Browse Forums Owner Builder Forum 1 Sep 16, 2019 12:28 am I am starting my reno and extension of an old run down house. However, this house pre-dates council records for buildings, and modifications by the different owners through the decades are not detailed anywhere. I wonder how does the design engineer and also the council deal with existing UNDOCUMENTED structure, when new extension plans are presented. I'm thinking existing slabs, existing footings, bracing, and with the council, I'm thinking no pest cert for under existing slab, no plumbing sign off. I am getting various opiniions, some recommending: 1) do all repairs/re-bracing/footing underpinning/ etc, before bringing in engineer on new extension, Can someone give me their opinion and relevent experience of the above. Re: hiring an engineer - doing struct. fixes on existing hou 2Sep 16, 2019 9:08 am Welcome to the forum spv I am starting my reno and extension of an old run down house. However, this house pre-dates council records for buildings, and modifications by the different owners through the decades are not detailed anywhere. It depends on the state of the house as to which part of the structure will be, Demolished, Repaired, Replaced,etc Cost is generally the main consideration. Within the new plans to be submitted you will need to differentiate between, Existing (Original Structure) House, Modified House (illegal structure), proposed new Renovation. The Modified House (Illegal structure) will need to be certified by your Engineer as fit for purpose, as it may not meet current Australian Standards. spv I wonder how does the design engineer and also the council deal with existing UNDOCUMENTED structure, when new extension plans are presented. I'm thinking existing slabs, existing footings, bracing, and with the council, I'm thinking no pest cert for under existing slab, no plumbing sign off. The Council Building Surveyors Rely on the Engineers report, details & Certifications for structural matters. You will need to hire other consultants. eg, energy,etc spv I am getting various opiniions, some recommending: 1) do all repairs/re-bracing/footing underpinning/ etc, before bringing in engineer on new extension, How will you know the repair work and underpinning is structural and in who's opinion? Please check with your Council Building Surveyors. If your Old House Is non-compliant then you have 2 options 1.Pull it down and replace it with what is in the NCC and then have a building surveyor Certify it 2.Have an engineer recommend alternate engineered solutions and fixes, this approach may save you money and stress BTW the engineer is the only person qualified and trusted to make that call, Underpinning is not covered in the NCC spv Can someone give me their opinion and relevent experience of the above. Opinions are just that... someones experience, good, bad or otherwise and who's to say it's your situation? You need data, costs and proofs for various methods,details,etc, make sure it's based on your design data. My2c on OB, try to save money where you can and use the latest 3D Bim Design Technology, the more that you can do yourself (DIY), the more you can save 1.Measure your own existing House plan, I use the BOSCH Laser Measuring Tools it has Appsthat will document and dimension the floor plans for you 2.It also allows you to blue tooth the Photos, Dimensions and Data to you Engineer and Consultant 3.Once you have a 3D Model analyse the data, costs and compare it with 3 other trade/build quotes 4.Also, being able to send Photos and data comes in very handy, during the build stage, when owners have queries during their build I will put up BOSCH_3D BIM examples when time permits... Cheers Chris Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Re: hiring an engineer - doing struct. fixes on existing hou 3Sep 17, 2019 5:49 am Thanks Chris, I will have to spend some time going over your reply. Its great to get your opinion and recommendations. What you said about the 3D Bim technology, which one do you recommend for producing real 2D/3D plans for submission to council. I am currently revisiting these apps and assessing alternatives to Revit, as I found it difficult to learn on a casual basis. Re: hiring an engineer - doing struct. fixes on existing hou 4Sep 17, 2019 7:33 am Hi spv IMO, For a one off project it's not worth renting, buying and most are difficult to learn. Find someone who can do your whole project Design, Engineering,construction quants & Data they can give you access to the model via an app viewer and guide you. The secret is to know what is a fair price here 1. Designers use BIM for basic design ( sucker colour Elevations, read on), no Bim engineering and charge 10-15% of the contract 2. Builders do the same and charge 3-5% of the contract. builders don't provide clients with data, nor disclose costs and hold copyright 3. Most Engineers don't use 3D BIM the cost for 2D Engineering is 1% of the contract so there's a disconnect There are a few Designer Engineers ( who are flat out ) that do the complete AEC BIM stuff don't pay more than 2-3% as the AEC BIM process is now automated and linked to industry data Start with an app or sketchup yourself export file ->, pick a revit or vectorworks user-> I personally would avoid archicad as the modelling Kernel and scripting language is antiquated. Just remember if things have to be redone manually it costs more money, so the more you get right with the initial sketch the better. Finally don't get me wrong, I started with coloured 3D elevations 20+ years ago, then moved to engineering BIM where I've realised coloured elevations aren't that important, when your project is non complaint, falling apart and costly to re-engineer a fix. eg Opal Towers So its important to get the engineering right in the first instance, i also use engineering 3D Bim to train trades on site, suits OBs, run simulations, etc,etc It has many more advantages as well hth Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Re: hiring an engineer - doing struct. fixes on existing hou 5Sep 18, 2019 11:06 pm As a matter of getting a visual for my own purposes, I've drawn the floor and walls using an educational version of Revit, but I had to stop when coming to the roof, as I would need to study up a little to attempt the roof. I've read reviews of sketchup for BIM and it seems to me that there are a lot of 3Rd party add ons required. Some reviewers say, with sketchup, it is not possible to produce a full set of traditional 2D and 3D plans for submission. Whats your opinion, Chris? Re: hiring an engineer - doing struct. fixes on existing hou 6Sep 19, 2019 7:26 am As you have pointed out correctly, all Bim software has strengths and weaknesses, if you are not a data base/family person try vectorworks as you can do almost anything straight out of the box, at half the price, no 3rd party add ons required, blah,blah,blah Don't get too hung up and delayed by 3D coloured visuals, focus on the DATA, Costs (Build), Optimised Solutions and Proofs. Just remember the software is unable to Certify your design/engineering, nor can it physically build your project, you'll need real Tools and skills for that. If you have questions on individual Bim software ask on their respective forums. Please upload your model and data when you pass the coloured rendering stage goodluck Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Re: hiring an engineer - doing struct. fixes on existing hou 7Sep 20, 2019 1:25 am thanks for the tip Vectorworks looks really good, atleast in final renderings....but probably too pricey for me. I guess I was hoping to get an application with BIM capabilities that I could model everything from the footings, piers to rafters and purlins then produce plans. I think this would be a lot of work (drawing rafters, birdsmouths, underpurlins, brick piers etc.) But applications like vectorworks are over $2000, I might have to try a free alternative. Re: hiring an engineer - doing struct. fixes on existing hou 8Sep 20, 2019 9:16 am Just remember what's Free "may not have value" on the opposite side of the coin what's expensive "may be a rip off" you judge. IMO, Hence the need to evaluate data and proofs. hth Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs 3 6412 The engineering is the engineering. It's irrelevant how much material you have. Unless it fits the requirements of your design the engineer can't "make"it work. You might… 7 9693 The DIY project can be broken into two major steps. Planning and Design and Construction. Both of these steps are as important as one another to ensure you give… 0 5175 |