Architect messed up

[VatorMan]

Originally Posted by Aerovette

Question:

Is an expert witness a witness that is an expert, or an expert at being a witness?

A good friend of mine was an engineer with Bechtel and he made more $ being an expert witness than he ever earned during his working stint. He got paid so much per year on retainer as all big engineering lawsuits are postponed many times.

[Yadkin]

Originally Posted by Steve_R

Perhaps, but that didn’t answer my question. If you buy a 20 year old building, regardless of value, and the plans aren’t available, how do you get them?

Once they are gone, they are gone. That's one reason why I say that they are so valuable. Any time you make a renovation you can refer to them, avoiding the time and expense to figure out how stuff was built.

For a simple house, we have the residential building code, basically a cook book on how to build, so most plans will not have any structural details anyway. Those type of house plans just show room dimensions, exterior elevations, and aren't worth all that much.

But for a large commercial building things are different. It has to have structural plans and details. And typically plumbing and HVAC plans. And electrical plans. All the stuff that is hidden by drywall and finish materials. So to repair or renovate a building like that without plans can get expensive.

[Anjdog2003]

Originally Posted by Vandelay Industries

Insects can't eat through concrete

Concrete Termite can.

[Vandelay Industries]

So the bottom line is you don't have the plans, the plans are nowhere to be found, but you know for a fact the architect messed up.

OK

[Onebadcad]

What effing loser county in which loser state approved this, AND THEN signed off on the inspection??

If the rest of the country adopted The Miami Code this would not have happened.

****ing amateurs,,, bring in a pro to fix this crap!!

[LATB]

Originally Posted by Steve_R

Perhaps, but that didn’t answer my question. If you buy a 20 year old building, regardless of value, and the plans aren’t available, how do you get them?

You hire an architect to do an as-built, as we are doing currently on a commercial building that I have under contract for a client.

[Yadkin]

Originally Posted by Vandelay Industries

So the bottom line is you don't have the plans, the plans are nowhere to be found, but you know for a fact the architect messed up.

OK

It's a timber frame structure, exposed, only thing hidden is the bottom connectors, so we did destructive investigation, so...

Is it the water there in Massachushitts?

[Yadkin]

Originally Posted by Onebadcad

What effing loser county in which loser state approved this, AND THEN signed off on the inspection??

If the rest of the country adopted The Miami Code this would not have happened.

****ing amateurs,,, bring in a pro to fix this crap!!

The county inspector at the time graduated NC State, but with a degree in basketball...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Burleson

I had an issue with him when I built my house here in 2005. His assistant couldn't read plans, got mad at me when I found out so faked the rest of his inspections, never filing the paperwork. Burleson was a complete asshole, and I had to hire a lawyer and teach him a lesson.

[Yadkin]

Originally Posted by LATB

You hire an architect to do an as-built, as we are doing currently on a commercial building that I have under contract for a client.

Ca-ching! How much is the Architect's contract for? Divide that by the weight of a set of plans, and I'm guessing that they cost about what gold is going for...

[LATB]

Originally Posted by Yadkin

Ca-ching! How much is the Architect's contract for? Divide that by the weight of a set of plans, and I'm guessing that they cost about what gold is going for...

The buyer employed the architect. I represent the seller. I’m sure it’s many thousands.

[markids77]

Originally Posted by Yadkin

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.

Only in part because the contractor "just built it to print" instead of doing it correctly, and it passed framing inspection as well. Sharing is caring (the blame)!

[Vandelay Industries]

Originally Posted by Yadkin

It's a timber frame structure, exposed, only thing hidden is the bottom connectors, so we did destructive investigation, so...

Is it the water there in Massachushitts?

How does that prove "the architect messed up?"

"Expert witness."

[Yadkin]

Originally Posted by Vandelay Industries

How does that prove "the architect messed up?"

"Expert witness."

It's the most likely reason based on the details that are both exposed and were partially hidden, based on my professional expertise and experience. And I may add, something that you are eminently unqualified to opine on.

[ZipZap]

Mine are here. Will go to whomever is after me. Same as last house we built.