Question 1

Beam Sizing

Accepted Answer

There are two primary reasons why you may need to install a beam on your commercial property: (1) you wish to remove a load-bearing wall / column or (2) you plan to increase the load placed on a floor (occupancy change). In the former case, you are weakening the structure and need to provide alternative strength. In the latter, you are increasing the demand placed on the structure and need to provide additional strength. While many property owners will recognize the need to install a beam, they will need an engineer’s assistance in actually sizing that beam. We like to provide property owners with options aside from merely computing the structural calculations and providing a single solution. After all, many different beam sizes / material combinations could work, but we realize construction projects have functional and fiscal components aside from the technical one us engineers are most excited to solve. Upon receiving your call, we will schedule a site visit not only to gather the needed information to complete our structural analysis but also to better understand your priorities and desired use of the space. Once we have agreed upon an approach, we will produce engineering drawings that you can provide to a contractor to complete the work. Depending on your need, we can also scale our services to provide construction oversight to ensure the beam install goes as planned and all connection details are done properly.

Question 2

Commercial Retrofitting

Accepted Answer

We will do light commercial projects. Typically we will work with an architect on commercial projects. Some of what we  offer is; retrofitting services whether you need a structural repair (i.e. a foundation or wall crack keeps growing suggesting instability) or have a change in occupancy / load (i.e. converting former office area into a dance floor or gathering space). Our assistance begins with a site visit to analyze the existing structural systems and provide you with solutions to the problem. Once we agree upon an approach, we will create engineering drawings that you can use to solicit a contractor to complete the repair or retrofit. During construction, we like to stay involved in the project to ensure the work is done according to the plans and that the underlying issue is effectively resolved.

Question 3

Construction Draw

Accepted Answer

When embarking upon a large commercial construction project, the contractor will be paid according to a pre-agreed schedule of progress payments. Ensuring these progress payments are approved and disbursed is important in giving the contractor access to the needed capital to keep the project moving. At the same time, lenders rightfully require verification from a third-party (by an engineer or building professional) that the progress payments requested align with the actual work completed to-date. We can provide these draw inspections and associated reports to validate the work completed and provide justification for approving progress payments. As a disclaimer, the draw inspection is not the same as a construction inspection. Our main scope with this service is to validate quantities and construction percentages; however, if we identify any overt construction defect during our draw site visit, we will document that defect in our report and recommend corrective action. Depending on the scale and construction type of the project, we offer construction inspection / quality assurance services alongside or independent of our construction draw services, but we would want our clients to understand that the two scopes would carry separate fees which we can discuss.

Question 4

Office Floor Plan Configuration

Accepted Answer

Booming business is never a bad thing, but such growth can create some challenges in the space department. If you find yourself with a fleet of new employees and nowhere to house them (and teleworking isn’t your jam), we can help reconfigure your existing office space to accommodate your growth. We offer many strategies depending on your requirement and space constraints ranging from opening up walls (for hot desking and more collaboration), closing walls (for giving dedicated space to different departments or functions), adding mezzanines (add useable square footage), to many others. Once you bring us onboard, we work with you from conceptual design to stamped and approved plans. Depending on your need, we can also scale our services to provide construction oversight to ensure the project goes as planned and any unforeseen changes are addressed adequately, efficiently and as economically as possible.

Question 5

Property Condition Assessment

Accepted Answer

Throughout a building’s life cycle, operation and maintenance costs tend to be the most expensive price tag an owner will encounter, even more than during initial construction or purchase. Furthermore, these costs can be magnified when preventative action is not done and repairs are put off until something breaks. As a result, savvy owners will have a property condition assessment (PCA) conducted to determine the health of all the building’s various systems. A proper PCA will also include a 10, 15 or 20-year repair and preventative maintenance plan. This plan is useful not only to establish a maintenance and repair budget that the client can plan for outyears, but the plan will also provide a tiered recommendation for where the next maintenance dollar would be most effectively spent, giving building owners a tool to assess risk should they need to delay planned projects due to revenue shortfalls.

Question 6

Restaurant or Storefront Design, Remodel, or Retrofit"

Accepted Answer

At JRS Engineering & Design, we love helping other businesses, especially small ones like ours. Even before you’ve purchased or rented a space, we can begin by providing an engineering planning assessment for spaces you have shortlisted with your realtor. Whatever dreams you have for your restaurant, retail store, or other type of business, you might want to know the oftentimes unglamorous structural improvements your renovation will require. If you are renting, your future landlord will certainly want to know these (and know you have a licensed professional ensuring no code requirement is forgotten). If you have already acquired a place, we can still help too, but of course we will be working within the (not-to-limiting) constraints of your existing space. Regardless your situation, we prefer being brought into the planning phase early. This allows us to incorporate any needed engineering into the design so the finished project looks cohesive and complete. Nobody wants an unsightly placed column to remind them of overlooked requirements. 
 
We conduct on-site consultations to walk through your project and layout the code and building requirements your project’s vision will need to consider. For example, if you are wanting to establish a rooftop gathering space for your posh new restaurant, we can let you know if the existing roof system can handle the additional weight of your grand opening or if you will need to reinforce the roof joists or trusses first. If structural improvements are needed, we can then help you determine how they will affect your budget. We can also provide alternative solutions to create that amazing space you are picturing but with either less or more cleverly concealed structural work. 
 
After the planning phase is complete, we will provide you with stamped design documents that you can use to secure your building permit. Throughout the permitting process, we can help answer any building official’s questions on your behalf and take the legwork off your hands. Once construction begins, we can stay on board for the duration of the project coordinating with your contractor and ensuring everything is built professionally and according to the plans. At the end of the day, we want your project to be a success. We live, eat and relax in this community too and believe another fantastic business will only make our City better.

commercial
engineering

We will take commercial projects on a case by case basis, typically we will want to work with an Architect to do any commercial work.

Email us at

General@JRSengineeringdesign.com

Call or TEXT US at

562-850-1223

OR Contact us here

commercial engineering