Structural Design by Jackson & Sands Engineering

 

Structural Design

Structural Design focuses on the design of individual components and systems that are required to support buildings and walls.  There are a multitude of methods to consider when designing structural components.  At Jackson & Sands Engineering, we consider the construction costs and practicality of our engineering decisions and focus on providing our clients with value-added designs.  These designs include:

• Commercial tenant infill and structural design
• HUD permanent foundation inspections
• Ground mounted solar arrays and foundations
• Residential energy calculations
• Residential structural design
• Retaining wall design

Jacksonandsandsengineering.com

Custom Home Design Process

 

Having a home designed for yourself may seem daunting, and it can be if you’re unprepared. If you want to go through this process easily, we suggest being prepared on multiple accounts.

Be prepared with an overall budget for your project.

Be prepared with an idea or multiple ideas of what you want in the design.

What type of layout?

How many bedrooms?

What is the overall size of the home?

What terrain is it being built on?

What are the key features that are most important to you?

And many more.

Be prepared to make decisions. A custom home design is for you; ultimately, the decisions are up to you.

If you have budget and/or size restraints, be prepared to make decisions on tradeoffs. The bedrooms could be smaller if you can still get the kitchen and living rooms you love.

Be prepared to review the plans as they progress through various design stages. Changes that occur at the end of the process typically cost significantly more than changes throughout the process.

At Jackson & Sands Engineering, we work with you each step of the way. We highly encourage you to have a contractor on board as well. They can provide cost estimating, and having them on board early allows them to better plan and schedule your project to get started once permits are issued.

The first step to complete is determining your home size restrictions.

Where is the septic tank located?

What easements are in place?

What are the required property line setbacks?

What is the size of the buildable area?

What is the property zoned for?

Are there minimum or maximum home size restrictions from the CCRs or HOAs?

Read more here.

https://jacksonandsandsengineering.com/

Welcome To Jackson & Sands Engineering, Inc.

Let us know if you have any questions or have any architectural or engineering needs. We have two locations to serve you:

1250 East Ave. #10 Chico, CA 95926 and 900 East Main Street, Ste. 109 Grass Valley, CA 95945. 

Call us at 530-715-7184 and see more on our website at https://jacksonandsandsengineering.com/.

ADUs Help Improve Your Local City

California’s housing production is not keeping pace with demand. Less than half of the needed housing was built in the last decade. This lack of housing impacts affordability, with average housing costs in California exceeding the rest of the nation. As affordability becomes more problematic, people drive longer distances between a home that is affordable and where they work or double up to share space, both of which reduce quality of life and produce negative environmental impacts.

Beyond traditional market-rate construction and government-subsidized production and preservation,  are alternative housing models and emerging trends that can contribute to addressing home supply and affordability in California.

One such example gaining popularity is Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) (also referred to as second units, inlaw units, or granny flats).

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Jackson & Sands will be at Johnny Appleseed Days 2023!

 

October 7th and 8th

Jackson & Sands will be at Johnny Appleseed Days 2023! 

Come visit our booth! Plus, have fun with family and friends.

First held in 1888, Johnny Appleseed Days is the oldest harvest festival in the state! The 2023 fall festival will celebrate Paradise's orchard heritage with apple pie, ice cream, and fresh apples from Noble Orchards. Slices of apple baked in Paradise by event sponsor Save Mart will be served in the Save Mart Pie Pavilion.

Local businesses will share goods and services. Paradise will host artisans from all over the state and beyond, selling a variety of handicrafts. The ever-popular children's area, sponsored by Paradise Unified School District, will feature face painting, nostalgic games, and Johnny Appleseed with fruit and stories. Throughout the event, there will also be continuous hometown entertainment gracing the Gazebo Stage.

The food court will offer an outdoor seating area and a variety of delicious food.

For event information, CLICK HERE

Are all engineering designs treated equally?

As is the case with most professions, each individual will come up with a different solution to a given problem. All these solutions should perform to a minimum standard, but at what cost? And is there a benefit to a solution performing a little above or significantly better than the standard? These are considerations we continually make when completing our designs. For today’s article, I will focus on the structural aspect of residential designs and how value engineering can be applied.

