| I'm a custom builder in SoCal and I can say a lot about what you are talking about. There are a few main issues with construction of a house that pop up all the time: 1) Most people just want the cheapest possible. So most contractors are used to dealing with that. Even if it's not really the cheapest long term, and makes no sense. 2) Perspective and incentive. Does your framer know, or care how much money/time engineered lumber can save when it comes time to drywall/tile/etc? Not really, because his material cost in the bid will go up, and he doesn't want to be noncompetitive. 3) Most people think the code is very rigid. There is a section of code that is prescriptive, but there's also a section that is engineered/calculated which is what makes the code very flexible. You can do pretty much whatever you want if you can show it will perform. 4) Guys are afraid of callbacks/lawsuits. So they tend to want to do the same thing, the same way. Keep doing what has been working. There is a lot of resistance to trying new materials, methods, etc. Even if they aren't new, they may be new to that contractor. And they are (rightfully) wary of the training time, and increased likelihood of making a mistake doing something for the first time. So they will send bids with the "fuck you" price. 5) If you want to use some material/method that is not super common, sometimes you are best off asking for references at the suppliers. That way you can try and get a competitive bid instead of asking a guy to do something he doesn't want to do. 6) IDK what you are talking about regarding the foundation. Usually a contractor is just going to follow the plan, and do what the structural engineer says to do, as the structural engineer has to sign off and do inspections. So it makes bidding and executing quite simple. I've spoken to engineers about different foundation strategies. If you want a big, thick, mat foundation I don't see why the engineer wouldn't be open to that. They are very simple...no contractor will care or bat an eye. |
That section of the code requires a PE stamp.
PEs don't work on residential houses unless it's a mansion or a cookie-cutter subdivision.