structural engineer needed for stucco wall (fence)

[papivore]

Originally Posted by EDS_

My fence is not an anomaly agood number in my neighborhood built in the 60's are more or less as new.

What you've seen. most likely, are the miles of single brick thickness walls suspended full or partially between columns. These POS fences are/were mostly pre-fabed, very cheap and they nearly always fail to some degree within a few years.


All that said if you want to hire an engineer for piece of mind reasons go for it.

It's not for peace of mind. Over-engineering a wall costs more money than hiring a structural engineer - a mistake I'd prefer not to make. I wasn't asking for your advice, I was asking for se recs, nothing more. I didn't include the project difficulty, or what type of slope we're on - both factors that contributed to our decision. I'm really not trying to be rude here - I just want quality recommendations and that's it.

[papivore]

Originally Posted by derekv

Are you set on a stucco faced wall? I had to put in a 8 ft tall by 35 feet or so retaining wall. We ended up using a pavestone interlocking block product with geogrid. Turned out great and was about half the cost of the concrete block bid. I also looked into formed concrete, but the site access wasn't very good for the pumper truck.

Any wall 4 feet or higher in Dallas will need engineered plans to get a permit.

We're going with foxblocks ICF forms. Fast to put together, extremely strong, and easy to attach a facing and install any plumbing/electricity.

http://www.foxblocks.com/media/8380/...sting-Data.pdf

[papivore]

I decided upon Jensen Engineers for the project. I'll update after my experience.

[NatashaO]

Our brick wall facing a busy street is in bad shape. I'm looking at options and not sure I want to do the costly brick option again. I'd be very interested in getting a quote on who you used for the pavestones. And pictures would be wonderful too. Also - Who did you look at for formed concrete? I htink we'd have tons of room for the pumper truck. Thank you!

Originally Posted by derekv

Are you set on a stucco faced wall? I had to put in a 8 ft tall by 35 feet or so retaining wall. We ended up using a pavestone interlocking block product with geogrid. Turned out great and was about half the cost of the concrete block bid. I also looked into formed concrete, but the site access wasn't very good for the pumper truck.

Any wall 4 feet or higher in Dallas will need engineered plans to get a permit.

[NatashaO]

DerekV- Who did you use to do your project? Thank you!

[derekv]

Originally Posted by NatashaO

DerekV- Who did you use to do your project? Thank you!

I used a company called Chibli Stone Works, not sure if they do masonry fences. I think they mostly do landscaping hardscapes.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by papivore

It's not for peace of mind. Over-engineering a wall costs more money than hiring a structural engineer - a mistake I'd prefer not to make. I wasn't asking for your advice, I was asking for se recs, nothing more. I didn't include the project difficulty, or what type of slope we're on - both factors that contributed to our decision. I'm really not trying to be rude here - I just want quality recommendations and that's it.

I let this post go months ago because the OP had made up his mind what to do. Engineers have more pressure on them to overbuild than anyone. Engineers have millions of E&O insurance on the line and construction guys do not at least most times.

[papivore]

We used Jensen engineers for the se report due to the expansive clay on our property, drainage issues, trees, and a myriad of other issues. We used Foundation Concrete Services with Rodrigo as our go to guy. They dug the footer and drilled the piers. The concrete guys actually suggested a few modifications to the se report, and suggested a deeper footer. If anyone has concrete work to do, I highly suggest FCS, I could call/email/text and expect a prompt response within 6hrs. We have thirteen piers, which range from 11' to 4' (until they hit limestone). We heavily researched structural reports for walls and found our engineer to be right within the specs.

Again, I posted here because I needed an se rec, nothing more. Suggesting I'm just being stubborn is truly impolite; please don't assume I (and my husband) didn't research heavily. I disagreed with your opinion due to the project complications, that's it.

I'll go with the guy who has his job on the line and has insurance to back it up if it fails. I'd rather our 8' wall not fall over and kill someone, or kill our pocketbook if it ever had to be redone. We calculated the risk and found it to be worth the extra $500 bucks to employ an se. Hardly an insurmountable cost.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by papivore

We used Jensen engineers for the se report due to the expansive clay on our property, drainage issues, trees, and a myriad of other issues. We used Foundation Concrete Services with Rodrigo as our go to guy. They dug the footer and drilled the piers. The concrete guys actually suggested a few modifications to the se report, and suggested a deeper footer. If anyone has concrete work to do, I highly suggest FCS, I could call/email/text and expect a prompt response within 6hrs. We have thirteen piers, which range from 11' to 4' (until they hit limestone). We heavily researched structural reports for walls and found our engineer to be right within the specs.

Again, I posted here because I needed an se rec, nothing more. Suggesting I'm just being stubborn is truly impolite; please don't assume I (and my husband) didn't research heavily. I disagreed with your opinion due to the project complications, that's it.

I'll go with the guy who has his job on the line and has insurance to back it up if it fails. I'd rather our 8' wall not fall over and kill someone, or kill our pocketbook if it ever had to be redone. We calculated the risk and found it to be worth the extra $500 bucks to employ an se. Hardly an insurmountable cost.

All that matters is that you got what you wanted and are happy with the results. $500 for an SE's stamp on a set of plans for any decent sized fence is a great deal.