Large deck design metal and wood.

WARRIORWELDING

WARRIORWELDING

Owner opperator Of WarriorWelding LLC.
Joined
Jan 6, 2008
Location
Chillin, Hwy 64 Mocksville NC
I think I posed this question once before. As I recall I didn't get anywhere with it. Or I know I didn't learn from it because I'm back to square one.

Here's the deal. I want to dabble in large wood/metal structures. Decks, raised platforms, mezinanes, stairs, small bridges and such.

I am a fabricator builder. I don't know code. I don't know engineering formulas. I do have an eye for some design work, architecture, and the related. Drafting was my first real carreer interest so I can do decent renderings to comunicate ideas and the basics.

How do you guys suggest I connect the dots and get designs or concepts approved or to the point of metal meets wood??

I got a client already in the waiting for a second story deck, rail, and staircase. It is to be a blend of wood and iron with a very open beam design, metal strap iron, metal accents ECT. The design will spill over to an existing front brick patio stair entrance.
The budget is 10k so it's not an entirely small job.

I cannot afford to fabricate something that Will not meet code or fail killing a dinner party. I don't want to approach this by building a bigger anvil either.

I want to be the one stop custom supplier and or contractor.
 
I would think if you could draw up the plans you could just find an engineer to review and stamp them.
 
Call your county office and talk to the building code inspector. I'm sure someone there can point you in the right direction.
 
Subscribed


Mainly because I want to get in line as a customer :huggy:

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High end furniture experience talking here. Find a designer (sane preferably) or 2 AFTER you have completed a few jobs for your portfolio. Let them be the creative force, you provide production reality to their design. The market for high/ultra high end products is there if you can build at that level. Go to Greensboro/Charlotte Home Show and you can see current trends/product.

Good luck!
 
I might have to give you a call after figuring some of this stuff out for our house, if you're just up the road in Mocksville. I was going to do a metal staircase railing to replace our wood-spindled 1980's awesomeness (I hate turned millwork), but now I think we might just replace the entire staircase and relocate the coat closet underneath to somewhere else. Parallam stair treads and things like that. Might just end up needing some nice fabricated brackets, depending on what the stair stringers are made of.
Getting the design loads calculated and stamped or whatever needs to be is the part I haven't sorted out yet.
 
Fabrik8 said:
This is an interesting thread, and I'm also curious about who stamps a staircase design. Is this something that a structural engineer would do?
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That's my gist, it is not like we are talking traditional stringers and boards here. Different clips, connection moments, the blend of materials and so on.
1stgenxxx said:
Call your county office and talk to the building code inspector. I'm sure someone there can point you in the right direction.
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I am afraid the general inspectors wouldn't have a clue! I am leaning toward the idea of hiring a Structural Engineering Firm. Then I have a documented print the walk around people can compare and nod their head too.

CasterTroy said:
Subscribed


Mainly because I want to get in line as a customer :huggy:

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Exactly. Not something I would trust Joe Smo Got a hammer and Skill Saw to do! I want to attract a certain customer base. Even if they are biased toward the "blacker things in life". But seriously, load bearing, to spec, per customer needs, and definitely not just generic platforms with wooden pickets.




Overall I need a "bridge" between concept, design ques, and a design approval by all the parties that makes things convoluted.
 
WARRIORWELDING said:
"blacker things in life"
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Now looka hea fool!!!
mr-t-200x250.jpg


Wha's blacker than welded steel? PAINTED AND POLISHED black steel fool!
WARRIORWELDING said:
Overall I need a "bridge" between concept, design ques, and a design approval by all the parties that makes things convoluted.
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I'll help in any way I can. I'll check with a few of my structural friends and see if anyone would be interested in helping too.

I LOVE the idea of a expanded metal platform, from both a space savings, and capacity standpoint. I'm sure too, there will be multiple projects that now have a solution I once wasn't considering!
 
Franklin said:
High end furniture experience talking here. Find a designer (sane preferably) or 2 AFTER you have completed a few jobs for your portfolio. Let them be the creative force, you provide production reality to their design. The market for high/ultra high end products is there if you can build at that level. Go to Greensboro/Charlotte Home Show and you can see current trends/product.

Good luck!
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DESIGNER....yes. And I agree with you. Problem is I have no formal education in this field and this is sort of the position I want to fall into.

Anybody who knows how to harness or I should say a pathway to educate myself??? I am all ears! I have longed for the time to exercise this creative/constructive outlet. I do not want to be the numbers guys....more working artist that doesn't get people killed or structures torn down out of code violations and insurance.

EDIT: I am not trying to make it sound like I want to build gawky Disney themed crap either. Hope it doesn't come across that way. More purposeful unique use of materials when needed.
 
