Foundation Remodel with Steel Post? You may need a Soils Report!

Q. We are working on a residential remodel in Virginia.  Our structural engineer recommended adding a steel post in the basement under a steel beam.  We drilled down to 6 or 7' and the soil is soft.  The engineer is now recommending that we consult a geotechnical engineer before proceeding with more drilling.

A. You need to hire a Soils Engineer to take a soil sample at the location where you are drilling.  This sample will be analyzed in a lab.  The hole may need to be widened to generate more friction to support the beam.  The Structural Engineer will determine how deep and wide the hole must be based on the Soils Report.

Your local Geotechnical Firm can probably recommended a good Soils Engineer who will take residential projects.  Many larger firms don't deal with homeowners but they maintain a list of quality professionals for referrals. Some Civil Engineers can also provide this service.

City of Alameda Soft Story Ordinance - Apartment Owners - Act Now and Save!

On Friday, August 14th, Greg McFann, Alameda City Building Official, said owners of soft-story properties have 18 months to have the Structural Engineer Reports completed.  McFann’s office will send notices to owners of the largest apartment buildings first and will begin sending notices in 30-45 days. The owners of 300 apartment buildings in Alameda will be notified.

Soft-story property owners will be given the option to appeal their designation as Soft-Story property—cost of the appeal is yet to be determined.

Alameda City defines Soft-Story as:

A multi-story building whereby one of more floors have windows, wide doors, large unobstructed commercial parking spaces, or other openings in places where a shear wall would normally be required for stability as a matter of earthquake engineering design. A typical soft story building is a several-story apartment building located over a parking garage or series of retail businesses.

While prescribed retrofits from the engineers are not currently mandated, McFann said an ordinance to mandate the retrofits is in the works. Owners who choose to retrofit properties within the first 18 months after the original notice, will have all permit fees waived.

If an earthquake were to hit, the damages could be substantially more expensive than the cost to retrofit your property.

I’m an apartment real estate agent in Alameda County whose goal is to preserve and promote the wealth of my real estate clients. The Soft-story Retrofit ordinance calls for mandatory evaluations and in some cases retrofits, acting fast can keep money in your pocket.


Please contact the author for more information.
Soft Story Update submitted by:
Jenny Doyle
Apartment Sales Agent
Marcus & Millichap
(415) 963-3000

Are Contour Lines Needed on my Berkely Residential Plot Plan?

The City of Berkeley's Building Permit Detailed Checklist states that contours must be shown on Plot Plans.



Gross Elevation Contours of large areas are available by county and vary in quality. They are probably not granular enough for a residential project. If detailed site contours must be shown on your plan we advise you to consult a Licensed Land Surveyor.

In the case of smaller projects, contour lines may be overkill. Arrows indicating direction of drainage flow may be sufficient to satisfy this specification and can be drawn on your site plan by an architectural drafter.

Check with the local building deparment inspector to determine your project's special requirements. Municipal building checklists are generic and may not apply to your situation.

Soft Story in Alameda, CA

More on Soft Story - Workshop Opens Doors for Soft-Story Ordinance

http://www.alamedasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4606&Itemid=10

Soft Story Retrofit - Why do I need an As-Built?

If you decide to proceed with a Soft Story Retrofit on your building, it may surprise you to learn that Structural Engineers will request to review existing architectural plans (As-Builts) before they give you a proposal. If you don't have current, up-to-date plans of your building, it's best to get a professional as-built survey of the property made. Your Structural Engineer can usually refer you to a good As-Built team.


Your engineer may also want to coordinate with the field architectural technicians to insure that the plans include all the information needed for structural design. There is no point in paying for as-builts that don't include areas that must be renovated or checked.

Your structural engineer can then confidently base his reports, designs, detailing and calcs on the accurate plans.

ClearLogicGroup provides As-Builts for Soft Story projects. Contact us if you have any questions about As-Builts for Soft Story or would like a free estimate.

Loma Form

If you want to have your property removed from an area designated as at risk for flood (Special Flood Hazard Area), a LOMA form can be submitted to FEMA. A Loma Form must always be signed by a registered Engineer or licensed Land Surveyor.

We recently had an inquiry from a homeowner whose residence was located near a small lake. His insurance company told him that the danger of flood was non-existent. Even in this case, a licensed professional still has to visit the site and field verify the insurance company's statement.


