For Homeowners
New to Construction?
Are you planning to build a new home, an addition, or renovate an existing home? Do you have little or perhaps no experience in hiring design professionals and are you completely overwhelmed by the idea of taking on a construction project? Are you perplexed by the number of different design professionals required? Is the idea of undertaking a construction project daunting? If so, you are certainly not alone! Most people have little experience in construction, much less hiring design professionals. Most people will never hire a design professional in their lifetime and have little understanding of the construction industry and what design professionals actually do.
What does a Structural Consultant do?
Most laypeople believe that architects design buildings – but few understand that it is the structural engineering consultants who design structures so that buildings can withstand the forces of nature. These include not just gravity forces, but lateral forces caused by earthquakes and wind. Structural consultants analyze these forces and "size" building components, such as beams, columns, floors, roofs, walls, lateral-force-resisting elements, foundations, and all the connections can safely withstand those forces. As a consultant, we handle the structural technical issues, and when required to present specific technical topics with you, we discuss them with you in plain English - so you’ll have a basic working understanding, without getting ovewhelmed in all the technical jargon. We know high-end residential construction - with single-family homes as large as ten-thousand square feet of living space and construction costs that exceed ten million dollars. However, we also provide services for much more modest-size projects.
Modern Building Codes
Modern building codes are quite voluminous and complicated. In the early eighties, the building code was a document about the size of a small paperback novel. Today, the California Building Code consists of multiple three-inch thick, 8 ½ x 11, loose-leaf, three-ring binders, and incorporate many other lengthy documents by reference. Then there is the Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC), National Electrical Code (NEC), International Mechanical Codes (IMC), and California Green Building Standards Code (CGBSC). There is a plethora of code requirements for today's construction project - selection of the right design professionals becomes critically important. You need to find design professionals that provide quality construction documents and service to maximize the chances that your project goes smoothly during construction.
When Should you Begin Looking for a Contractor?
Often, it is invaluable to bring-in a general contractor early in the initial design stages. We would encourage the owner to begin looking for a general contractor at the project inception stage. In fact, begin interviewing several general contractors such that you can eventually obtain multiple, with a minimum of three, bids on your project. This will (1) lead to more competitive bids and (2) allow you to research each contractor's experience, history, and track-record, (3) obtain references, (4) become personally familiar with the key people who will be constructing your project. Availability and scheduling will often dictate who is a candidate to serve as the general contractor - especially in today's robust construction market where people are very busy. You may find qualified builders - but are they available?
Are you planning to build a new home, an addition, or renovate an existing home? Do you have little or perhaps no experience in hiring design professionals and are you completely overwhelmed by the idea of taking on a construction project? Are you perplexed by the number of different design professionals required? Is the idea of undertaking a construction project daunting? If so, you are certainly not alone! Most people have little experience in construction, much less hiring design professionals. Most people will never hire a design professional in their lifetime and have little understanding of the construction industry and what design professionals actually do.
What does a Structural Consultant do?
Most laypeople believe that architects design buildings – but few understand that it is the structural engineering consultants who design structures so that buildings can withstand the forces of nature. These include not just gravity forces, but lateral forces caused by earthquakes and wind. Structural consultants analyze these forces and "size" building components, such as beams, columns, floors, roofs, walls, lateral-force-resisting elements, foundations, and all the connections can safely withstand those forces. As a consultant, we handle the structural technical issues, and when required to present specific technical topics with you, we discuss them with you in plain English - so you’ll have a basic working understanding, without getting ovewhelmed in all the technical jargon. We know high-end residential construction - with single-family homes as large as ten-thousand square feet of living space and construction costs that exceed ten million dollars. However, we also provide services for much more modest-size projects.
Modern Building Codes
Modern building codes are quite voluminous and complicated. In the early eighties, the building code was a document about the size of a small paperback novel. Today, the California Building Code consists of multiple three-inch thick, 8 ½ x 11, loose-leaf, three-ring binders, and incorporate many other lengthy documents by reference. Then there is the Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC), National Electrical Code (NEC), International Mechanical Codes (IMC), and California Green Building Standards Code (CGBSC). There is a plethora of code requirements for today's construction project - selection of the right design professionals becomes critically important. You need to find design professionals that provide quality construction documents and service to maximize the chances that your project goes smoothly during construction.
When Should you Begin Looking for a Contractor?
Often, it is invaluable to bring-in a general contractor early in the initial design stages. We would encourage the owner to begin looking for a general contractor at the project inception stage. In fact, begin interviewing several general contractors such that you can eventually obtain multiple, with a minimum of three, bids on your project. This will (1) lead to more competitive bids and (2) allow you to research each contractor's experience, history, and track-record, (3) obtain references, (4) become personally familiar with the key people who will be constructing your project. Availability and scheduling will often dictate who is a candidate to serve as the general contractor - especially in today's robust construction market where people are very busy. You may find qualified builders - but are they available?
PCAI can assist you in navigating this time-consuming and exhausting task - to make the project-owner’s experience more steamlined and enjoyable. Of all project-team-participants or stakeholders, it is the owner who ultimately needs to be served and satisfied with their completed project. Give us a call today - we would be happy to discuss your project with you.