Structural Enginer Advice on Size of RSJ

System

The_Shadow wrote: »

Let me know if you want some free information on sizing drains and sewers without professional liability, using the free information given would be your choice as is my request for sizing a standard RSJ on a single storey garage.

I wouldn't take critical information on drainage and sewers from someone on an internet forum with no confirmation of your suitability to give out that information and no back up when it's discovered that the spec is incorrect - Likewise I wouldn't take information on a structural support for an existing building from anyone that I couldn't go back to when my garage falls on someone and I'm being sued for it.
But I guess I'm just a bit risk adverse when it comes to altering existing buildings.
I would be very surprised if you could get any engineer to design something like this without them seeing the building to confirm all the loading and bracing requirements especially with a 5m opening into existing brick walls

bouncydog1

Where we live, we have to have the structural engineer sign off on the calculations that go with the planning app. We've just done some alterations internally, removing a load bearing wall for which planning permission was required. The structural engineer was fantastic and offered some great solutions we hadn't even thought of making the whole process very straightforward. There is also the question of the roof coming down and a potential insurance claim if you've done the work without proper advice. You may have issues in them paying!

The_Shadow

the_r_sole wrote: »

I wouldn't take critical information on drainage and sewers from someone on an internet forum with no confirmation of your suitability to give out that information and no back up when it's discovered that the spec is incorrect - Likewise I wouldn't take information on a structural support for an existing building from anyone that I couldn't go back to when my garage falls on someone and I'm being sued for it.
But I guess I'm just a bit risk adverse when it comes to altering existing buildings.
I would be very surprised if you could get any engineer to design something like this without them seeing the building to confirm all the loading and bracing requirements especially with a 5m opening into existing brick walls

Excuse me, i am a chartered engineer your corresponding with. I would give free information and may be advise on a particular pipe size, flow rate and gradient if some body was stuck. I would not enter into a full design and specification.
Your reading to much into it, its a bog standard calculation i am loking for. Its a 2 minute job for a Engineer to input standard roof loadings on a spread sheet over a 4.8m span, what ever prints out will be over designed.

System

The_Shadow wrote: »

Excuse me, i am a chartered engineer your corresponding with. I would give free information and may be advise on a particular pipe size, flow rate and gradient if some body was stuck. I would not enter into a full design and specification.
Your reading to much into it, its a bog standard calculation i am loking for. Its a 2 minute job for a Engineer to input standard roof loadings on a spread sheet over a 4.8m span, what ever prints out will be over designed.

If it's such a simple calculation surely someone as clever as yourself can work it out.
The structure of existing buildings isn't always suitable to change openings and remove piers, you need to consider the structure as a whole and not as a new build where you can easily predict the loadings - but knock yourself out...

The_Shadow

the_r_sole wrote: »

If it's such a simple calculation surely someone as clever as yourself can work it out.
The structure of existing buildings isn't always suitable to change openings and remove piers, you need to consider the structure as a whole and not as a new build where you can easily predict the loadings - but knock yourself out...

You are quite correct i am very clever in my own discipline , I
have calculated the size of the RSJ it would be nice to have a second opinion on the calcualted size i have come up with. You are over complicating the issue, its a detached single storey garage not a complicated steel framed building that requires multipal structural calculations. Double garages with single garage doors have been converted on many properties on our estate none have collapsed.


I hope you dont work in the construction industry as nothing would get built.

The_Shadow

bouncydog1 wrote: »

Where we live, we have to have the structural engineer sign off on the calculations that go with the planning app. We've just done some alterations internally, removing a load bearing wall for which planning permission was required. The structural engineer was fantastic and offered some great solutions we hadn't even thought of making the whole process very straightforward. There is also the question of the roof coming down and a potential insurance claim if you've done the work without proper advice. You may have issues in them paying!

Thank you for your informed reply. I will contact control bulding to see what they say. Sometimes they will offer an standard structural oversized beam for which no calculations are required for simple structural work. My structural situation is nothing like you have had to contend with.

System

The_Shadow wrote: »

I hope you dont work in the construction industry as nothing would get built.

Not quite correct there, I know what I know and appoint the appropriate person to use their knowledge when I dont.
That way it gets done right and the end users are completely safe.

If you dont want to pay for an engineer, don't pay for one, but don't expect one to take on design liabilty for free because it's a "simple" calculation!

Doozergirl

The_Shadow wrote: »

I hope you dont work in the construction industry as nothing would get built.

On the contrary, nothing appears to be getting done by asking for people to do things for free. We're still waiting for that.

I'm sure most people would appreciate their building professionals being professional and I'd be happy to employ the very valuable poster you slight.

If I had a client that was happy with me winging it, they wouldn't be my client.

Mrs_Imp

Surely by spreading the load over a smaller area (2 instead of 3 supports) you'd need some information on the remaining supports, and base of the garage.

Our local friendly structural engineer gave us a very rough idea of what we needed (so we could price things up) but said he needed paying for the final work so that we could be covered with his insurance. He spent more than 2 minutes doing his calculations and checking details. He made sure that our building would be safe, and that building control would sign it off. A service definitely worth paying for.

The_Shadow

Mrs_Imp wrote: »

Surely by spreading the load over a smaller area (2 instead of 3 supports) you'd need some information on the remaining supports, and base of the garage.

Our local friendly structural engineer gave us a very rough idea of what we needed (so we could price things up) but said he needed paying for the final work so that we could be covered with his insurance. He spent more than 2 minutes doing his calculations and checking details. He made sure that our building would be safe, and that building control would sign it off. A service definitely worth paying for.

Agreed, a calculation would confirm the load on the 2no existing 250mm brick pillars and also the size of the RSJ


Thanks