"We've never done a remodel before. We live in a high-rise and needed to update our kitchen, put in some pocket doors, and a laundry closet. We thought we needed an architect to give us ideas and the structural parameters within which we needed to work. We bought the Big Deal for an architectural consult. Mr. Madeiros was very professional and offered us a few ideas. He is relatively new to the Denver area and wasn't sure if we needed permits for the work we wanted to do. He called the city for us, which was helpful. He gave us drawings of what we had described and his added idea. It ended up that we didn't need his services as we discovered that general contractor could do what we needed. We had the building and unit floor plans and lots of our own ideas, having done a lot of research. I think if you were going to create something out of nothing, his services would be more helpful. "
"From the start I knew Ryan was the right person, because he called me, the only one of the engineers that actually called me. He communicated regularly, let me know straight up the results and explained it all to me. Is also willing to answer questions from my contractor."
"We had a great experience working with Vital Architecture and highly recommend her.
For Little Village Childcare, she helped us save money by confirming certain landlord requests were not required by code and securing a waiver that saved space and costs.
She also reduced civil engineering expenses by preparing the playground drainage plan herself.
During construction, she provided extra support at no cost and helped us handle contractor changes wisely.
For another church childcare project, she identified zoning issues early so everyone understood the risks.
In Colorado Springs, she warned a tenant about higher plumbing costs required by childcare regulations, helping them avoid a bad lease.
For an adult care project, she reviewed the food area and explained new kitchen and ventilation requirements.
Carmen is knowledgeable, thorough, and truly looks out for her clients’ best interests."
"Marc was attentive, understanding and really a good point of contact through our build process giving us the information we needed to accomplish our goals in our pre build process. He remains a point of contact for all future questions and concerns!"
"Sam is a great guy. He's always on time and punctual on the scope of the project. We are basically happy from the start to finish and he's willing to help us out. It was a pleasant experience and he is super professional."
Structural Engineering questions, answered by experts
A 4-inch-thick concrete slab can support around 4,000 pounds per square foot if a contractor reinforces the slab with rebar, while that same slab without reinforcements will support closer to 1,000 pounds. For the purposes of a patio, 4 inches in thickness without reinforcement should suffice unless you’re installing heavy kitchen equipment or a hot tub on it. In those cases, reinforcing your slab and sticking with 4 inches of thickness should provide plenty of strength.
The National Association of Home Builders requires repair of any foundation crack of more than one quarter of an inch, although local regulations may vary. In general, any visible crack that is growing in size, allowing water through, or that you have just noticed, is a good reason to call a structural engineer. Cracks can be a sign of a sinking foundation, so an inspection is a good idea for your peace of mind.
The standard thickness for an LVL beam is between 1.75 inches and 7 inches. However, you can order LVL beams in non-standard sizes as well. When you work with a contractor, they can source beams that are the appropriate size for your project for you after assessing your blueprints.
Many horizontal cracks in home foundations result from water and soil pressure from outside of the building or from a footing that is shifting. Under those circumstances, horizontal cracks are a structural problem that requires repair before they become worse and more difficult to fix. However, in very specific cases, thin horizontal cracks may simply be a cosmetic blemish due to concrete shrinkage.
Structural engineers typically conduct inspections during a home sale or renovation, looking for signs of structural damage in various structures throughout the building, such as load-bearing walls, joists, beams, roofing trusses, foundations, and chimneys.
Some of the warning signs that structural engineers check for include:
The cost of a structural engineer is easily justifiable given the value they bring to the table. Use this guide to see what hiring your professional will total in Denver, CO.
The cost of a structural engineer is easily justifiable given the value they bring to the table. Use this guide to see what hiring your professional will total.
Beam installation costs are an important consideration if you’re building a home or doing renovations. Learn about average costs and factors in this guide.
It can be hard to choose the right pro for any job, but it matters. Learn how to hire a structural engineer who'll get the job done right from start to finish.