All Forum Posts by: Brian Dance

@Mahran Izoli, Structural engineers look at two main things: (1) safety....i.e. are the joist(s) or its connection going to fail, and (2) deflection of the joist(s)...i.e. how much they dip. The joist(s) could be fine from the safety standpoint, but the fire, or time, could cause the joist(s) to deflect past its limits. This does happen over time and is probably not a big deal, but as Anthony mentioned above, it may cause some tenants to pass on your place. Your engineer can likely provide some recommendations on how to decrease (not eliminate) the deflection of the joist(s), by jacking up the original joist(s) as mentioned above and sistering another joist onto 1 or both sides of the existing. 

Hope this helps!

@Mindy Jensen

I'm a licensed structural engineer from Atlanta, GA. I have a few questions about your situation:

1. What is driving the depth of the beam? A 12" deep beam (11-7/8" LVL) for this application would be better, as you typically want about 1/2" of depth for each foot of beam span for a purgola. For a floor or roof beam a good rule of thumb is an inch of beam depth per foot of beam span. 

2. If the lattice you're adding to the top has the possibility of trapping snow, you'll need to account for a snow load. Also wise to think about perhaps if you sell the house, will the new owner add some lattice up there that will trap snow. I doubt you'd be liable if they did that and it failed, but better to not even have to ever worry about it. 

3. I did a quick back of the envelope calc on the beam and with only the weight of the beam itself and an additional 20 pounds per foot (very minimal load), it will deflect over 1". 

4. I like the LVL option more than the aluminum option. And with the alum. option, you'd need to add a nailer plate to attach the cross-beams to, which would increase the depth of the beam. If you REALLY want aluminum, I would go with an alum. box beam. 

5. For a local PE to look at the plans, size the beam properly, and even draw a few connection details (the most important piece) you're probably looking at $500-$800. He can even come look at it after it's built and if it's not done correctly, will have more "power" to get the contractor to redo the work. 

Hope this helps. Happy to answer any other questions.

I'm a structural engineer in Atlanta, GA, and don't know any SEs out in Southern CA personally, but here is a good website that can help you find one. https://seaosc.org/Member-Services-Search

You'll just click on the specialty of structural engineer you need, and it will give you a list of quite a few engineers in your area. You'll find engineers with "Structural Engineer" or "SE" licenses, some with "Professional Engineer" or "PE" licenses and some with both. The SE license is a higher level than a PE license and those with an SE will likely charge you more. It's required for high-rise work, hospitals and schools. For residential work, someone with a PE should be able to help you for a more reasonable fee. 

Hope this helps!

Daniel,

Sorry, thought the home was in Charlotte based on your profile.

For Ohio, their website is even better. 

https://seaoo.org/Looking_for_an_Structural_Engine...

Hope this helps!

Daniel,

Get on the phone and call a structural engineer that specializes in residential work. The engineer will charge you $500 - $1000 to come out and inspect your basement wall and give you their opinion on what needs to happen. They will likely not give you pricing on getting the wall fixed, but at least you'll know if it's an emergency or not. I would do it but I live in Atlanta...

Below is the website for the Structural Engineers Association of North Carolina - Charlotte Chapter. Call or email one of the Board members and they should be able to provide you with a recommendation for a local engineer that can help you. That's your first step.

https://seaofnc.org/content.php?page=Charlotte_Cha...

Great podcast! This was a two-time listen for me. Thanks Arianne!

Can't say Always, and it depends on your location, but TX is known for highly expansive clay soils, which expand dramatically when wetted. So pipe leak = wet soils that were otherwise dry = soil heave = cracked concrete.

A wise pass. I've worked on buildings in Texas as a structural engineer and there are always extra provisions that we must put into place to design against heaving.

The North Georgia REIA is a great organization. They are very active in the North Atlanta Counties.

http://reioutpost.com/

I'm in Cobb County, but am looking to invest in the Woodstock area as well.