V Zone Certification

[BrentL]

I work at an engineering firm where we are starting to get more involved in the design of foundations for residences in coastal V Zones. For foundations in V Zones, FEMA's regulations state that the local building department must require the following:

1. a registered professional engineer or architect shall develop or review the structural design, specifications, and plans for the construction, and

2. a registered professional engineer or architect shall certify that the design and methods of construction to be used are in accordance with accepted standards of practice for meeting the following criteria...

You can see the entire suggested form at:

http://www.fema.gov/pdf/rebuild/mat/fema499/hgcc_fact05.pdf

We are having a hard time deciding how we are to certify that "the methods of construction to be used are in accordance with accepted standards of practice." As engineers, we can certify our design, but how are we to certify the construction methods? Typically in residential construction the engineer has little to do with construction inspection; this is generally left up to the local building department.

We are considering several different options on how to proceed with this. We could assign an inspector to be on-site during construction, or set up an inspection schedule similar to what a building department would do, or set specific experience and qualification requirements for the contractor. All of these options present their own problems and I would just like to hear some opinions on the issue, especially from anyone who has experience with this type of work.

 

[JAE]

[red]methods of construction to be used [/red]

This says "to be used" and doesn't say "that were used".

If your design is such that the intended construction method will be expected to be in accordance with accepted standards... then you can certainly certify that this indeed is the intent.

I agree with you that you can't certify what someone might do, but you can certify that what you want to do is an accepted standard.