Week 17 Construction Update - Call in the (Steel) Reinforcements!

Building has been stalled for about 5 weeks because of an engineering problem. The original plans called for 2x10's over a large span between floors. The builder flagged that this would not be structurally sound, so the builder, architect, and a new engineer collaborated on an update to the framing plan. The update called for several steel beams to be installed between floors. So, the LVL construction is now complemented by steel beams. The builder joked that the house could double as a bomb shelter. I probably wouldn't go that far, but it should definitely withstand the quakes in the Central Virginia Seismic Zone, including the 5.8 magnitude quake that struck in 2011.

After the framing plan was re-engineered, additional materials, like the steel beams, were ordered. The framing crew returned to the job on May 8, and they should be complete in the next few weeks.