Need Wood truss engineer for Nevada 23

[jepps3]

Hello. I’m looking for engineered flat roof wood truss design for a single family home in Nevada.

I know truss manufacturers can provide this, but I don’t want them to design. I would like to get the design drawings independently and then send out to manufacture.

 

[Eng16080]

Are trusses the only option here? I'd be looking for alternatives if I felt the way you did about the prefab. wood truss industry.

 

[KootK]

Regarding the truss industry's penchant for raping folks, I would submit the following:

1) Pre-engineered wood trusses are not a public good in the same sense that insulin is. That analogy is deeply flawed.

2) Most of the time, truss suppliers operate in highly competitive marketplace where their product is priced as a commodity and little raping fleecing is possible.

3) The price of a thing in a free market is most definitely not its cost of production plus a "reasonable" profit margin. The price of a thing is simply what that thing can be sold for at the margin. Nobody leaves profit on the table out of morality. Suggesting otherwise is precisely how the world ceded the realm of finance (usury) to the Jewish community back in the day. As it turns out, forcing the Jews into finance was not quite the "punishment" that it was intended to be. Oops.

4) On the rare and short lived occasions when a market anomaly allows the truss guys to do some fleecing:

a) They're going to put their big boy pants on and do some fleecing. Of course they are.

b) The opportunity for fleecing ought to be viewed as a return on the investment that the truss guys make in order to exist in the first place and be positioned to be able to avail themselves of such opportunities. Like many organisms, a truss plant waits out the droughts in anticipation of rain. When it does rain, however, you soak that up.

 

[jepps3]

@koot - I’ll have to try that

@littleinch - it was 27k and some change for complete truss build. It’s high man!! It’s all 24” parallel chord (think floor truss style). Honestly, it’s really the state of Nevadas fault for being this picky not to accept outside engineers and accept reciprocity between educated engineers. The way Nevada does it, it creates a monopoly type way that steers business. So much for being a “red” state!!

@eng16080 - design me some wood gusset trusses. Let’s go!!! I also looked at big TJI joist as well. My longest span is about 36ft. Weyerhaeuser has a 22” TJI that would work. Looking into it.

 

[phamENG]

$20,000 with reuse rights on multiple builds (same houses plan) might be a good deal.

And you would not get those rights. Any engineer who knows how intellectual property law works will not willingly sign over the rights to their design like that. When somebody hires me, I provide a service - I provide an engineered design. My client does not own what I produce - they are merely the instruments of my service and I retain ownership. My client is granted license to use them once. Use on multiple builds is not permitted as this would open me up to essentially infinite liability, which is not insurable under industry standard insurance practices.

You already have a local engineering consultant. Go back to him and tell him you don't care what it costs, design me a custom truss using whatever materials and connection schemes you are familiar with. For the right price they can do it.

 

[jepps3]

@koot - fleecing = not good. Housing prices are already inflated and home buyers are already in a ton of debt. We are creating our own demise if we “fleece” too much.

I’m not saying to not get your return on investment. But there’s gotta be a balance. I have a problem on the gov regulating pricing caps on some things and then letting a free for all on others.

 

[jepps3]

@pham - yes, you would always own the intellectual property rights to the drawings. What I’m saying is, you get paid 20k, and I can build, say about 50 homes off that truss design. Jesus Christ almighty, That’s a good deal!!

Also, multiple use is insurable under your bond. Never heard of a limit that you speak of.

 

[jayrod12]

I'm sorry but $400 per house doesn't even cover the insurance premiums. When we do residential, which isn't often because of the liability and lack of repeat customers, we're at $2,000 for just a foundation plan assuming the superstructure meets the prescriptive requirements of our codes. If we have to design the entire structure, $4,000. Minimum.

 

[KootK]

@koot - fleecing = not good. Housing prices are already inflated and home buyers are already in a ton of debt. We are creating our own demise if we “fleece” too much.

I would argue that it will be precisely the fleecing that will increase the supply of trusses and, therefore, bring the costs back down. Without that "signal", the market cannot function as it needs to.

If truss suppliers are too busy to serve the construction industry well but, at the same time, there is no strong incentive to increase supply, the truss suppliers will remain too busy and too expensive indefinitely.

 

[jepps3]

@koot - I agree that there is some truth in the mechanism of prices self throttling due to market forces. But you have to agree that gouging doesn’t fair well for all parties at the end. All it does is creates a wound inside of a false economic condition that was literally born from irresponsibility (even on the consumers end). It’s just not right to take advantage.

@jayrod - come on man!!! That’s why you’d offer “bulk” pricing. You get a big payday. I’m not sure why you are worried about liability over trusses that that are repeated according to your design. Any fault from that point would rest on the fabricator or installer. I think you are reaching for more $$$ when you can accept a nice big payout upfront. Why not take the reasonable money rather than a fat good egg???!!?

 

[phamENG]

Umm...no, it's not a good deal. Not for me. As jayrod said, $400/house is laughable. I'm an engineer, not a contractor, so I'm not bonded, but yes there are limits. My insurance premiums are based, among other things, on the value of construction built under my seal. So if the value of insurance is infinity, my premium also goes to infinity. I would have to take out a completely different kind of insurance to cover some sort of indefinite license.

Those 50 houses likely comprise $25M or more of construction value. I'd be closer to $120k in fees if you wanted to use it to build 50 houses.

 

[phamENG]

Any fault from that point would rest on the fabricator or installer.

That's cute. I take it you've never met a lawyer practicing in construction litigation, then?

 

[LittleInch]

Hey guys, Can't one of you just design some trusses and then we can close this thread???

Remember - More details = better answers
Also: If you get a response it's polite to respond to it.

 

[jepps3]

@pham - Haha yes I have. And even the consultants they hire are full of crap in their reviews. I’m not too worried about that. If you are crappy developer, then worry!!

Listen, of course we are in a sue happy environment. Put it in the agreement that I pay for any lawyer fees/court costs to cover your butt. What more do you want? You’re getting 20k and I’ll wipe your butt for years to come if any crap smears on your cute little butt. I’ll agree to it.

 

[jepps3]

@littleinch - it’s turnin’ political now. Grab that popcorn. Hahhahaha

 

[jepps3]

Come on baby!!! Let’s go! Let’s get some NV engineers in here. .. we are ready to go

 

[phamENG]

If only it were that simple. I hope you find what you need - whether it's an engineer to design a few custom trusses for an exorbitant price or some deep I-joists. Best of luck to you.

 

[jepps3]

@pham - thanks

I’m learning something new today. Say I just wanted to pay an engineer to provide stamped truss drawings so I can hang it as a $4000 piece of art on the wall, I’m learning that it’s nearly impossible, holy crap!!!

 

[1503-44]

I am also surprised at this. I did Gangnail and Clary truss designs to get through uni in the 70's. I worked at Clary Automation in Arlington Tx. Designed trusses of all shapes and sizes, up to around 140 ft clear spans. Did designs for every state West of the Mississippi, oncluding Alaska and California and a few states east. No special software required. We had a registered engineers list in each state we did business in that would review and stamp our work as needed. MS excel is 100x more than enough. No kidding. It's very easy. No FEA required. What's going on. Too much work? All engineers overworked. Tunnel vision. I don't know. That is about the easiest way to make money I know. If I still lived in the US, I might be tempted to do a start up. Maybe some of you guys should think about it.

--Einstein gave the same test to students every year. When asked why he would do something like that, "Because the answers had changed."

 

[GC_Hopi]

Why do you want to "pay an engineer to provide stamped truss drawings so I can hang it as a $4000 piece of art on the wall". I will never understand some people.

 

[XR250]

Why not just stick frame it?