General cost of a moment frame for a residential home? 2

[mattboyd33]

Hello,
My wife and I just bought a home in San Francisco and were shocked to learn we may need to get a steel moment frame installed in our ground-level basement/garage. Of course, in order to get estimates for the work, we have to get designs drawn up, which is expensive. Does anyone know from experience what a steel moment frame might run for a residential home? Ballpark numbers are totally fine -- we'd just like to know if it's $15,000 each or $50,000 each.
Thanks in advance for any and all help.
Best regards,
Matt

 

[tlae]

I'm in Kansas and the residential construction where I've used moment frames, beams/columns are in the 30-40 lbs/foot range and fabricated steel costs are around $1.00 - $1.20 /lb. The issue I see with your home, it is an existing home which requires more extensive work in retro-fitting for the frame. I would recommend contacting reputable contractors who have done this type of work before and have them give you proposals. You could have them include the engineering in their bids or you can have an engineering firm provide you with a design first.

 

[AlohaBob]

I've done alot of this work, exactly what you need. You must contact a structural engineer. They would need to retrofit the frame. The only way to understand what's involved is by inspection. That's either visual, or destructive, meaning, they will do their best to work from plans you have of the house, but they may need to verify a few things by poking holes to see inside the drywall. Proposals without a plan are useless. The work must be carefully described and understood before a proper cost can be given. You will need this engineers stanp before you can do anything anyhow. Best to contact him up front and save yourself alot of double work. Steel costs are very volitile these days. He should have viable alternative options.