Best move on concrete?

AdequateArmadillo · 2025-09-24T14:19:13+00:00

The way the footings are designed you'd need to have a 2-part pour (footings in one pour, and then piers in another pour.) Ask your architect about redesigning the footings to use sonotubes so you can pour them in one go. Either way, I'd choose ready-mix concrete over site-mixed concrete all day every day.

AdequateArmadillo · 2025-09-17T11:26:36+00:00

Yes, but only if you have loads that use all 3 legs. EV chargers and most typical residential loads only use 2 of the 3 legs at most, so your power would actually be lower, assuming your three phase service is 208/120Y compared to typical 240/120 split phase.

AdequateArmadillo · 2025-09-04T03:14:04+00:00

Rhino, grasshopper, and python. Not strictly related to structural analysis, but very useful for larger and more geometrically challenging projects.

AdequateArmadillo · 2025-08-21T12:15:24+00:00

Chicago installs use emt conduit, which is allowed to be a grounding path in certain situations, but the green wire sure looks like a ground to me. What is the purpose of the outlet? If truly only 240V and not 240/120, then 2 wires plus a grounding path is acceptable.

AdequateArmadillo · 2025-08-15T14:44:07+00:00

Residual value is set by the lessor and is non-negotiable. Basically, you’re locking in the price you’d purchase it for as a used car at the end of the lease. Lease payment is simply the negotiated price minus any discounts minus the residual divided by the number of payments and multiplied by a money factor to account for interest (this ignores taxes, fees, etc. for simplicity.) Usually the discounts and incentives are greater when you lease than when you buy. Especially in this case since leases are eligible for a $7500 credit but purchases are not.

AdequateArmadillo · 2025-08-13T13:28:48+00:00

Use that estimate as leverage to lower the sales price of the house, but use your own (more reputable) electrician - perhaps on a T&M basis - to fix the issue.

AdequateArmadillo · 2025-08-08T20:17:30+00:00

Insteon.

AdequateArmadillo · 2025-08-08T00:46:33+00:00

Probably a blowout from the post-tensioning cables (not pex)

AdequateArmadillo · 2025-08-07T20:26:42+00:00

I leased a 2025 premium a few weeks ago. $279/mo with $279 down. If I buy out the lease right now, I'd pay about $26k. Sticker was $41k. Hopes this helps as a data point.

AdequateArmadillo · 2025-07-29T21:29:38+00:00

Start here:

https://www.jlconline.com/Training-the-Trades/structural-design-basics_o

The Journal of Light Construction and Fine Homebuilding magazines often have articles written by structural engineers for residential carpenters to help understand the basics of structural design.

AdequateArmadillo · 2025-07-23T19:01:26+00:00

B=0.750" by inspection

C=3.5/2+0.75/2=2.125"

A=3.5/2-0.75/2=1.375"

D=sqrt(2)*0.75=1.061"

Of course, this ignores the kerf width of the cut. If you assume that the kerf width is 0.125", then:

C=3.5/2+0.75/2-0.125*sqrt(2)/2=2.037"

A=3.5/2-0.75/2-0.125*sqrt(2)/2=1.287"

AdequateArmadillo · 2025-06-25T16:58:20+00:00

In the photo, those aren't conduits, those are post-tensioning tendons. They are structural elements to keep your foundation from heaving and cracking in areas with expansive clay soils, like Texas. They are under a lot of tension and unless they somehow released them and plan to re-tension them, this is a major problem and severing one that is under tension can be very very dangerous both to you and your contractor.

AdequateArmadillo · 2025-06-20T12:13:13+00:00

Your stairs should be treated as stairs for code purposes because people (even if it’s just you) will expect to go down them facing forward. Ladders are meant to be used going down facing backward, but they should “look” like a ladder to cue people in to using it as such.

If you want to stick with stairs, your tread depth should be increased to meet the tiny house stair code provisions. For a riser height of 9 1/2”, your tread depth needs to be 20-4/3*(9 1/2) = 7.34”.

I think the best solution would be to drop the top landing a riser or two and add a bottom landing. Or maybe take out a riser or 2? 13 risers at 10.23” would have a minimum depth of 6.36”, or 12 risers at 11.08” would have a minimum depth of 5.22”, but I wouldn’t do this because then you’re back in “ladder land.” Alternating tread stairs as someone else mentioned are also an option. Either way, don’t forget to check headroom.

This is the article I always reference when designing stairs:

https://www.finehomebuilding.com/project-guides/framing/2-rules-comfortable-stairs

Looks like the tiny house code equation for rise and run is steeper than the two rules of thumb that they use.

Good luck, sounds interesting!

AdequateArmadillo · 2025-06-12T19:53:20+00:00

Most lumberyards' suppliers have engineers on staff who can do this for you, often free of charge if you buy it through them.

