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White Papers

Maximizing Profit With a Small Consulting Company

Bending Member Theory For Non-Engineers

Computer Design of Beams, Joists, and Rafters for Non-Engineers

Presentations

Green Framing Saves Big
This is the Power Point slide portion (in .pdf format) of Tim’s presentation / seminar of the same title. Typical areas of over-building include: top plates, studs, headers, blocking, beams, floor joists, floor beams and post/pier foundation lines. Examples are drawn from two nationally-published magazine articles: “Are You Overframing Walls?” Green Builder Magazine, December, 2006, by Tim Garrison himself, and “Frugal Framing”, Builder Magazine, February, 2007, by Ted Cushman.

Wind and Earthquake Concepts for the Non-Engineer
This is the Power Point slide portion (in .pdf format) of the Wind and Earthquake section of Tim’s  Structural Concepts seminar. Lots of photos and sketches illustrate the concepts and what happens when they’re not followed.

Builder’s Engineer Articles

The following articles were previously published in “Nations Building News OnLine”. They can all be found, with many more,  in Tim’s book, CRACKS, SAGS, AND DIMWITS – LESSONS TO BUILD ON.

Best Subcontractor Ever – Jeff Whitebear
Normally the author uses fake names in his articles, but not in this case. Jeff Whitebear owns a small siding company and was hired by the author to do the siding and exterior trim on his house. After coming to terms on price, the experience was nearly thrilling for both the author and Cindy, his wife. Find out why, and how your company can benefit from Jeff’s excellent example.

The Three Levels of Idiotdom
Chilly Verde strikes again! Find out what a Level 3 idiot is and why Mr. Verde earns that dubious distinction. Idiots are categorized in three levels: Cementhead, Sack of Hammers, and Dull Hoe. The author has only one suggestion on how to deal with a Level 3. This column is a personal favorite.

Grout – Evil Menace Takes Its Toll
In order to save a few bucks, the author ignores the old adage, “stick with what you’re good at” and endeavors to grout the saw cuts in his new stained concrete floor. All 750 lineal feet of them. In the process he kills his Grouting Arm, beans a kid on his little league team, and causes considerable consternation with his wife, Cindy.

Does Halfwit Plus Halfwit Equal Fullwit?
Are you a Lone Ranger – too proud to ask for help or advice? In the movie Dumb and Dumber, the product of two halfwits equaled a one-fourth wit, if they were lucky. This makes good engineering sense because 1/2 times 1/2 does equal 1/4. But what about the sum of 1/2+ 1/2? That equals one, right?

Marketing – My Favorite Story
If the author has learned anything in business over the years it is this: If you want to be successful, half of what you do should be marketing. Half, that’s a big number. Find out what one contractor did with his marketing dollars other than phone book ads, newspaper ads, etc. to ensure that those dollars resulted in more and more clients.

Why Oscar Plumbing Will Never Make Much Money
Ole Van Stroodle hires Sam Oscar’s plumbing company because Sam can really talk the talk. But his crew shows up (late) and quickly earns three black marks. The author discusses Oscar Plumbing’s shortcomings and what Sam needs to change if he ever wants to make any money in the construction industry.

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Shelf Life of a Business Partner
Every would-be business owner seems to think a partner or two is necessary. Not so, argues athe author. What percentage of business partners who’ve been together at least five years would describe their relationship as harmonious? How long should a partnership last? in other words, should a partnership have a shelf-life? All these ponderocities are explored, along with a good dose of advice from the Builder’s Engineer School of Hard Knocks.

Land-Development-Related

Boundary Disputes and Old Fences
Stan Taughl owns some acreage planned for development. His neighbor, Pewter Mugg, tears out the old barbed wire fence bordering the properties and has new survey stakes placed ten feet on Stan’s side. Tempers flare. Find out how a law suit is avoided and fences get mended.

Cactus League Here I Come!
The author responds, in classic Builder’s Engineer style, to a NIMBY’s letter to the editor from a Phoenix newspaper. Read about mind-numbing miles of pristine Sonoran desert, frisky cactus wrens, and why the Valley of the Sun is precisely the place for more development, baby.

Good Lawyer – Bad Lawyer
Farmer Dobbins owns some acreage worth several million. Two developers, Fastlane and Down To Earth, send attorneys to draw up option contracts. The offers are nearly identical, however one team’s attorney blunders so badly Farmer Dobbins has little trouble selecting the other offer. Anyone in business can learn from this (for the most part true) story.

