HomeMy WebLinkAboutEngineer's Letter - Structural Observation 11.12.2019EVOLVE
1040 MAIN STREET . CARBONDALE, CO 81623 (970) 510
November 12, 2019
Josue Pizarro
High Country Building Group
(970) 319-5596
highcountrybg@hotmail.com
RE: Structural Observation of Fire Damage
4359 County Road 331, Silt, Colorado
Josue,
•
RECEIVED
DEC 0 3 2019
GARFIELD COUNTY
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
As requested, on November 1, 2019, we observed the conditions of the fire damage to the existing structure at
the residence noted above. The purpose of our report is to summarize the extent of the observed structural
damage and to make general structural recommendations. Please note that our findings are based on visibly
exposed conditions as seen during our visit.
We were informed that the fire occurred on October 11, 2019, that it started at the southeast corner of the
garage and that it was extinguished fairly quickly. Still, no specific details of the burn time were known. At the
time of our observation, the cause of the fire was unknown. The majority of the garage wail framing and all of
the roof framing had previously been removed from the site.
The residence was built in 1996 and was remodeled in 2005. The above grade structure is conventional wood
framing and the garage is attached to the main house. The garage framing in place during our visit included the
west wall, the south and east walls of the mechanical/storage room within the garage, the dividing wall between
the main house and the ceiling framing over the mechanical/storage room. All main house framing remained.
The top of the garage foundation was observed to be an insulated concrete form (ICF) wall. It is assumed that the
wall is reinforced and extends down to a continuous frost depth reinforced concrete spread footing, but nothing
below grade was exposed.
Observations
- The garage roof framing was assumed to have been prefabricated wood trusses, as there was no visible ridge
beam penetration or support at the dividing wall to the main house.
-- Portions of the south face of the dividing wall and the top half of the storage/mechanical walls were slightly
marred by the fire.
- The framing of the west wall of the garage was minimally affected.
- The ICF's melted during the fire and remnants are visible at the exposed portion of the east concrete foundation
wall, both faces. The concrete showed some signs of improper consolidation during placement.
- No pink discoloration, cracking or spalling of the concrete foundation wall or slab was observed.
Recommendations
- It is typical that the interior and exterior finishes exposed to the fire would be replaced or cleaned and treated
for smoke and residue damage. Upon removal of the finishes and wall sheathing, the framing to remain shall
be reviewed for any further damage.
Structural Observation - 4359 County Road 331- Page 2 of 2
- The anchor bolts showing visible signs of exposure to the fire shall be cleaned and treated as required to protect
them from potential corrosive effects of residues created during a fire.
- The concrete slab and foundation walls showing visible signs of the fire shall be cleaned and reviewed for any
damage not visible during our initial observation.
- Adequate temporary bracing for the south end of the west garage wall shall be installed if it is to remain until
reconstruction.
- Al! new garage framing shall be designed and built to meet current code requirements. Further verification of
the existing foundation system will be required to confirm its structural adequacy for current code.
Please note that the opinions expressed within are based upon non -intrusive observations and that no testing or
analysis was completed. Due to the unknown fire temperature, concrete mixture specifications, and duration of
the fire there is a slight possibility that the concrete was damaged internally without showing visual signs of
distress. A concrete testing agency could be engaged to exclude this possibility as required.
If additional information becomes available, the recommendations within may be modified. If any further visible
irregularities of the structure are noticed, please notify us.
Should you have any further questions regarding this matter, please feel free to contact our office.
Sincerely,
Evolve Structural Design LLC
Sara Mickus, P.E.
Principal