STRUCTURAL SERVICES INC.
The Basics
WHAT DO WE DO
A structural engineer is an important member of the construction team. They are responsible for making sure that your home or building is safe in any natural event or bad weather conditions.
This includes:
-
Normal wear and tear
-
High winds
-
Large snow drifts
-
Earthquakes
-
Heavy rain
We also make sure that your structure is built to the local code.
HOW DO WE DO IT
Through a series of different calculations, we first determine the biggest forces that can act on your structure.
For example:
-
How big of an earthquake could there be?
-
How fast can the wind blow here?
-
How much snow falls here?
This tells us how strong your structure needs to be.
Then using a series of spreadsheets and concise drawings, we design your project to be as efficient and simple to build as possible.
WHO DO WE WORK WITH
At J.A.G. Structural Services, we work with three main groups of people; homeowners, architects, and contractors.
It is our goal to make sure that the design and construction process goes as smoothly as possible. For example, we work with Great Buildz. They specialize in finding the best contractors for any project.
THE PROCESS
The process for any construction process, at first, can seem very complicated. We are here to help simplify it and make the process as stress free as possible.
Here is the basic structural engineering process that we follow:
PRE-DESIGN
1. Give us a call to discuss your project.
2. Together we evaluate and discuss the full scope of the project.
3. Depending on the project, we can either visit the job site or you can send us pictures so that we can see the existing conditions.
4. A proposal is created and sent to you to sign. Per California law, no work can start until there is a signed contract.
DESIGN PHASE
5. We put together drawings and calculations. This is a major chunk of the process, we make sure to keep you informed and discuss any questions we may have as we go to make sure we are providing what you want and need.
6. Together we review the drawings to make sure that they all look okay.
7. We deliver the drawings and calculations to the city for their review.
8. The city reviews the drawings and approves them. Sometimes, the city will have questions for us that we will formally respond to before their approval.
CONSTRUCTION ADMINISTRATION
9. Time to start construction.
10. We aid the contractor with the construction process, understanding the intent of the structural drawings and helping with any structural issues that may arise due to unforseen issues.
11. A set of drawings are created that represent the actual structure as it was built at the end of the project.
