Hi I currently work in a city’s building department and I am curious as to why I hardly ever see any one using a brace wall design. I almost always see permit applications with engineering. Is it just easier to get an engineer to do the design or is there too much risk as a designer to use the perceptive provisions in the international residential code for brace walls?
@On the fence I am a Permit Technician/Residential Plan checker. And your right prescriptive.
@David Curtis I am in California (Bay Area) too and I do see it for small projects, but for new single family dwellings I have yet to see a submittal with brace walls.
It seems like it would be cheaper than to have a engineer. You can also use brace walls to design in seismic zones all the way up to D2.
Because this simplified bracing method is much easier for city code officials to understand, and fuck city code officials.
Slightly less dumb answer: Architects are not paid more if they do this work themselves. So if an Engineer is involved anyways, have them do it. They at least know how to fight for their fees. As someone else mentioned it, Architect may go this route if they are doing a really small project like a garage.
Jun 5, 18 6:25 pm ·
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On the fence
That is funny Rusty. Look, if architects knew what minimum code requirements actually were, and then designed to those MINIMUM requirements, code officials would not have a job. Fortunately, cities wised up and realized that in order to protect their residents, a plan review is required. Again, if architects knew better...........
Jun 6, 18 11:37 am ·
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Yoeono
Interesting...
Jun 7, 18 6:56 pm ·
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Brace walls
Maybe.
You mean prescriptive not perceptive, right?
What exactly do you do working in a city's building department? I'm curious.
@David Curtis I am in California (Bay Area) too and I do see it for small projects, but for new single family dwellings I have yet to see a submittal with brace walls.
It seems like it would be cheaper than to have a engineer. You can also use brace walls to design in seismic zones all the way up to D2.
Because this simplified bracing method is much easier for city code officials to understand, and fuck city code officials.
Slightly less dumb answer: Architects are not paid more if they do this work themselves. So if an Engineer is involved anyways, have them do it. They at least know how to fight for their fees. As someone else mentioned it, Architect may go this route if they are doing a really small project like a garage.
That is funny Rusty. Look, if architects knew what minimum code requirements actually were, and then designed to those MINIMUM requirements, code officials would not have a job. Fortunately, cities wised up and realized that in order to protect their residents, a plan review is required. Again, if architects knew better...........
Interesting...
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