Gatehouse Stuctural Site Rep 2-15-13! RYAN S. HELLWIG, PE ! STRUCTURAL ENGINEER !
FIELD REPORT
February 18, 2013
Charles Roberts
Kuhn Riddle Architects
28 Amity Street, Suite 2B
Amherst, MA 01002
Re:The Gatehouse / Lot 18
Village Hill Road
Northampton, Mass.
Site Visit:2/15/13
Conditions:Mostly sunny & mid 30's
Present:Charles Roberts (Kuhn Riddle Architects)
John Averill (Wright Builders - GC)
Matt Wilcox (Wilcox Builders - Framer)
The second floor walls were almost complete, and preparatory work for roof trusses was in
progress. The following issues were noted:
1. On line 8, the steel base plates for the glulam posts were not installed as shown in details 6 &
7 on S5 - the way these bases were installed is rotated 90 degrees from the design so that the
shorter dimension is parallel to the wall plane. This reduces the available bearing area between
the base and the wood plates at the top of the 1st floor wall, and could result in overstress in
compression perpendicular to the grain. After discussion, it was decided to leave the bases as
they are, and remove the upper wood plate and replace it with LVL material, which has a much
higher compression perpendicular to grain capacity.
2. The e" cement board shown in details 4, 5 & 15 on S5 was not installed. Dens-glass type
gypsum sheathing was used instead. This material is much softer than cement board. After
discussion, this was determined to be a critical issue for the roof trusses. Since the material was
already installed, it was decided to leave it in place and add screws to the connections. Where
four (4) screws were called for in 15/S5, three more screws will be installed. In order to reduce
the potential for splitting the studs, the assembly will be predrilled.
Respectfully,
Ryan Hellwig
Massachusetts Professional Engineer #37300 - STRUCTURAL
! 28 ALDRICH STREET ! NORTHAMPTON, MA 01060 !
! VOICE = 413-584-HLWG (4594) ! FAX = 413-584-HLWFax (4593) !