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
TwiggyG8518 Jun 2019 19:56HWTIGGER schrieb:
[...]
Besides that, it is generally standard practice to conduct an on-site inspection during renovations to take measurements and identify any deviations from the plans. Well, he was satisfied with the construction drawings and handled it remotely. Still, your statement basically confirms everything. As private individuals, we didn’t know any better, and he only did the bare minimum. We weren’t used to that from the other trades, who were involved and close to us at all times.
M
Mottenhausen19 Jun 2019 10:50And then there are construction companies that simply identify a load-bearing wall and decide to just install a steel beam. Which one? They check the datasheet and, if in doubt, choose a thicker one. Ok, that works.
A structural engineer? What a waste of money! I’m not saying this is a good approach, but apparently it can work.
A structural engineer? What a waste of money! I’m not saying this is a good approach, but apparently it can work.