Loma Form

http://www.fema.gov/library/viewRecord.do?id=2328
Clear Guidelines

http://www.michigansurveying.com/loma.php

Remodeling? Get Smart! Get a Plan Check List from Your Building Department

Starting a remodel project?

We recommend that you arm yourself with a Plan Check List from your city building department before you begin hiring drafters, designers, engineers and architects.

Since requirements can vary widely in different communities, professionals bidding on your project may not know which plans and services are mandatory. If you lack information, some of them may charge for services they are not qualified to perform or that are unnecessary.

A little research up front can save you time and money. You will know who to hire and what plans & documents you will need to submit for permitting.

Here is a typical TI Improvement Check List from a city in Orange County, CA. It specifies the type of plans to include in your permit plan set submittal + information that must be shown on each plan. Send a Plan Check List to each design professional who you invite to bid on your project.

I need to locate points on my property to establish the boundary

We had an inquiry last week from someone who needed to locate two points at the back of their property for a construction project. Since there were no existing boundary markers, we recommended that they hire a surveyor.

A good surveyor can provide several options for this type of a survey. Here are some suggestions from the surveyor that we work with:

Construction Survey: This is an inexpensive survey and may be sufficient for a small project. Property points are marked with temporary wooden stakes. If there is any doubt regarding the boundary, the stakes can be set back a few inches. This type of survey cannot protect you in the event of a lawsuit. The stakes will probably disappear over time, as they can be easily pulled out. They are estimated to last approx. two years.

Construction Survey & Letter: Along with locating your points, a surveyor can provide you with a signed, sealed letter for the city building department. This slightly more expensive option gives you clout with the building department but it will not protect you in a legal dispute.

Registered Survey: Steel Bollards are used to locate your boundary points. A survey map of your property is drawn up in AutoCAD. It is stamped and signed by your licensed surveyor and filed with the county. A registered survey can protect you in a legal dispute.

Disclaimer: This content is written by a layman for laymen. All information here should be verified by your licensed professional. We are providing general guidelines for the consumer.

Livermore, CA - Planning an Addition to my Residential Property – Do I need to consult a licensed professional?

If your home is located in Livermore, CA and was built after 1986 and is light frame, conventional construction then it was probably engineered. If so, you may be able to design a minor addition yourself and/or with the assitance of skilled unlicensed professionals.

However, if your building was built before 1986, the services of a licensed professional Architect or Engineer will probably be required.

The building department may recommend that an Architect (licensed) visually inspect your property to determine if their services will be needed. The building department does not perform inspections.

The building dept. can tell you, based on the address of your property, exactly what they require. Don’t waste time, planning your project without discussing it with them first.

For Livermore Building Department information call: 925.960.4431 and leave a voice mail inquiry. The Livermore building dept. will get back to you with a detailed answer regarding your question and will work with you, over the phone, to resolve any questions you have. We highly recommend their services.

On-Line Check:
Ci.livermore,ca.us – for submittal requirements and examples.

How to Locate Your Property Line for Fence Construction in Phoenix AZ

The first step in finding out about your property line is to locate your parcel map. We checked the Maricopa County Assessor's Web Site.

Maricopa Assessor's GIS Data

You will need your parcel number. We could not pull up a parcel map on this site with only the address of the property in question. The site will also prompt you to install an AUTODESK MAPGUIDE ACTIVE X CONTROL in order to view maps online. We were able to install the control quickly with no glitches.

Contact the Maricopa County Assessor's Office if you do not have your parcel number. You can enter this number into the form on their site to access your map.

If your parcel map indicates that your fence will be close to the property line, it is best to hire a surveyor to map out the actual boundary accurately.

The GIS dept of the assessor’s office told us the following:

"We cannot provide advice on locating fences on a property, but can suggest that you contact the City of Phoenix, who should have information regarding setback limits and building regulations. The Assessor's maps are not survey accurate and should just be used as a reference in locating your property. You can hire a surveyor to get an accurate representation of your property and/or contact a fence company to see if they are aware of any regulations that may need to be adhered to."

For more information on fence construction rules and regulations: Call the Maricopa County Assessor’s office at 602-506-3406.