Structural Engineer Rec and GC question

I am looking for a structural engineer to tell me whether I can knock down an interior wall in a 25 foot brownstone. The sheetrock on the wall has been removed as well as on the ceiling to show the joists. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Also, any rough idea on how much this should cost. I would think a structural engineer could answer this instantly. Also, can the owner of a 1-3 family building act as his own contractor. If I want to do work that requires plans being drawn and would involve both plumbing and electrical work, can I hire the licensed plumber and electrician or does a GC have to? I was told that the buildings department will require a GC license #. Thanks

uesdiy

in Brownstoner Renovation 11 years and 10 months ago

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nintzk86 | 11 years and 10 months ago

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Brucef, thanks for the reply. I should have clarified that I was already aware that the wall had some sort of structural value (there is a steel column in the basement right underneath it…and the same wall is on every floor). I didn’t realize it was called a stiffening wall though. I already spoke to an architect…who saw it…and he advised me to speak with a structural engineer, so I was just seeing if anyone had a good recommendation. I think I am just going to scrap the plan, but if anyone can recommend a reasonable structural engineer (for something else) that would be appreciated. Also…anyone you have to pay…not just structural engineers, is not your friend, which includes the architect.

agdipierro

in Brownstoner Renovation 11 years and 10 months ago

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In brownstones, the sidewalls, or party walls, are load bearing and support the floor joists running between them. More often than not in brownstones 20 feet and wider there is an intermediate load-bearing wall running parallel to the sidewalls. You need an architect or engineer to look at your space and advise you.

qbert | 11 years and 10 months ago

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Brucef, I for one enjoy your rants and find them extremely enlightening. As you have so accurately put it, the name of the game is to avoid ‘imperial entanglements’ and anyone who imagines this would be fairly straightforward should pay a visit to the DOB sometime, preferably while listening to the theme from ‘Brazil’ for full effect.

brucef | 11 years and 10 months ago

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This issue has been discussed in great detail previously, try to search archives etc. I cannot definitively answer the various GC questions you raise in paragraph #2. The issue of structural support is both convoluted and surprisingly non-trivial. In 90% of brownstones, the floor joists are the structural members, and are grand-fathered for better or worse to carry all loads. Technically, the partition walls you are viewing are “stiffening” walls, but are technically not load bearing. While this flies in the face of reason, I can tell you that historically this is in fact the case. The consultation with the structural engineer seems reasonable, but is not a good idea for the following reason. 1\. The alterations you propose trigger the requirement for filing Alt 2 (changes within a unit that does not affect the C of O) or an Alt-1 (C of O change, whole building is fair game for inspections etc). 2\. Structural Engineers are NOT YOUR FRIEND. They live in a fanciful world of what-ifs, that can only be fixed with gads of money (never theirs). They stereo-typically have challenged social skills. 3\. Your architect may be more helpful, but once a structural engineer has devised an expensive solution, you can never walk it back. I can give the following example. You want to move over a stiffening wall. OK, no problem, but current code requires steel column up from foundation. The stiffening wall that wasn’t structural can only be replaced with iron work. The DOB is trained absolutely like Pavlov’s dogs to say no to any proposals. They start to salivate when you make your application. A developer who is starting with a blank slate (tear down the old, build the schlocky new) is able to get approvals because they have elevators, sprinklers etc. I’ve got to stop these rants, but they are so frustrating.