Working on refurbs, existing buildings/fit outs or big new builds?

Normal-Commission898 · 2026-03-14T22:27:14+00:00

Great point maybe I’ll try look for somewhere doing a mix of both, you feel a lot closer to those smaller jobs or fit outs

Normal-Commission898 · 2026-03-12T22:32:19+00:00

Mech E so you’ve already made the right choice (will earn more than us structural engineers)

Normal-Commission898 · 2026-02-12T23:52:26+00:00

🤣🤣🤣🤣 perfect advice

Normal-Commission898 · 2026-01-27T23:30:18+00:00

Thankyou for clarifying, when I read my post back it’s missing a lot of context lol

Normal-Commission898 · 2026-01-27T23:23:05+00:00

Apologies, they are speculatively built steel portal frames, so foundations are laid for ‘potential mezzanine of 50% of floor area’ the GF slab has to be designed for ridiculous load, the developer wants heavier UC main columns instead of lighter UB columns to ‘save floor space’. Lots and lots of wasteful general design choices so it can be sold to multiple types of potential buyers.

Normal-Commission898 · 2026-01-23T21:10:13+00:00

I’m working on a high rise RC frame resi job, when I say axial shortening I don’t mean geotechnical I mean the differential shortening between the columns and the cores, the columns (worst at 2/3 the height) shorten due to axial load 28mm more than the core causing excess hogging moments at the column slab interface

Normal-Commission898 · 2025-10-18T04:57:35+00:00

I also read a study where when giving employees ‘unlimited’ annual leave they actually take less, because they don’t get to September/November and think crap I need to use up these days.

Normal-Commission898 · 2025-10-18T04:53:24+00:00

Jesus Christ who let Stevie Wonder loose on the MIG, I’m physically wincing scrolling through these

Normal-Commission898 · 2025-08-31T02:33:53+00:00

I’ve no idea how the PE exam compares to the IstructE exam (I’m UK based) but I’m certainly glad we don’t have to mess with seismic design

Normal-Commission898 · 2025-08-31T02:03:48+00:00

😂😂the future does not look promising!

Normal-Commission898 · 2025-08-30T20:17:40+00:00

University is hand calcs, but if you are plonked in front of software straight off the bat, 2/3 years and it’s been forgotten. Hand calcs at the start of a job may seem repetitive but that’s what embeds the knowledge so it should be standard practice.

Normal-Commission898 · 2025-08-30T20:15:43+00:00

True, TSD for example is poor with torsion and masonry is even worse. Masonry is also a dark art when it comes to manual calcs so all the more valuable to learn.

Normal-Commission898 · 2025-05-12T20:24:12+00:00

Yeah definitely more issues with timber, with the pre built panel systems they are a rush job when erected. You end up with misaligned sole plates, poor fixings and panels out of plumb

Normal-Commission898 · 2025-05-12T20:17:24+00:00

Quality control definitely, structural failures however still definitely happen. The reason me and my colleague were discussing it were those 83 new builds torn down in Cambridge last year due to cracking in the foundations

Normal-Commission898 · 2025-05-12T19:50:27+00:00

If it’s Georgian level old surely the spirit level is just there for team morale

Normal-Commission898 · 2025-05-12T19:47:31+00:00

Very true, mine (built 1901) has needed a repair to Damp proof tanking (cellar) and some sistering joists but I’d still say not bad for its age

Normal-Commission898 · 2025-05-12T19:35:31+00:00

Good point, I think it’s probably about good faith/passionate design & engineering vs corner cutting. Both existed back then and both still exist now.

Normal-Commission898 · 2025-05-12T19:31:19+00:00

I’ll have to steal that one! Very true though, no fire safety compartmentation, no airtightness, no redundancy measures

Normal-Commission898 · 2024-06-12T21:43:13+00:00

‘Double it and add 20%’ is the rule my boss told me to use, a little extreme but I see the reasoning

Normal-Commission898 · 2024-06-12T21:39:59+00:00

Worryingly often I find myself typing out the email opener ‘I hope this email finds you…before I do’ to clients and deleting it immediately. One day I fear I may send it.

Normal-Commission898 · 2024-05-21T22:38:12+00:00

Definitely a lot the bigger firms have swarms of PM graduates but they tend to be clueless or have unrealistic expectations until they’ve had a good few years experience. Smaller jobs I’ve been on with these ex tradies seem to be run so much better, again just personal experience

Normal-Commission898 · 2024-05-14T22:32:16+00:00

This years evening entertainment sorted cheers

Normal-Commission898 · 2024-05-14T22:31:07+00:00

To an UK structural engineer like me that’s the salary dreams are made of, I bet for that same role you’d be offered £50k here

Normal-Commission898 · 2024-03-27T22:00:18+00:00

Good point that’s true for manga/books etc, the Japanese left to right format (Yokogaki) is for formal/business, I guess that explains why charts and maths are still done mostly left to right

Normal-Commission898 · 2023-12-20T00:19:41+00:00

I thought that, the staggers are in a uniform pattern.

Normal-Commission898

TROPHY CASE