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Success = ? (Part 1)

July 4th, 2011

Bill Gates and Warren Buffet, among the richest men on the planet, are great friends. They agree on many things, not the least of which is the main ingredient for success. To quote Buffett, page 523 of his book, SNOWBALL:

“Then …


Unblocked Shear Walls – Would You Believe, Yes?

May 20th, 2011

In my relentless pursuit of green, I am forced to face the question: Must all plywood or OSB shear walls be blocked?

I say forced because prying the answer from our wonderful building code is like trying to wrest a fresh …


The Mysterious Disappearing Cypress

May 4th, 2011

The elderly woman’s voice on the other end of the phone said, “Hello? Is this Mr. Garrison, the engineer?”

“Yes,” I replied, “thank you for calling. How may I help you today?”

“Well, it’s my plant, you see. It disappeared. A lovely …


Free Advice Makes Me Nervous

April 23rd, 2011

I get lots of emails asking for structural advice – which is great – I welcome them. However, it’s hard for me to offer detailed advice without having seen a drawing or plan.

Everyone, myself included, likes free advice. We all …


Show Me The Green

April 13th, 2011

As a practicing engineer I see dozens of plan sets every year. What I can’t figure out is why aren’t they different today than they were 10-years ago? Where’s the green? If green is so great, then show me the …


Single Or Double Top Plate – Diminishing Returns?

March 10th, 2011

Green framing is a terrific concept, not much debate in that. But is there a point of diminishing returns? Yes, of course there is. Remove too much wood, and strength suffers.  

Take the humble top plate of a stick framed …


When the Earthquake Shakes, Mama You Got To Move

February 1st, 2011

I recently visited San Luis Obispo, CA and spent some time strolling about downtown. I came upon the following placard posted conspicuously on the front of an older building.

The …


Green Framing – Professional Builder Magazine Article

January 20th, 2011

I was interviewed by Professional Builder Magazine for a piece they did in November 2010, entitled: “14 best practices in high performance home design.” It’s interesting how a solid 15 minutes of interview can be boiled down to a couple …


Green Framing – Lessons From Big Builders

January 11th, 2011

Do your framing practices stack up with those of national builders?

 Who wastes more lumber, concrete and steel?  Who’s plans are more efficient?  Because they’re bigger are they better?

 The answers will surprise you.

 Last year I was selected to Scott Sedam’s Lean …


Ice Cream From Sawdust?

January 10th, 2011

[This is my Power Point presentation on how to rev your business in tough economic times.]

Are you a victim of the down economy, or a beneficiary?

Why not use the recession as a springboard for success? Whether you want to pump up your …