Find a mechanical engineering firm that has PEs on staff that is willing to sign off on your designs.

You'll will also need to talking to the code enforcer to understand what's required from their side. They get final say within their jurisdiction.

Also, idk what size the project is you have, but you might be cutting yourself short at $10k if much fabrication is required.
 
Ok, I draw stairs, ladders, rails, mezzanines, and buildings for a living. More accurately, I 3d computer model them, then turn that to drawings. We are a one stop company for the most part. We bid the job, if we get it we do everything but engineering stamp, we have one engineer that does all our calcs and stamps. We just put together 3 erection crews that are dedicated to our field work. We do it all from one rail on 10 ft of sidewalk, to working for NASA.

For you to do it all, you need to be more than a one man show. You need someone to bid the job, someone to manage the project, someone to draw it, stamp it, fit it, weld it, and then put it up.

Stairs are a lot of work. Its nothing like structural steel. Different rules, different materials, different codes and different specs.

How big is your operation? Do you have an overhead crane? Deck saw? Big freakin band saw to cut C12x20.7?

Do you plan to work in CAD?


I dont know the codes in and out, but we have to be familiar with what applies to our steel, as well as what specs we need to meet and what the basic calcs are.

Pm me and Id be happy to help you out anyway I can.
 
Rail I did a while back that was a pain.

Just for reference this was a corporate office patio
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CasterTroy said:
FTFY

No ME will sign off on live load/dead load design. Especially involving potential pedestrian conveyance
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Maybe there's a reason for that.
 
Code book gives you a lot of good info. Just read the necessary areas so you know what pertains to you.


For most projects, designer staircases, etc the inspector doesn’t look at any stamped drawings. Maybe on a large city project but most inspectors have no clue what they are lookin at.

Read the code and be smart. If you feel more comfortable to have a stamp on the drawings, then spend your $. Most don’t give a crap.

I did a renovation on a house with removing 3 load bearing walls, adding LVLs, adding girder, adding columns and new footers, whole new structure with footers, etc.
No engineer or architectural stamps on any of it and got permits and passed inspections. I did have good help in figuring the proper size members but a lot of that is a matter of lookin at load charts.


I’d say start with knowing the code. Design will follow. If you get into crazy designs then just bend the ear of a fellow engineer for advice and a stamp if needed.
 
rockcity said:
Code book gives you a lot of good info. Just read the necessary areas so you know what pertains to you.


For most projects, designer staircases, etc the inspector doesn’t look at any stamped drawings. Maybe on a large city project but most inspectors have no clue what they are lookin at.

Read the code and be smart. If you feel more comfortable to have a stamp on the drawings, then spend your $. Most don’t give a crap.

I did a renovation on a house with removing 3 load bearing walls, adding LVLs, adding girder, adding columns and new footers, whole new structure with footers, etc.
No engineer or architectural stamps on any of it and got permits and passed inspections. I did have good help in figuring the proper size members but a lot of that is a matter of lookin at load charts.


I’d say start with knowing the code. Design will follow. If you get into crazy designs then just bend the ear of a fellow engineer for advice and a stamp if needed.
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Yea, if youre doing "home projects" a lot of the inspectors just look at stair width and handrail clearance.

Me personally, I put a steel handrail on our front steps and had it stamped, just so that its recorded. CYA is a necessity.
 
rockcity said:
I did a renovation on a house with removing 3 load bearing walls, adding LVLs, adding girder, adding columns and new footers, whole new structure with footers, etc.
No engineer or architectural stamps on any of it and got permits and passed inspections. I did have good help in figuring the proper size members but a lot of that is a matter of lookin at load charts.
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I did something similar for a friend (design, not GC) and had to bring a structural onboard to even get a permit. You say LVL in forsyth (other than over a garage door opening) and they want calculations and a seal (must have went to a seminar)

JSJJ388 said:
CYA is a necessity.
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After the florida collapse every inspection dept is likely to attend new seminars (you can always tell when inspections have been to continuing education classes....they all seem to focus on that one area for several months...then it fades away into obscurity)

I had a whole month practically dedicated to this back in "Strength of materials" classes
 
rockcity said:
^^^ I agree. Most counties it’s likely not an issue. Some counties it will be. Some days it will be and some days it won’t be. Just depends on how pissy the inspector wants to be that day.
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Yeap. We've had jobs that one inspector approved it, then the city inspector come through and screw it all up.

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I recently had an inspector fail me for an unrelated item during an inspection. Said item was part of the next inspection and was secured with temporary means because, well, it was just temporary for erection of trusses. Fixed the issue and passed inspection. Then during final inspection a different inspector didn’t like the hurricane ties and wanted to fail me again, even after the first inspector already looked at them and passed me.
 
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