My husband and I are building our first home and it is quite unconventional. It is a home called a pyramodule. We cannot get the plans from the architect until Feb but are trying to estimate how many piers we will need to support the home. It is a 20x20 foot area that will need to be supported. (For info on the uniqueness of the design please see http://pyramodule.com). Is their a way to estimate how many piers we will need? The photos of the home being built using logs to build the home is 9. We are planning on building with lumber and using regular concrete piers. Can someone tell me an average of how many piers a 20x20 building uses? Im sooo lost.
~Vertonia~
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The link is http://www.pyramodule.com/
There is a reason you are confused and frustrated. This is an important engineering decision that you should have an engineer decide after he visits your site.
briefly, here is why -
They must first know the weight of the structure, which apparantly is not fully designmed yet. Then they need to know the load bearing capacity of the soil on which you will be building. In simplest form, the next step is to calculate from that, the size of the footing area your home will require.
But because your home will not be simple, it may for instance generate wind loads different from typical structures, there will be other considerations.
If you live near water, flood codes will have an influence. If in a seismic zone, local codes for keeping integrity during an earthquake wil dominate.
So - a local soils and structural engineering firm should be contacted. Any place requireing a permit to build willlikely require it. And it is in your best intrest that they do so.
I applaud your sense of adventure, BTW!
Excellence is its own reward!
briefly, here is why -
They must first know the weight of the structure, which apparantly is not fully designmed yet. Then they need to know the load bearing capacity of the soil on which you will be building. In simplest form, the next step is to calculate from that, the size of the footing area your home will require.
But because your home will not be simple, it may for instance generate wind loads different from typical structures, there will be other considerations.
If you live near water, flood codes will have an influence. If in a seismic zone, local codes for keeping integrity during an earthquake wil dominate.
So - a local soils and structural engineering firm should be contacted. Any place requireing a permit to build willlikely require it. And it is in your best intrest that they do so.
I applaud your sense of adventure, BTW!
Excellence is its own reward!
