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You are throwing a tantrum because you don't want to be the pioneer
Not exactly a "tantrum", but yes, apologies to the community at large for my "attitude problem".
Seems like everything is based on entrenched interests protecting themselves against any innovation that might impact their profit margin; wood products are no exception.
It's frustrating.
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The building codes haven't made any signifigant change, the local policies changed when the new director stepped in.
We set out for a steel frame house only to find there are no local engineers who will touch the designs anymore and this is a slab on grade single story. The engineering would need to be sent to an engineering firm in Honolulu. Those costs and the time to get the calculations would both be astronomical.
The majority of Puna along the rift and south of the rift is now subject to a new siezmic designation, placing the majority of the region under stiff engineering requirements NOT designated by code. For some odd reason, the local engineers won't touch steel projects in this area.
Obviously there aren't many engineers willing to put their insurance on the line under the circumstances, also, the days of only an archectural stamp are pretty much gone with the exception of the most basic and smallest of wood structures. Also, expect slabs to be well over the neccesary requirements now. The old crede of not building over whats neccesary has been tossed out the window in the majority of Puna.
Long and short, we were forced to go with wood frame as there was no reasonable choice otherwise. Not in this region, not anymore.
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The wood mafia seems to be in charge. I am having to get engineering on single story plans. The issue with steel is the engineer the county hired doesn't know steel at all. He admits it. That's a rather uneducated engineer.
Steel is not a rarity in modern construction... it is a mainstay. As much as they pretend to like wood frame the fact is that wood frame has become so distrusted in seismic engineering that wood has become an infill between steel Simpson connectors.
The engineer the county hired is from L.A. Wanna guess what no longer exists in L.A.? Affordable housing.
That is our future. Housing for the wealthy only.
Frankly the way the building department is dealing with this looks like restraint of trade to me. That is illegal. Requiring something from one business (steel framing) that they don't require from a competitor. If they aren't educated about steel they shouldn't be asking the public to pay for their education. They should bone up on the subject on their own dime.
Assume the best and ask questions.
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That is our future. Housing for the wealthy only.
The wealthy better get used to cooking their own food, taking out their own trash, and cleaning their own toilets.
Frankly they way the building department is dealing with this looks like restraint of trade to me. That is illegal.
I agree 110%, but it will take a Federal lawsuit, which County will then simply ignore, just like they did with "community planning".
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Does the county's engineer have a Hawaii license?
Just checked the hawaii engineers association website. It's sponsored by "Simpson"
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A "wood mafia" does make perfect sense: there's an entire industry built around it, because it has to be treated, and painted, and tented for termites, and painted again...
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I just want to know why life-sized legos don't exist.
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The Chinese have worked out a 3D printer for buildings which is pretty close to "life-size legos".
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All plastics including Legos slowly ooze out toxic gasses into the atmosphere. Ever bought a brand new plastic item from walmart or like store? How about brand new car smell? It's the plastics. Well they have an odor that fills the room/space you're in. That odor slowly goes away as you get used to it but it continues to "breathe" out gasses. I'm not sure if plastic will ever be a good option because of this.
I agree with Rob about wood being a poor option here to frame with. One question though" How long before the steel frame starts rusting here in our humid environment? What kinds of problems does the rusting steel frame of a house present and how do you prevent yours from rusting Rob?
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I've had galvanized steel exposed to the weather for over 20 years with no sign of any problems. I did some research on lifespan studies of galvanized steel and the worst lifespan was 100 years for electroplating. The highest was 375 years for hot dip. All my exposed metal was treated in the same manner as offshore oil rigs - hot dip galvanization.
Like anything else though workmanship matters. Cut ends of steel parts should be sprayed with cold zinc just like hibor is supposed to be dipped or painted on cut wood ends. It is always the weakest link where problems arise. Wood is a poor inventment. Why the County shows wood such preference is shear intellectual laziness.
Assume the best and ask questions.
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