- Beam Calculations
- BIM
- Cracks
- Damp and Condensation
- Design
- Drainage
- Information and Advice
- Structural Engineering
- Subsidence
- Walls
PATIOS, DRIVEWAYS AND DRAINAGE
We generally take external drainage for granted. For the most part, if it rains our gardens don’t flood. But poorly designed and installed drainage can lead to flooding at worst, and the unsightly pooling of water on patios and driveways at best. Here, we explain why your new driveway or patio would benefit from the […]
WALL REMOVAL: IT’S NO JOKE
How can you carry out a wall removal without checking its structural elements? You can’t. What do you call a structural engineer with x-ray vision? You don’t. They don’t exist. And yet, some clients expect them to see through walls. Bearing the load If you’re removing an internal wall, you need assurance that the wall, […]
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
How many times have you clicked ‘agree’ without reading the Terms and Conditions? Whether you’re reading an article on a website or ordering a takeaway, click-to-agree T&Cs is usually part of the process. Click and Accept As website users who routinely ‘clickwrap’ (yes, it is a thing), our unquestioned left clicking flicks aside any concerns […]
BIM FOR BEGINNERS
Caution: Do not read the following if you know anything about the design, construction or maintenance of buildings. They say you should write about what you know. If an afternoon on Google looking up 3D modelling qualifies as knowledge, then I agree. Here’s what I think structural engineers mean when they say BIM. BUILDING INFORMATION […]
PROBLEMS WITH DAMP
All buildings have acceptable levels of humidity, but any excess moisture in the structure of a building will eventually lead to damp. Property owners need to be able to recognise signs of damp and put measures in place to prevent it from occurring in the first place. IS CONDENSATION THE SAME AS DAMP? Condensation isn’t […]
SUBSIDENCE: THAT SINKING FEELING
Subsidence affects about 40,000 homes a year in the South East. Much of it is down to good old London clay. This type of soil expands and shrinks depending on how much moisture it contains. When movements in the earth cause your foundations to sink, you may have subsidence issues that affect the structure of […]
BUILDING WALLS – BRICKS AND MORE
Don’t you think we take walls for granted? If it wasn’t for people building walls, we’d be sleeping a few feet away from strangers, wouldn’t we? There are walls between your house and mine so that you and I can have our own dwelling spaces. Walls ensure the preservation of a priceless quality: privacy. WALLS […]
HAPPY BUILDINGS, HAPPY PEOPLE
Wellbeing is big business these days. Wherever you work or study, you will have access to information about the importance of good mental and emotional health. You might be encouraged to take up sport, to cut down on smoking or drinking, or to take up a hobby. You will undoubtedly be aware that better physical […]
A CRACKING TALE
With rising living costs, I want to spend as little as possible maintaining the exterior of my home especially if this entails paying somebody else to do it. I’m only going to worry when I need to. I’ve chucked a tub of filler at a few niggling cracks so I’ll just check on the internet […]
LOOKING FOR BEAM CALCULATIONS?
Be they original, customised, exposed or concealed, beams keep your house from falling down. You can have solid foundations and sturdy walls, but beams are the elements that provide support and structure to your property. BEAM THERE, DONE THAT… A beam is a horizontal or vertical length of wood, metal or concrete. It can also […]
STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING ISN’T…
Having quizzed Laytoe’s structural engineers, I know that what they don’t do is assemble or repair the bits that keep a building upright. No nuts, no bolts, no lefty-loosey or righty-tighty. They don’t appear to engineer or even fix anything. Structural engineering isn’t what I thought it was. WHAT IS IT THEN? Structural engineering is […]