Hide, not identify the true need.

I have a client which we have done a few footing inspections on house for. On this one, he actually requires a geotechnical investigation for piles, and he tried to slip it in as a footing inspection. Clients just cause me stress. OH well, shit happens.

Control Freaks - Tyrants

We all see these, occasionally. Pit the poor people who work under them.

Tyrants are impotent without people to prey on.

I am not talking about the over confident, like the typical surgeon. They need to believe that they know it all to overcome the natural human reluctance of cutting into someone. This is all ego built up in the mind. The reflection of there training, the reflection of the overgrown collective egos that are the medical community.  We often work with collective superegos, - municipal governments planning and development departments.

I was asked for stamped and sealed design notes, and this time I declined to provide them. The last time I provided them and the individual started to pick them apart, and it became apparent that he knew less about the subject than I, by far. He was a tyrant, as it turned out.

The other reason to ask for design notes is at the suggestion of a lawyer. The collection of legal information, in preparation for a lawsuit before the work is done, in my opinion is dealing in bad faith. I do not want to work on projects like that.

Another reason is to ask for design notes is to learn the method, so that you can do the work in the future. I am not about to train my clients to do me out of work.

Regardless, providing design notes is leading with your chin. We can make a decision if they insist: Do we want to work for a tyrant, a big ego, a litigious, or a information thief anyway?

hunting with a pencel

In an evolutionary scene, we engineers hunt with a pencil. We consulting engineers are the storehouse of designs, concepts, ideas, computing models, formulas, data, and some theories, and many approximations of the physical world as it was, which we pull off the shelf, add a bit of site specific data, adjust the model, turn the crank three times to the left, flick the accumulator switch, once to the right, put in a bit more data, or take some out, turn the crank a few more times, and come up with an answer (If you are old enough to remember the Curta Calculator).  The final step is to communicate the answer to the client. Before this can happen, we must know what we are hunting for, and where to find it.

We had better know the answer in a general way at least, or what data we will need and where to get it before we take on the project. If it is reclamation, we had better know the cause of the original failure, and how to avoid it, or if we are dealing with time and wear, what the clients current and expectations are.

Traffic loads are increasing, not only in volume, but the governments have and are increasing legal loads. This has a tremendous impact on the cost of roads, at public expense.  These legal loads come onto private property, and pavements must be thicker to support them. The equipment that loads and unloads them is large, more heavy pavements. The building that house them are large, heavier loads. Buildings  in general are large, heavier, and the clients are only looking at dollars in most decisions now.  

It has become a much more difficult struggle to operate a small firm. The specialization has made it difficult to find suitable replacement personnel. Burnout of senior people, myself in particular, is the issue.    

Asphalt Pavements

How do we repair asphalt pavements that are in need of overlay and there is no money?
Well that is a hard question. Water is the main issue. Overlay patch anywhere that water stands after a shower. Truck dumped and grader leveled asphalt is the best solution, equivalent to a leveling course. Seal to prevent water ingress. Water softens the support and hastens failure.

Expect heavier overlays.

Cracking will continue at a faster rate. New cracks and old cracks growing in length and width will create additional issues, so annual sealing via spray chip seal is the best patching method, where water is draining.

It becomes repeat the truck dump patching and spray seal annually until the road/pavement has been evaluated, and a structural over lay has been applied.

Most of the roads that I have designed the pavement thickness on were constructed with less asphalt and gravel than I recommended. This reduces a 20 year design, that should be overlayed at 15 years, to something less. When the next government administration asks why it is failing at 10 years, all involved have mover on. Say la vie.      

High Bearing Values

High Bearing Values and ABC Geotechnical Schedules

Here is one response that can be placed in the cover letter that sets out the limits where the bearing values are a bit on the high side.

The bearing value provided in the geotechnical investigation report (GI) is higher than we would typically provide within that formation and area. There is no test data contained within the GI report support such a value based on conventional data conversion for typical construction. The value is acceptable for flexible construction.

We are therefore proceeding on the basis that we are accepting the bearing value at face value; however, differential movements may be excessive for some styles of construction and suitable for others. No information has been provided on the structure or performance expectations.

Insurance and Foundation Movement

In general, home insurance does not cover foundation movements. Some insurance may cover damage due to foundation movement. You fix your foundation (the big cost) they may cover the damage to interior (drywall patches, painting).

We are located in what was a glacial lake, which became a mud flat after the lake drained. Much of this area has high plastic soils. We have had a number of dryer years, the big tree now have roots through the desiccated crust, into the moister soils, drawing water from them, and in effect thickening the desiccated crust, with accompanied movements. Recent rains have created some surface swelling, with associated lateral pressures.

We can do an inspection of the damages and provide an opinion as to the probable cause(s). With residential construction, there are often additional problems to the foundation movements. Poor design, that the expected performance is not satisfactory, wrong construction, poor construction, incomplete construction, poor repairs, and may other problems exist. Inspections are conducted at a hourly rate, including travel time, inspection time, any research time digging through archives, and report writing time.

We can also conduct a geotechnical investigation to determine soil index parameters, or actual values, and an indication of the swelling potential a number of ways. The next step is typically a minimum four deep macro-core test holes, with moisture contents, Atterberg limits, remaining linear shrinkage to oven dry estimates, hand auger holes inside the structure, site surveying, house level survey, drafting of the collected data, and a engineering report. The current cost are typically $7000 to $15000.

Out to Lunch

How should one handle the situation when the "authority having jurisdiction" is out to  lunch on a particular topic?

We see this in the building code, in nutritional recommendations, in medical recommendations, and in the past religion, when it had real influence. One way is to write a book, do a blog, or a web site and publish it. The information is then out there, in the public domain, where people are free to chose to understand or not.

This is considered dissonance of some kind, in the past it might have been treason or heresy. Now it is rebellion, but what is the best solution?