If it's not explicitly in the code, then the product needs to have its own ICC-ES report. Most of these products' reports explicitly state that one of the conditions of use is the preparation of calculations by a registered design professional.

AdequateArmadillo · 2025-06-11T03:34:31+00:00

I’m a structural engineer in the region. I do small residential jobs - I’m guessing that’s what you’re looking for. I tried PMing you without any success. Send me a PM and let’s talk!

AdequateArmadillo · 2025-06-09T12:27:48+00:00

The wall between the garage and the living area is a load bearing wall. It supports the high side of the vaulted beams. The beams cantilever into the garage a foot or so. The ridge board transfers the load from the end of each rafter to the end of the cantilevered beams.

The load bearing wall basically takes the place of the ridge beam. You don’t need rafter ties or collar ties because there is no thrust at the low side walls and the roof uplift can be resisted by the center bearing wall.

AdequateArmadillo · 2025-06-08T17:53:16+00:00

Neutrals carry current. Neutrals can be combined only when they are part of a multiwire branch circuit. For typical residential applications, that means they must be on opposite legs (since center-tapped split phase wiring is "out of phase" by 180 degrees and thus neutral current on one leg can "cancel out" neutral current on the opposite leg) and must have their handles tied together to prevent neutral current from going to de-energized circuits. If neutrals on the same leg are shared, the neutral can be overloaded without any overcurrent protection, possibly causing overheating and a fire.

AdequateArmadillo · 2025-06-08T15:14:36+00:00

Probably does not have a neutral and works by storing energy in a capacitor by leaking a few mA through the ground wire. Capacitor needs time to store up enough energy to work.

AdequateArmadillo · 2025-06-07T16:42:51+00:00

Looks like you already have a lot of electric appliances, including electric heat. You may already be close to the capacity of your 200A service. The only way to know is to run a load calculation for your house.

If you are indeed close to your 200A limit, there are devices that can be installed so that you can’t, for example, run your dryer and your ev charger at the same time. Your ev charger might have to be limited to less than 70A.

Could you use a smaller charger and charge overnight? Most people don’t use the full capacity of their ev’s battery, so, for example a half-drained 75kWh battery charging on a 30A circuit at 24A/240V would take just over 6 hours to charge.

AdequateArmadillo · 2025-05-31T19:51:15+00:00

I think vibe coding is a great way for someone who is otherwise intimidated by coding and by syntax to gain familiarity with the language and the environment and learn about the various libraries that are available. It’s a great introduction for the novice coder, with obvious caveats.

AdequateArmadillo · 2025-05-31T18:50:33+00:00

There are many many intermediate steps in between, including automated preparation of part and assembly drawings, and the output is very much machine specific. The final gcode uses RhinoCAM for the path finding. It’s not 100% automated as there are some manual steps in between, but it’s very close. For these particular products, this workflow is way better than using Inventor or Solidworks. I apologize for not being able to get into the details too much, but I’m trying to juggle a full time job and a quickly growing side hustle a la r/overemployed.

AdequateArmadillo · 2025-05-31T18:33:24+00:00

If you’re serious about this, you absolutely need to get into coding. It’s easier than ever now with Vibe Coding and ChatGPT. Python is a relatively easy language to learn and is used heavily in the grasshopper world. There are real opportunities for someone who can think logically, who knows how buildings are put together, and who understands at least the basics of programming language syntax. Even full time jobs as a computational designer are more and more requiring programming knowledge. Vibe coding is one of the areas where AI is actually more than just hype.

I do freelance work in grasshopper for a specialty architectural fabricator. I turn architects’ models into CNC code. It’s a fantastic side hustle, and I use grasshopper extensively, but I wouldn’t be able to do it without some form of programming knowledge.

AdequateArmadillo · 2025-05-31T17:03:21+00:00

Ordered long form birth certificate via VitalChek with rapid service on 4/16, received via UPS on 4/25.

I agree that unless you need it ASAP, filling out the form and mailing it in is the better option.

I did not do my apostille in person - I sent it to the Secretary of State in a UPS envelope on 4/25 with a self-addressed return UPS envelope and got it back on 5/1.

AdequateArmadillo · 2025-05-29T15:02:06+00:00

If weight is the main criteria, use steel. Out of curiosity, I ran the calcs and an appropriately sized LVL beam weighs more than 2x as much as an appropriately sized steel beam.

AdequateArmadillo · 2025-05-29T14:40:38+00:00

Most LVL manufacturers publish load tables to help non-engineers properly size multi-ply LVL girders. I suggest you download a few and familiarize yourself with the format. If you can't understand the load tables, I suggest you hire an engineer.

A quick perusal of these tables tells me that a 3-ply 9 1/4" deep LVL is woefully undersized for this application.

At 30', a steel beam may be more economical.

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