven on earth. Also make 3x as much.
But why LVL's. Why not I-joists, or truss joists. 22 foot long LVLs are going to want to twist. Plus you'd probably need 11-7/8 LVLs, and they'd would still probably deflect a half inch under load.
I just saw this thread. My two cents, from the original post:
If you had substituted the word "quarterly" for the word "monthly", this all would have made sense. Monthly reviews seem a bit crazy. As for the communication and grammatical accuracy things, I could see how a more-sane employer...
Propwash I'm kind of with you on the wanting to get the piece of paper. I already have my PE, but the piece of paper I want is a masters in structural. I'm an ME by schooling, but I spent my entire 30 year career doing industrial and infrastructure projects (pipe bridges, catwalks...
Tacking on to everyone's great posts, it's experience that gets you there. Although there are some good forensic structural engineering books out that can be handy with discrete issues.
Couple points:
1. The site guys you mention are just handing off problems/liability to the nearest...
I was just at a very large retail property in NY State that had a large field of Geofoam blocks on one outer side of their cavernous basement. The non-foam foundation walls were cast-in-place concrete, the other once was tilt up concrete. They used it to improve conditions under the parking...
I make $120k in a very easy corporate gig working remote at home (commercial real estate consulting). And then I have a side business where I make an additional $130k-180k a year doing residential engineering work, depending on the economy. Don't sell yourself short. You already have a PE. Get...
I'm a solo guy also, and for newer clients, I don't release anything other than draft PDFs without full payment. I'll do the work, but I won't release anything anymore for newer clients without getting paid first. I got sick and tired of chasing money. And it worked out well for me. I...
You should get a structural engineer to look at that framing. From the little I can see, those horizontal ties are in tension and holding the walls in place. Removing them would be no bueno without installing a true ridge beam.
