Jim Houlette

Got to Love Big Steel Beams

by Jim Houlette May 8, 2012

I recently revisited a custom home we designed in Evergreen. The architecture required a large cantilever of the roof framing. An awesome look! But it has it’s cost, a large steel beam. I love designing with steel and appreciated the size of this steel beam [...]

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Foundation Engineering for Home Plans Purchased Online

by Jim Houlette May 2, 2012

Many people are searching the internet and purchasing home plans online. While these plans won’t be custom tailored to fit your exact needs, many people find they are close enough. However, there is one very important thing to keep in mind when purchasing these plans, [...]

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Check of Existing Roof to Support New Mechanical Load

by Jim Houlette April 24, 2012

EVstudio was asked to help a new client determine if the existing structure can support a new heavier mechanical unit load. Within a day of the client’s first contact, we had visited the site, reviewed the loading conditions and provided a letter of recommendations with [...]

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Different Structural Foundation Types

by Jim Houlette April 9, 2012

There are many different foundation types and each one has a unique feature and advantage over other types. I’ll go into a brief summary of each foundation type and why I used the foundation design in each situation. Here is a list of the different [...]

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Don’t Forget to Check your Sump Pit and Pump

by Jim Houlette March 30, 2012

Your home may or may not have a sump pit. If you have one be sure to check it every few months, especially when you may have heavy rain. Most people forget about the sump pit leaving them open to a good chance of major [...]

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Repairs to Concrete Foundations Made Simple Using Carbon-Fiber Kevlar Grid Straps

by Jim Houlette March 20, 2012

EVstudio recently met with Pinnacle Construction where they introduced us to Carbon-Fiber and Kevlar Grids used to repair foundation walls. Carbon-fiber has recently been introduced into the construction industry due to its very high tensile strength, lightweight and workability. Sections of the grid can be [...]

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Types and Design of Wood Trusses

by Jim Houlette March 6, 2012

Here are some great resources about the different types of wood trusses and how they are designed. If you have any questions about roof or floor trusses please let us know. Alpine Engineered Products – Builder’s Guide SBCA – Structural Building Components Association – Truss [...]

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EVstudio to Present at Shallow Foundation Design, Construction and Repair Seminar

by Jim Houlette February 26, 2012

EVstudio has been asked to present once again by HalfMoon. This seminar will be about shallow foundations. Shallow foundation systems include foundation walls supported by Footings, wall on-grade, and slab-on-grade systems such as Mats, Rafts, and Post Tensioned and more. We will discuss the design [...]

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How to Repair Brick Walls that are Separating (Delamination)

by Jim Houlette February 20, 2012

In the last year I’ve been finding an increase in the number of brick wall failures. Most of the walls are in need of repointing due to the age of the dwelling and some are in need of more significant structural repairs. One common repair [...]

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Steel Truss Design for Custom Home

by Jim Houlette February 19, 2012

For a recent custom home in Evergreen the structural engineers at EVstudio designed a custom fabricated steel truss to support the roof structure. In lieu of using a steel beam, an exposed steel truss was desired, for a great architectural feature. The builder Tomskin LLC [...]

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Windtronics Honeywell Wind Turbine

by Jim Houlette February 18, 2012

A couple of us from EVstudio walked down to the Colorado Garden and Home Show Friday afternoon. We were really impressed with many new items and it was great to see so many people we knew. Sounds like everyone there was having a great time [...]

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You Want to Remove a Load Bearing Wall?

by Jim Houlette February 14, 2012

One of the most common phone calls we receive is “We want to remove a wall, we’re not sure if it’s load bearing. Can you help?” We are happy to help! The first thing that is needed is an observation. Our structural engineers can determine [...]

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