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  1. rheim

    .. and yet another thread about engineering fees

    I haven't done a structural design for a condominium since the economy tanked, but was asked for a proposal recently. Can anyone give me a rough idea or a ballpark for design fees per sqft? Location is Pacific Northwest (Seattle), building has 3 stories w/ about 25,000 sqft total. Thanks for...
  2. rheim

    Vibrating wood floor system

    A prospective client has a floor system (2x10" lumber @ 16" o.c., joist span 12 ft) that is vibrating (vertically) frequently and for hours at a time. The source of the vibrations is unknown. He had somebody measuring the frequency, but they couldn't tell what caused the vibrations. While there...
  3. rheim

    Taking the PE and SE

    To the best of my knowledge, with the new SE test format you have to opt to take either the building specific or the bridge specific test. You can not mix however, i.e. if you chose buildings for the gravity test, you also have to chose buildings for the lateral test. The greater problem might...
  4. rheim

    Steel Connections

    I'm looking into buying a design software for steel connections. Can somebody give me an idea of LIMCON vs DESCON, such as performance, handling, pricing? Thanks for your input
  5. rheim

    New engineer feeling like failure

    you should give up the idea of being perfect. I've been in the engineering field (civil and structural) for 30 years, and am still waiting to see a project where everything is perfect from start to finish. It is always a sum of right and wrong decisions. I once read an interview with a stock...
  6. rheim

    E&O Insurance

    strguy11, my current coverage is 100,000 per claim, max 300,000 aggregate per year, with a $5,000 deductible. Premium is $3,000 per year, based on an assumed reveue of $70,000, and the vast majority of the projects done in residential construction. Carrier is Pearl through ASCE.
  7. rheim

    E&O Insurance

    Due to the slow economy I am considering not renewing my E&O insurance. Does anybody know about options to insure specific project, when the builder requires insurance? If so, what would the cost be? Absolute $amount? Percentage of design fee? Percentage of construction cost? Where can I buy...
  8. rheim

    structural fees now and the future

    rowingengineer, I don't like the approach of reducing quality to make up for a reduced fee and therefore try to avoid it whenever I can. Reduced quality leads to either an unsatisfied client, reducing my chances of getting referrals, or to more correction notes from DPD and more phone calls...
  9. rheim

    Fees for steel design

    I am pretty confident about my pricing for wood frame construction, but haven't done steel design for a while, and not in the US market. A potential client wants to cover an existing 30x80 ft concrete slab on grade with a structure similar to a car port, with a height of 15 ft. The structure...
  10. rheim

    Soon to be grad looking for some advice

    In a company I worked for 10 years ago they had an aerospace engineer doing structural engineering. Worked out just fine. He is still with them. They also had a mechanical engineer, didn't work too well. But don't let that discourage you, this guy was a real geek. He had 10 semesters of...
  11. rheim

    Noises in Floor System

    the problem finally is solved. The contractor installed shims between the bottom of the TJI's and the hanger, together with huge amounts of glue, thus restricting any rotation or movement of the TJI relative to the hanger. The noises are gone. Thanks for all your input
  12. rheim

    Temporary Structure

    JAE while this is certainly a valid statement, I did some research about the relation of belly size, grade of arthritis, and air resistance on the way up depending on launch speed. This led me to the conclusion that in all likelihood they will not jump as high as in their hey days. This...
  13. rheim

    Noises in Floor System

    hookie, actually, there are TJIs on both sides of the steel beam, with equal spans, so rotation is not an issue. There is also a load bearing wall on top of the beam, supporting another floor, thus further restricting any rotation.
  14. rheim

    Noises in Floor System

    hookie: no, they did not intsall blockings to fill the hangers. The bottom of the hangers does not touch the steel beam, but the wood does. The system is shown in the Simpson catalog 2009 on page 69 (with lumber joists, where we used TJIs). We used LBV hangers Mike: sounds logical to me, we...
  15. rheim

    Noises in Floor System

    2nd Mike's statement about shiners. rowingengineer: a TJI is a member looking like an I-beam, but made of recycled/engineered wood The noises definitely occur at the connection between the TJIs and the steel beam, and they occur when somebody walks on the floor adjacent to the steel beam. The...
  16. rheim

    Noises in Floor System

    At one of the residential homes I designed, TJI floor joists were installed with top flange hangers welded to a steel beam (no nailer used). All components are in accordance with the manufacturers recommendations, but we still have nasty noises, like metal on metal (it is not because of...
  17. rheim

    Temporary Structure

    an engineering firm from Germany designed provisions to support a stage for pop concerts. They asked me to help with transforming the design to US standards, as the band will tour the United States. Do these temporary structures also need to be stamped and approved in each state, or is there...
  18. rheim

    P.E. licensure

    jdharia1, here is how it worked for me: when I came to the US from Germany in 2004, I applied to sit for the PE exam, but ABET did not accredit my degree (it equals a MS)in full, because I had substituted transportation, fluid mechanics, and hydrology for steel and wood design. ABET reasoned...
  19. rheim

    Questions on Contract Work

    Clansman...rule of thumb is that you have to make about 40% more than an employee to be even moneywise. This makes up for not getting benefits, paid vacation, sick leave, etc. If the company allows you top use its infrastructure, i.e. they cover printing costs, code books, reference books, or...
  20. rheim

    Wind not perpendicular to building projection

    sdz, UcfSE, thanks for your input. Makes perfect sense to me. Mike, this is exactly wht I did in the past, all Building Departments have accepted it so far. I just felt it might be very conservative. (I am currently working on a residence with large open spaces and few short shear panels, so I...

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