As a consulting engineer to cities and
counties, I have seen the number of
structural problems in wood-frame construction
grow during the latest
building boom (see Figure 1). Many of
these problems did not exist a few years
ago. These problems are not serious
enough to cause failure or collapse. But
they do cut into the minimum factors
of safety engineers use to establish safe
building design. And, they create longterm
problems in the durability and
service life of buildings. Moreover,
they haunt contractors with repeated
call-backs and sometimes lawsuits.
Reasons for Structural Problems
One cannot expect contractors to
know all there is to know about today's
buildings. The construction industry
has been changing fast – so fast that
builders