32C-019 (5) 7 Pleasant Street
April 8, 2010
weighing 60 lbs. per yard. As part of an existing building, the roof system does not have to
comply with current code snow loads. Chapter 34 of the Massachusetts State Building Code
allows a 15% reduction in snow loads from the code for new construction. Nevertheless, if fully
loaded, the two timbers could place a point load on the cantilever of more than 6000 lbs. This
would result in some overstress in the rail. Although the age and type of steel is not known, it is
safe to assume that is was made from standard mild steel. Reinforcing the rail in place is not
feasible. A less expensive approach would be to add a post near the end to reduce the cantilever.
If the post can be detailed to support both roof timbers that are currently on the cantilever, then
the rail and much of the brick wall would no longer be required for roof support, and could then
be removed.
I hope that you find this satisfactory. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Respectfully Submitted,
Ryan S. Hellwig
Massachusetts Professional Engineer #37300 - STRUCTURAL
Page 2 of 2
• RYAN S. HELLWIG, PE • STRUCTURAL ENGINEER •
April 8, 2010 32
Jordi Herold
1 Short Street 5 iQS
Northampton, MA 01060
Re: 7 Pleasant Street
Northampton, MA
The following is a summary of my inspection of the above - mentioned building. Per your request,
on April 5, 2010 I went to view certain items that you had identified as being potentially
dangerous structural conditions.
The following three specific issues were inspected:
1. Cracks in masonry wall on the north side of the building, towards the rear. The
crack is mostly vertical in orientation. It appears to be a construction joint in the brick masonry.
Some bricks are cracked adjacent to this joint. The reason for the joint is not clear, but obviously
this building has had a long and checkered history. Also, it cannot be determined from this
single point in time whether the crack is stable or if it is continuing to move. Typically this type
of joint would have more brick "toothed in ", creating a mechanical interlock between the two
sections of wall. At this point, it is not feasible to create the toothed -in condition, but in my
opinion the broken brick should be replaced, and the joint should be completely mortared to the
full depth of the joint. The relatively brittle mortar will serve as a monitor, as it will crack and
fall out if there is future movement, indicating that more invasive repairs would be required.
2. Twist in timber roof beam, also on the north wall. This is an 8x8 timber, roughly
32 feet long. The timber has a severe twist from one end to the other. Some of this twisting is
attributable to natural seasoning of a very long solid piece of wood. There is a slight spiral in the
grain of the wood deviating from the longitudinal axis of the beam, which results in some twist
as the wood ages. However, this twist is exacerbated by the supports for the beam. These
supports are diagonally placed pieces of lumber, the bottoms of which are pocketed into the brick
wall. The tops of the diagonals are nailed to the outer edge of the timber, which results in
eccentric forces on the beam, which in turn create twisting action. I suggest that these diagonals
be replaced with steel brackets that have epoxy -set anchor rods embedded in the brick.
3. Steel railroad rail cantilever beam under the roof. This rail cantilevers
approximately 3' -6" from the center masonry bearing wall. It extends roughly 7 feet back into the
masonry. The end of the cantilever supports two timber roof beams, one from each side. The
brick masonry at the fulcrum point of the cantilever is ragged and not tied together well. Rails
are typically not used as beams in building construction, but section properties of crane rails are
listed in the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) Manual. From cross - section
dimensions measured on site with calipers, this rail appears to be an ASCE light rail section
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