Blog | CSES Engineering

Upstairs Kitchen Revised

Written by johnapolis on November 17, 2011

large holes cut in wall plate

This homeowner was frustrated and worried, because he had hired a plumber to install an upstairs kitchen, and felt that the wall framing was unnecessarily butchered during the installation of plumbing. This fellow is a typical diy-er, spending money for plumbers and such only when necessary, and trying to do most things himself. (This engineer is often that way, himself.)

I spent an hour or so with him, laying out how to fix the framing that was damaged, easing his fears where they were misplaced, and addressing other problems and questions he had, so that he could finally pass his plumbing inspection and complete the project. Like an episode from “This REALLY Old But Improving House.” A few straps, a few nails, and all was much better.

a venting problem

Retirement Villa Structural Inspection

Written by johnapolis on November 17, 2011

Retirement Villa

I was called by my favorite Real Estate Agent to help a buyer decide if this is the right house. They are concerned that this definite fixer might have serious problems with basic structure. And, although many parts of the house need maintaining or repairing, I discovered that the basic structure of the home, its bones and sinew, are all working well and in good repair. I checked the walls, foundation, structural beam and joist framing, among other things. There was some damage to the lower floor masonry walls, but that appeared to be owner-inflicted! My agent and her client were pleased with the result, and although the house requires some serious fixer-upper investment, I believe they decided to go ahead with the purchase.

Hillside Failure Remediation

Written by johnapolis on November 16, 2011

Destabilized Hillside

I was called out on a site visit to take a look at a backyard slope.

Behind the house was a beautifully finished backyard, with multiple terraces down to a deck overlooking a ravine. This fall, mudslides carried quite a bit of soil away from the deck supports. What soil that remained was saturated with water; the contractor had already installed a supplemental drainage system to carry water away from the slope. Above, the terraces were visibly sagging downhill. With the slope in this condition, it was likely that a good portion of the backyard would slide into the ravine. The owner was worried about loosing her backyard, and had a contractor rearing to go, so we needed to get the design ready fast.

Working in cooperation with a soils engineer, we designed a 10′ retaining wall to hold back the soil at the base of the backyard. The retaining wall was comprised of steel pipe piles driven vertically into the ground, with 2 rows of anchors driven back into the soil at an angle to support the wall from falling outwards. Wood lagging was placed behind the driven piles to keep the soil from falling through, while allowing water to seep through the cracks. We used relatively small piles and anchors, as everything had to be hand-constructed, due to the difficulty in getting heavy machinery onto the site. This was a very specialized design, as the site conditions were very difficult.

I will be making several visits to the site in the coming weeks, as the work progresses, to ensure that the piles and anchors are installed correctly.

Inspection For Home Sale

Written by johnapolis on November 15, 2011

Slope erosion threatens the foundation.

CSES Engineering was retained to inspect and provide an opinion to a potential buyer of an upscale home in North Seattle. The home is relatively new, and is situated on the edge of a steep slope. Poor erosion control during the original construction led eventually to undermining of the foundation. We were able to recommend cost-effective repairs, and provide information useful to the buyer in his negotiations with the seller.

Undermined Foundation Support

Basement For New Baby

Written by johnapolis on November 15, 2011

Patel & Joe residence proposed section

This client’s home is located in a fine neighborhood in Seattle, and they wanted to improve their basement, in time for a new baby! CSES provided structural design, and the project is now almost complete. Along the way, we helped to solve a number of problems with the existing construction – problems common to many older homes in Seattle.

Some posts and existing structure were relocated

New Retaining Wall

Written by johnapolis on November 15, 2011

Queen Anne Residence

A local Queen Anne landscaper, retained by the owner in Seattle, called CSES to help with the design of a new retaining wall to support a rebuilt garage and some beautiful landscaping. CSES engineers helped to save construction cost with timely suggestions on wall configuration.

retaining wall is about to fall

the neighbors' garage

Upgraded South Seattle Rental Home

Written by johnapolis on November 13, 2011

This rental house is to be upgraded.

The owner purchased this house with plans to convert it into a quality rental. The house looks small from the front, but is situated on a hillside, and the ceiling height in the crawl space behind is about 12 feet! The owner called CSES to put together plans and submit for permit, and eventually retained a contractor we had recommended. This is a return client for CSES – we had helped her several times in the recent past, to solve problems in her own home.

Basement Crawl Space

Rental Rear View

Garage Structure Repair

Written by johnapolis on November 13, 2011

damaged garage interior

This homeowner shares a garage with his neighbor. The garage is located on the edge of a steep slope, and ongoing soil movement had undermined the foundation, which was in poor condition to begin with. CSES was called to address problems related to that substantial settlement to one corner of the garage, both to repair the structure and to help alleviate the ongoing soil movement. CSES assembled a design team consisting of us, a geotechnical engineer, and a contractor to design repairs and make the garage useable again.”

poor foundation

shared garage

Fire Escape Improvement

Written by johnapolis on November 11, 2011

Classic Fire Escape

This fire escape for a Seattle classic downtown hotel was struck by trucks in the alley several times a year. CSES Engineering, in cooperation with Acme Fire Protection, redesigned the lowest level to be less susceptible to future collisions.”

Basement Remodel

Written by johnapolis on November 11, 2011

Edwards Residence

Ms. Edwards basement was dank and cold, not a pleasant place to hang out in. CSES helped to design improvements which increased the ceiling height, added interior rooms, and brought much more light into the space. This can be accomplished either by dropping the floor slab elevation, or by raising the home above. As an added plus, the contractor is able to improve the sloping main floor of the home.”

Edwards Basement

Edwards Basement 2