I now understand what one Planning Board member said when we were approved for our renovation plan. At the time, I took the “Good Luck” as a positive seem. Looking back maybe it was an omen! There are lessons learned in every project. In a past segment, we discussed the preliminary factors that can… Read More »
When looking at renovations, we often get lost in the more exciting design process and the “what could be” result. The journey to the end goal, however, is often rough and very rarely goes as smooth as you might expect. When designing on paper, it is nearly impossible to catch what is hidden behind the… Read More »
You may have heard horror stories or know of someone who had a bad experience during a home remodel or upgrade. While it is a reality that life will not be “routine” by any stretch of the imagination, there are some proactive steps that can be instrumental in making the experience less eventful or perhaps… Read More »
Recently we’ve used laser-scanning technology for many applications, including the investigation of this church. The church called us to investigate their steeple, suspecting it was leaning. We tapped Process 3-D Scanning and Surveying, who set up their laser scan in about a dozen locations around the building. (The scan is so high resolution that it… Read More »
When describing a railing system, words often get thrown around that are very generic and often confused with one another. Two we often hear about are guardrails vs handrails. What are the two and what is the difference? The International Building Code (IBC) and the International Residential Code (IRC) have definitions for “guards” and “handrails”,… Read More »
Before you can consider that extra room in the basement as a legal bedroom, several requirements of the 2015 International Residential Code and NFPA 101 need to be met. Start by considering the following questions: Is my ceiling at least 7 feet tall? Does the room have adequate insulation in the walls? Is there sufficient… Read More »
Pre-engineered metal buildings have been built for decades and are growing in popularity. “Pre” engineered is a bit of a misnomer – our experience these days is that the buildings are engineered as part of a typical design process, and just designed by someone other than the structural engineer of record. The manufacturers of the… Read More »
So many great things came out of 2020. One of the many is that our long-time friends at 101-103 School Street Condominium in Concord said yes to proceeding with needed structural improvements to this “multi-level” garage. For many years, the cars on the upper level would drip salt and sand through the old wooden floor… Read More »
Around here, most residential garages, whether attached to the house or detached, include a concrete slab-on-grade. Concrete slabs-on-grade are strong, durable, and easy to maintain. To provide more usable square footage, garage floors are sometimes built elevated – we’ve designed a few ourselves using framing systems like cold-formed steel joists, pre-stressed concrete plank, and structural… Read More »
Take a look at this metal deck and open web steel joist floor structure. As you can see, the metal deck and the open web steel joists are severely corroded. If you zoom in, you might be able to see where the steel is starting to flake and can easily be pulled apart with bare hands.… Read More »
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