Hello everyone,
Since we bought a house, I have been reading a lot in this forum. Now I have reached a point where the search function no longer helps me, so I am actively asking my question.
Some background info: we are renovating our house completely and managing the contracts ourselves.
We want to remove an almost entire wall and have therefore hired a structural engineer to provide the necessary calculations for support. We provided detailed plans and clearly communicated our requirements. So far, so good. We received the report and privately ordered the steel beam accordingly.
When we were on site with our mason, it turned out that the beam was too short.
After carefully reviewing the report, it became clear that the dimensions used in it referred to the first floor instead of the ground floor. We confronted the structural engineer about this, and according to him, this is normal. This structural calculation is only a rough guideline, and the exact length of the beam must be checked on site during construction. A deviation of 40cm (16 inches) to 50cm (20 inches) is considered normal. The contractor responsible must verify this, and he finds it hard to understand how we, as private individuals, could order the beam ourselves. The fact that the dimensions match those of the first floor is just a coincidence. Furthermore, the calculations include positions where the beam’s own weight is taken into account. In my opinion, the whole calculation becomes invalid if the length is changed.
Finally, his opinion was that we can ask any architect we want, a report is just a guideline, and the contractor must order the beam with the appropriate length.
For me, this is a calculation error. The structural engineer is stubborn and sticks to his position. Before I take any further steps, I wanted to first consult the collective knowledge here.
Thank you and best regards
Since we bought a house, I have been reading a lot in this forum. Now I have reached a point where the search function no longer helps me, so I am actively asking my question.
Some background info: we are renovating our house completely and managing the contracts ourselves.
We want to remove an almost entire wall and have therefore hired a structural engineer to provide the necessary calculations for support. We provided detailed plans and clearly communicated our requirements. So far, so good. We received the report and privately ordered the steel beam accordingly.
When we were on site with our mason, it turned out that the beam was too short.
After carefully reviewing the report, it became clear that the dimensions used in it referred to the first floor instead of the ground floor. We confronted the structural engineer about this, and according to him, this is normal. This structural calculation is only a rough guideline, and the exact length of the beam must be checked on site during construction. A deviation of 40cm (16 inches) to 50cm (20 inches) is considered normal. The contractor responsible must verify this, and he finds it hard to understand how we, as private individuals, could order the beam ourselves. The fact that the dimensions match those of the first floor is just a coincidence. Furthermore, the calculations include positions where the beam’s own weight is taken into account. In my opinion, the whole calculation becomes invalid if the length is changed.
Finally, his opinion was that we can ask any architect we want, a report is just a guideline, and the contractor must order the beam with the appropriate length.
For me, this is a calculation error. The structural engineer is stubborn and sticks to his position. Before I take any further steps, I wanted to first consult the collective knowledge here.
Thank you and best regards
T
TwiggyG8517 Jun 2019 18:08Yes, it’s best to just check it off and clear your mind. There are far more important issues to get upset about when managing a self-build project. ^^
H
HilfeHilfe17 Jun 2019 19:58Yes, and measure yourself more often.
How long should the beam be? When it's 4 meters (13 feet), 50 centimeters (20 inches) don't matter much, but with a length of one meter (3 feet), they do.
The structural engineer’s attitude is poor; that’s not how you treat a client.
However, a structural calculation is not the same as a building design. If that was communicated to you incorrectly, it is very frustrating.
The structural calculation tells you that you need an HEB 200 beam and that it must be supported on the masonry by at least 30 centimeters (12 inches). The exact length must be determined with a site measurement.
The structural engineer’s attitude is poor; that’s not how you treat a client.
However, a structural calculation is not the same as a building design. If that was communicated to you incorrectly, it is very frustrating.
The structural calculation tells you that you need an HEB 200 beam and that it must be supported on the masonry by at least 30 centimeters (12 inches). The exact length must be determined with a site measurement.
T
TwiggyG8518 Jun 2019 06:30Lumpi_LE schrieb:
How long is the beam supposed to be? A 50cm (20 inches) difference doesn’t matter over 4 meters (13 feet), but it does if it’s only one meter (3 feet).
The structural engineer’s attitude is poor; that’s not how you treat a client.
However, a structural calculation is not the same as a building design—if that was communicated to you incorrectly, it’s very unfortunate.
The structural calculation tells you that you need an HEB 200 beam and that it must be supported on at least 30cm (12 inches) of the masonry. The exact length has to be determined by a site measurement. Thank you very much, that’s roughly what I needed =)
The fundamental question is where you got the length of the steel beam you ordered.
From the structural calculation?
Because the dimensions given in structural calculations do not directly correspond to the beam lengths.
Example:
Opening dimension: 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in), bearing length of the steel beam on the masonry on both sides 30 cm (12 inches) each
Structural dimension in the calculation: 0.30/3 + 2.01 + 0.30/3 = 2.21 m (7 ft 3 in)
Beam length to be ordered: 0.30 + 2.01 + 0.30 = 2.61 m (8 ft 7 in) (difference of 0.40 m / 16 inches)
Besides that, it is generally standard practice during renovations to carry out an on-site inspection to take measurements and identify any deviations from the planning documents.
From the structural calculation?
Because the dimensions given in structural calculations do not directly correspond to the beam lengths.
Example:
Opening dimension: 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in), bearing length of the steel beam on the masonry on both sides 30 cm (12 inches) each
Structural dimension in the calculation: 0.30/3 + 2.01 + 0.30/3 = 2.21 m (7 ft 3 in)
Beam length to be ordered: 0.30 + 2.01 + 0.30 = 2.61 m (8 ft 7 in) (difference of 0.40 m / 16 inches)
Besides that, it is generally standard practice during renovations to carry out an on-site inspection to take measurements and identify any deviations from the planning documents.
guckuck2 schrieb:
Record that as a credit for the saved construction management.That is a clear hint.
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