Architect messed up
 

This building was built in 2007. Outdoor pavilion with a roof about 60' square and a 25' tall ceiling. Connections of the timber posts to the concrete bases don't follow AITC guidelines and thus rotted.

OK. So…. Many decks out there are the same I bet



Looking forward to your next post

Here's the applicable AITC (American Institute of Timber Construction) guideline:

What could go wrong? I always encase wood in concrete to ensure the wood stays fresh.

wood you look at that.

What do you want to bet somebody didn't want to see the anchors so changed the plans.

He also screwed up by creating undrained areas at the bottom of the braces (red rectangles). The red circles point ut termite holes- 20' above the column bases.

For the columns we'll use treated southern pine instead of the original douglas fir. Otherwise same detail.

For the brace bottoms we'll reposition the connector plates and do a chamfer cut on top to ensure drainage. I'll do the same thing for the column blocks.

:iagree:This is how it's done.

Insects can't eat through concrete, so they have no way of getting at the wood this way. :seasix:

Maybe. However the architect screwed up in two other areas as well; same type of mistakes that I just pointed out.

:Jeff '79:

wood rots

They should have called Yadkin. Losers.

They did, just 17 years too late. :Jeff '79:

Thought termite burrowed internally. You’re saying those buggers ate up 20’ in beams in 17 yrs?

Call pest guys, if insured w termite contract they will pay per contract- but you’re out of a job. If they took contract they fix I found out

no time to do it right, always plenty of time and money to do it twice.

I'm saying that the buggers are in there. What route they took is anyone's guess without destructive testing. My guess is from the undrained brace areas.

I've already done my job, and my client, the contractor, will now do his. The owner can decide later if he tries to recoup his costs. If so, then I'll have another job as an expert witness.

Waiting for lawyers to decide cases would risk catastrophic damage as well as lose revenue. Right now the building is permanently closed.

That' how it works with too many bum contractors. Save a minute- cost the owner hours, maybe weeks, and certainly money.

But this was the architect's fault.

If it’s permanently closed why bother fixing it?