Honey I Shrunk the Lots
How many lots can you cram onto an acre of land? Five? Ten? Fifteen? Would you believe 25, or more? And I’m not talking “units” as in multi-story. This column is a recap of Mithun Architect principal Bill Kreager’s seminar of the same title. Ten tips to high-density development are discussed.

Engineering-Related

How Much Overdesign, Really?
I recently wrote a column entitled “The Builder’s Engineer Goes Green”. The gist was my supposition that nearly every new stick-framed house wastes on the order of a thousand dollars in over-designed lumber. The only problem with that column was that I had no hard evidence. I didn’t actually go out and study the construction of a house—it was based on my observations over the years. Green Builder Magazine noticed that column and asked if I would write something for them. What a perfect opportunity to actually prove, or disprove, my theory.

Over-Engineering Costs Big
Have you ever wondered why one set of plans may call for fifty holdowns, anchor bolts at 12-inches, and heavy-duty shear walls everywhere, while a nearly identical set – but from a different architect or engineer – may only call for five holdowns and minimal shear wall construction? The four possible scenarios are discussed as well as cost vs. benefit – and what to do about it all.

Are Collar Ties a Remedy for Sagging Roof?
This age-old question is finally answered. This column explains why roofs sag, which members are overstressed, and which connections will likely cause problems. Two possible fixes are illustrated. (Note: The version of this column in the book CRACKS, SAGS, AND DIMWITS – LESSONS TO BUILD ON, is greatly enhanced with more sketches, more fix alternatives and more in-depth explanation of the forces and stresses involved.)

Are Sagging Rafters Dangerous
A reader in Bellingham, WA has 2×4 rafters spanning 15 feet which are sagging ominously. He wants to know if they’re dangerous and if so what are his options. The author analyzes the 2×4’s and finds them dangerously overstressed – that they should have been 2×12s. Four repair options are presented. Included are two sketches, and computer output screenshots of ConstructionCalc ProBeam software used in the analysis.

Basement Snorkeling
This column explains how groundwater gets into basements and how it can be avoided – and how it can be fixed after the fact. Six pointers for waterproof concrete are given. The structural aspects of basement (braced) retaining walls are explained in detail. A case study in which the author was an expert witness is explored.

Best Remedy for Settling – Pin Piles and Helical Anchors
The author describes in detail how pin piles (aka micropiles) and helical anchors are used to re-level settled buildings. The strengths and weaknesses of each are discussed. A case study where an owner should have used piling but opted for jacking and shims is presented. Six diagrams are included.

Broken Concrete Guy Leaning Badly
Driving through Everett, WA the author notices a retaining wall, broken, leaning badly. Cantilever retaining wall theory is discussed in detail. Tension and compression within the wall and footing, and rebar placement is explained. Different types of retaining walls are introduced.

Cut a Truss? Never, Almost
The phrase, ‘cut a truss’ should throw all builders into a cold sweat. You can get away with drilling and notching beams, rafters, and joists if you know where it’s safe. Wood (and steel for that matter) trusses are among the most efficient structural devises there are. You just don’t just go around snipping and cutting them. The author is faced with cutting a four foot hunk of bottom chord from a truss in his house, which he does, but only after analysis and lots of bracing and bolstering.

Bouncy Floors, Dangerous?
Not long ago I got the call every engineer dreads. It was from a past client regarding a floor system I’d engineered. In the world of structural engineering, this can be very serious, for a couple of reasons. First, if one of my structures fails, someone could be seriously injured or killed. Second, even if no one is hurt, the failure would likely be very expensive to repair—an expense I’d have to bear if it was my fault. And I am, after all, human—prone to the occasional mistake.

When Is Engineering Required Per the IRC?
The International Residential Code (IRC) was created supposedly to give residential builders a break from the onerous requirements of the regular building code, the IBC. The IRC is supposed to be easy to use and understand, with lots of prescriptive design, simple enough for builders, designers, and other non-engineers. The Builder’s Engineer dives into this matter and finds quite a different story.

Our Building Codes Are Broken
Someone has to say it, so it might as well be me. The IBC is an unusable agglomeration of gobbledygook that should only be wished upon our enemies. There, now it’s out in the open.

I’m not normally a complainer but my frustration with the IBC has gone terminal. What pushed me over the edge is that I’m updating my book, STRUCTURAL CONCEPTS FOR THE NON-ENGINEER, and am trying to explain in simple language the concepts of loads and combinations of loads. Loads are dictated by the IBC. In order for me to get it right for my readers I have to first get it straight in my own mind. I’ve come to the conclusion that this cannot be done.

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