CFSEng,
Yes, all those things might be a concern, but, I guess I should have given more details to this particular job. The walls are only 8' high, 8" masonry with 8"x16" concrete tie beam at top, all w/ rebar (this is standard construction here - nobody uses wood studs on first floor). The...
"in order to avoid the use of impact protection" - yes, you hit it right on the head there. That's what they needed to add.
Regarding your last paragraph, it's not me who wants it to be designed better than the existing house. If not for the new law, I would give you the option to design the...
CFSEng,
Your point is well taken and the existing house may indeed blow away, but the Code does not require us to check it, as long as the new addition does not do anything to compromise the existing structure. But we still must make sure the new impact windows and the new roof trusses are...
CFSEng, since the addition is connected internally to the existing main house by open doorways, it becomes part of the total envelope and it will experience the same internal air pressures as the main house. So even though we are putting impact windows on the new addition, the existing house...
Thanks to all for the replies. Yes, it's unfortunate that these little jobs cause such a big fuss. I won't make a big deal out of it, but it's just the tip of the iceberg, so it would be nice to get their thinking straight. I did reach an agreement with the plans examiner to just get this one...
Anyone in Florida who is designing additions or renovations to existing buildings (commercial or residential) may be in for a bit of confusion at the building department.
I'm aware of the new law in Florida that will require all new buildings in the debris impact regions to be "enclosed" per...
