Building Renovations On A Shoreline
It’s my dream to have a peaceful spot near water to rest my feet. The New Hampshire landscape offers opportunities not found elsewhere in the world for this dream. Our… Read More »
Articles by Nancy Nichols, P.E.
Adaptive Foundation Design
This project is referred to as The Needles (after the original hunting lodge owner, I think). When I first inspected under the building’s crawl space (tight squeeze), I had to… Read More »
New Hampshire Soil
The soil in NH at depth underneath loam (i.e. where it matters for supporting structures) is largely the result of ancient glaciers. The colloquial term for most glacial till is… Read More »
New Hampshire – “the Granite State”
New Hampshire is called “the granite state,” but there is actually very little granite. Most of the rock in NH is metamorphic, not igneous like granite. It would be better… Read More »
When the Seas Roll – Another Team Fun Day Adventure
We had been planning for months for another Fun Day adventure – to be aboard the Challenger for a narrated tour by the Isle of Shoals Steamship Company, to enjoy… Read More »
Repair of Antique Hip Roof
Antique hip roofs tend to have a short sagging ridge. They get flatter over time. The attic insulation, if present, has a low R-value. There are frequently broken rafters. How… Read More »
Foundation Repairs
Your building has cracked foundation walls. Is the foundation settling? Are the cracks structurally significant? What’s the problem, what’s the repair, and how much will it cost? Who can do… Read More »
Raze or Renovate
“Should we raze or renovate?” is a question we hear often. Restated- is it more economically feasible to raze and rebuild, or to renovate and improve? The answer also depends… Read More »
Rooftop Patio Leak
This rooftop patio had been leaking for years. It had a concrete deck surfaced with DEX-O-TEX, which was a textured “rubber” membrane type product. The DEX-O-TEX and miscellaneous patches were… Read More »
Unbalanced Loads in a Building on a Slope
When a house is constructed with a full basement wall on one side and walkout on the other, there is very large unbalanced lateral force induced by the upslope soil… Read More »