Perfect Design

We are working on a project with a local contractor who we have done several projects with over the past few years. He approached us a few months ago with a potential office building project here in the Fort Wayne area. His client initially had another firm look at the project using design concepts he had come up with. It became clear that the clients design concepts were a little “over the top” and needed to be simplified in order to stay within the established construction budget. So, PDMi came up with a modified design using the criteria set forth by the client that would give him an architecturally pleasing design while incorporating the function and flow that he needed inside the building. When my contractor friend showed him the conceptual design we had come up with, his immediate reaction was “I love it!”. The issue was that he hadn’t taken time to really study the plan. It turns out that we had made a few compromises (relocating a mechanical room, making his storage room smaller, re-designing the second floor office space, etc.) that did not fit perfectly into his vision and specific needs. After he took some time to look at the plan, he gave us feedback which allowed us to make his space flow better and we were able to implement his feedback in a manner than worked perfectly for him.

I tell you this story to remind you that not every design is perfect on day one, many times it takes several versions of the initial design to find the right fit. Had we gone with his initial reaction of “I love it!”, we would have compromised on some of the items that were truly important to him. Remember, it’s a lot easier (and much less costly) to make the changes on paper ahead of time rather than after construction has started.  

If we can be of help on any of your future design needs, give us a call. We would love the opportunity to develop a perfect design for your next facility…

Solid Foundations

We were with a client recently who had one of his tenants run a fork truck into a column damaging it quite extensively. As you can imagine, this is cause for major concern as the only thing holding up that portion of the roof is that specific structural member. The real kicker was that the column had been run into many years ago, twisted like a spaghetti noodle and then encased in concrete for added “support”. As we stood in the facility looking at the twisted column, we noticed the next column to the left had a large portion of the bottom sliced out of it (another causality of the fork truck). Needless to say, our client spent a few $$’s that day getting columns repaired. Thankfully the foundations of the columns had not been damaged. Setting a good foundation for your column is imperative so that column replacements can be done easily and effectively.

Planning for your next building project is a lot like setting the foundation for your columns. Building foundations support the superstructure from settlement and failure. Similarly, planning provides the base to keep your project from veering too far right or left before it ever gets started. There will always be outside factors that can throw the project off course, just like a fork truck running into your column. As long as you start with a solid foundation of planning in the beginning, “repairing the column” during the building process is an easy fix to keep you focused on the end goal.

At PDMi, we can help you establish that solid foundation on your next project. Give us a call so we can put our experience to work for you.

Snow Drifts!

Well, it is that time of the year, when one day it is a crisp morning and the next day you are shoveling snow from your roof. For those of you that love to play in the snow, I am happy for you. For those of us that would rather be boating at the lake on a warm day in July, our time is coming! The reality is that during winter there is snow. Snow can be fun, but it can also cause damage to your facility. I tend to get a little nervous when I see all of the drifted snow lying on a roof! Many times serious problems are just around the corner. So I wanted to share some helpful tips on the safest ways to remove the excess snow from your roof and protect your roof members.

• Visually inspect your roof system to identify any unusual deflections of beams or joists. If areas are found, start removing the snow at about one third of the depth at a time as to not cause an unbalanced loading condition on the roof members.

• The shoveling pattern should progress from each side of the building towards the center. On larger roofs, it is recommended that additional people work from the center of the building to the ends.

• Never use metal shovels to “scrape” the roof down to the surface. Remember, the objective is to relieve the excess loading condition due to the weight of the snow, not to completely clear the roof panel of all snow and ice. Attempting to scrape the roof may result in broken fasteners, tearing, fractures or holes which could create roof leaks. 

• Keep gutters, downspouts and roof drains open and free flowing to prevent water back-up and ice build-up on the roof.

• Always be watching for extreme deflections of the roof members and listen for unusual noises. When snow and ice build-up on your roof, it’s always a good idea to listen and to watch. Your building will speak to you!

Snow can be fun, but it can also be the cause of structural failures and water leaks. Give us a call; we can help in identifying unsafe conditions at your facility.