Structural Engineer Says I should Completely Replace. Thoughts??
Hello Fellow BP'ers,
I currently have a 9 unit property under contract. One of the units is a 40' x 60' shop with a studio. Upon inspection, we discovered that the trusses were not plum. I talked to a structural engineer and he recommended removal of the roof and sheathing, correct or replace the trusses, and re-roof. A framer friend of mine stated that he thought the shop was built this way and this is not due to a high load, and he thought I could get away with some bracing, but again, he isn't an engineer. I am having trouble finding roofing companies to bid the truss work, as this is something most roofing companies wont do. My request is two fold. Does anyone know any General Contractors in the Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater, Yelm, Tacoma area that would be able to bid this work? And two, based on the pictures provided, are there any qualified folks that would be willing to share their opinion on what they see?
Thanks All!!
Key words: Thurston County, Lewis County, Pierce County, Mason County, grays harbor county, contractor, GC, Tenino, Washington State, Seattle
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Major undertaking to do what the engineer is suggesting. What did the inspector say? A lot of construction goes on around here rain or shine and suff gets bowed. Looking at the pictures I did not see anything that looked like a liability. Was it permitted? If it were me I would use it as a bargaining tool with the seller, other than that if it was permitted I'd forget it-you did ask for thoughts.
Hi @Bjorn Ahlblad, Thanks for your input. The inspector said he didn't know what to make of it and suggested I reach out to the engineer. The shop was built in the 80's I believe and the current owner doesn't have very good records of much of anything. That is likely what we will be looking to do. Hoping to get $20K knocked off currently negotiated price.
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@Jake DeAtley My son was just here-he is a union carpenter and knows stuff. He suggests looking at the foundation to see if that has shifted, and he added that bracing would fix it regardless.
20K is a good number and you should be able to back that up-who is going to argue with a structural engineering report? All the best!
Put a level in the middle of the gable end walls. If they're close to being plumb then the trusses were installed that way. If the gables are tilted the same direction as the common field trusses then the whole roof shifted.....
Originally posted by @Jake DeAtley:Hello Fellow BP'ers,
I currently have a 9 unit property under contract. One of the units is a 40' x 60' shop with a studio. Upon inspection, we discovered that the trusses were not plum. I talked to a structural engineer and he recommended removal of the roof and sheathing, correct or replace the trusses, and re-roof. A framer friend of mine stated that he thought the shop was built this way and this is not due to a high load, and he thought I could get away with some bracing, but again, he isn't an engineer. I am having trouble finding roofing companies to bid the truss work, as this is something most roofing companies wont do. My request is two fold. Does anyone know any General Contractors in the Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater, Yelm, Tacoma area that would be able to bid this work? And two, based on the pictures provided, are there any qualified folks that would be willing to share their opinion on what they see?
Thanks All!!Key words: Thurston County, Lewis County, Pierce County, Mason County, grays harbor county, contractor, GC, Tenino, Washington State, Seattle
Since you had a structural engineer look it over and give you instructions, when there is a problem in the future and the insurance company or the judge asks you if you had anybody inspect it, and you say "yes" they will then ask what you were instructed to do. Are you willing to bet you would win that court case if you do something different? You my friend are in the Socialist State of Washington. Do not underestimate the risks that brings with it.
Thank you everyone for your input! We had an engineer come out and help us devise a more cost effective method of bracing the roof without having to completely tear off and replace! Things are looking promising for closing. Again, thanks everyone for your suggestions.