Property owners often begin a project by asking a simple question: “Can I fit the building I want on this site?” Unfortunately, the answer is often not determined by the building itself. It is determined by parking. Many projects that appear feasible at first glance become impossible—or significantly less profitable—once parking requirements are applied. In …
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When most people think about architecture, they think about design. They picture floor plans, building exteriors, renderings, and finished spaces. While design is certainly part of the process, it is only a small portion of what architects actually do. At its core, architecture is often an exercise in risk management. Every building project involves uncertainty. …
Many property owners assume that renovating an existing building should be simpler than constructing a new one. After all, the building is already there. The foundation exists. The walls are standing. Utilities are connected. It seems logical that modifying an existing structure would require less work than starting from scratch. In practice, existing buildings are …
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One of the most common statements we hear from property owners is: “My project is stuck in plan check.” In reality, projects are rarely delayed because they are physically sitting on someone’s desk. More often, the delay is caused by an unresolved issue that prevents the reviewer from approving the project. Understanding the difference can …
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Ah, the mythical load-bearing wall. The act of touching it wrong will destroy your entire house. Your friends and neighbors will laugh and ridicule you because like dragons and demons you are expected to accept that they exist, and hope you never encounter one. Back to the question. A load-bearing wall is any wall that …
The typical loads are: In structural engineering there are other loads that need to be accounted for by code (per ASCE 7), if they do or could exist: All of these are calculated in different weighted combinations. And then there are special case loads for ice, waves, or explosives.
Well, driveways are made with cheap materials. The difference is how it is built. Typically, you want 3″-4″ of concrete thickness in your driveway. 6″ if large trucks drive on it regularly. If your driveway has rocks larger than a golf ball you’d want to add about the same thickness. But, rocks are okay as …
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Romans use what is called saltwater cement and we use portland cement. Both are the binder for concrete. We can tell by analysis of roman concrete what the composition is but there is debate about the formula used. This is likely because like modern cement there is a large number of combinations and proportions that …
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Firstly, there are different types of both aluminum roofing and shingles. Aluminum shingles – some people like the look, many don’t. They are fairly fragile to impact but otherwise can last 10–15 years. Inexpensive. Aluminum requires precautions when touching other metals. Aluminum sheet or standing seam roofing – very distinctive look. Considered one of the …
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Okay, there are several things at play here. Screws are a mechanical fastener that cuts into the wood and holds because you’d need to either pull the plug of wood out also or pull hard enough for things to sufficiently deform for the screw to slip past. Now, in each case the screw will likely …
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