Have you ever noticed that you can determine the era in which a house was built based on the orientation of the garage? Obviously, this is a broad generalization, but the overwhelming trend in garage placement throughout the decades provides a brief glimpse of how our culture has changed. In the 1950’s, a typically house […]
Culture Forcing Design Read More »
One of our favorite contractors sent me an email with some interesting facts from the United States Census Bureau for the year 2007. A new, single family production home built in the western United States takes about 7.3 months to build. A contractor built custom home takes about 10.4 months to build. An owner built
Time it Takes to Build Read More »
You wouldn’t buy a house without an inspection or a car without a test drive would you? It makes sense that before you commit yourself to such an important investment you want to make sure that what you are buying meets your expectations and needs; that it will do what you want it to do.
Feasibility Studies – Look Before You Leap Read More »
At this point, I think it’s fair to say that I’m a proponent of post-tensioned structures. I’ve found that they can be very economical, and there are many things you can only do with post-tensioned concrete. However, there’s one point that I think all structural engineers agree on: while post-tensioning is a great tool to have
Reviewing Elongation Reports Read More »
F Rating, T Rating? What? Fire rated assemblies are complicated enough but it is equally important to make sure that any penetrations of those assemblies are also put together well. First some definitions: F RATING. The time period that the through-penetration firestop system limits the spread of fire through the penetration when tested in accordance with ASTM E
Fire Penetration Rating Terms Read More »
We recently submitted an airplane hangar with office space for permit. The hangar itself is a little less than 12,000 SF and the two story office space is nearly 5,600 SF. The hangar space will accommodate a single Gulfstream G550 or a couple smaller aircraft. The office space has reception, kitchen, restrooms with showers and a couple
EVstudio Designs Aircraft Hangars Read More »
There is a common misconception about the “Maximum” Occupant Load table in the International Building Code. This table list the number of occupants per square foot that you are designing to rather than a true maximum. As an example, the table lists 100 gross sf per occupant in a business occupancy. If you have a
The Maximum Occupant Load in the Building Code – Not a Maximum Read More »
AutoCAD Architecture walls have a justification line and a width. Sometimes snaps will only work on the justification line and not on the linework determined by the width setting. After some aggravation with this, I’ve found the cause and the solution. ACA will not snap to both sides of a wall if layer “0” is
Snap to Both Sides of Walls in AutoCAD Architecture – Layer 0 Read More »
At the height of this most recent economic slowdown, with architectural billings somewhat down at most firms and non-existent at others, I decided to venture out into the world of land development. A risky proposition in any economy, land development is generally described as buying a vacant lot and building a structure on the open
Real Estate Development in a Recession Read More »
Last summer we complete the remodel of the main level of a residence hall for the University of Denver. Before the renovation the main floor was a sparsely populated space. Now the main floor is a hub of activity with students hanging out, studying and meeting with friends. We color coded the elevator lobbies and stair entrances
Residence Hall Lobby Update at University of Denver Read More »
This post is for all of those framers who diligently adhered to a structural framing plan to the letter and wound up with more backout framing than they knew what to do with once the plumber and mechanical contractor had their way with the joists. According to Weyerhauser, the makers of the TJI joist products…
It’s Okay to be a Little Shifty Read More »
When the use of a building changes from one occupancy to another, say a store to a restaurant, you certainly need an architect to help you. The architect deals with exiting, fixture counts, layout issues and provides the stamped plans that you’ll need for the building department. When that change happens in a space that
Change of Use May Require a Structural Engineer Read More »
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