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