All home designs in California must meet a minimum standard by complying with the California Building Code (CBC) or the California Residential Code (CRC). The CRC is viewed as a prescriptive code that can be used by unlicensed designers to design homes. This code has many charts and tables to help determine beam and joist sizes and spacing, minimum shear wall sizing, foundation types, and everything else needed to successfully design a home that meets the minimum standards. On the other hand, the CBC has many formulas, options, and other code or guide references, thus giving a guide to licensed professionals. In both codes, the design process is not linear, meaning you do not go from steps 1 to 2 to 3. Instead, you make one decision, and based on that decision, you open up several other choices (all of which would meet minimum requirements), then decide on the next, and so forth. With so many options, the same home could be structurally designed by hundreds of individuals, and each design will have a different outcome. Some of these will vary by minuscule details, while others will vary tremendously.

It is through this process of design decisions that will ultimately influence the cost of constructing a home. This makes home design more of an art form than a solid science. And it is here where we at Jackson & Sands Engineering pride ourselves in taking the time to analyze these decisions and create cost-effective solutions. We can make more cost-effective judgment calls throughout the process through our experience in designing hundreds of homes over the years and our in-depth knowledge of constructing homes (gained through years of actually building homes).

We strive to reduce the number of hold-downs required with our shearwall designs as we are continuously reminded by our contractors of the labor cost associated with installing hold-downs, let alone the labor cost associated with installing forgotten hold-downs (which happens more often than one would expect due to the sheer number of hold-downs required by some designs).

We always consider the cost of materials and connections during our design process. We often compare the cost of many options for a certain component. We could lower the material costs by having more connections and/or layers. Still, these connections may be labor intensive and, therefore, more cost-effective, using more expensive materials and less labor, resulting in the best end value.

If you are curious how we can help you with your next home design project, please feel free to reach out and contact us today!

https://jacksonandsandsengineering.com/

Solar For Homeowners: A Conversation With Jim Hammond

Conversation with Jim Hammond, owner of Hammond Electric

I recently sat down with my good friend (and cousin) Jim Hammond to discuss solar for homeowners. We discussed the pros, cons, evolution, and current code requirements.

Jim is a 3rd generation electrician and California native. Jim’s father, Gary, started Hammond Electric in 1980. Since then, Hammond Electric has provided professional electricians to many facets of the industry, including residential and commercial wiring installs, managing telecommunication sites for PG&E, and installing solar systems.

What strides has solar technology made in the past 20 years or so?

There has been a huge swing in technology. The efficiencies of a solar panel have greatly increased, so much so that the watt rating of panels 20 years ago was about a quarter of what they are now. Additionally, the inverter technology has dramatically increased over the years, with current invertors being 96-97% efficient. With these increases in efficiency, today’s solar arrays can produce more power with a smaller footprint.

Safety concerns abounded with solar systems years ago. Fire departments deemed solar systems on roofs unsafe to work near as the systems provided live power with little to no way to stop that power in an emergency. Now, systems are built with multiple fail-safes that can cut power and allow firefighters to safely access roofs without the fear of electrocution.

What are some common misnomers about solar, and how does the power generation work?

Solar panels with inverters are a power generation source. However, this power generation source does not directly power your home. This part of the system can be viewed as a charging source for the grid or batteries. The grid (or batteries) then provide your home a steady, clean power source. So, the biggest misnomer is homes that have solar panels will have power when the grid is down. Unfortunately, this is not entirely true. Homes with solar panels and a battery backup will have power (to the extent the battery can provide) when the grid is down.

Additionally, just because a home has solar panels (and battery backup, for that matter) does not mean they have enough to satisfy all their power requirements. Jim has seen firsthand how this misnomer has played out. A solar system is installed on a new home, and at the last minute, the big-ticket gas appliances (hot water heater and HVAC systems) are replaced with heat pump alternatives. Now, the home is using more electrical power than ever intended. The solar system is undersized and needs to be supplemented with power from the grid or additional panels and inverter. Even though heat pump technology has come a long way and become much more efficient than it once was, Jim cautions that the gas counterparts are typically still the more efficient choice. 

Where does Hammond Electric install solar systems?

Solar systems are being installed all over. The largest area of installation is grid-tied systems for residential homes. These systems are tied to the community electrical grid, thus powering the grid and eventually powering homes and businesses. But this is not the only place to install solar. Having solar installed on RVs and houseboats continues to increase in popularity. Hammond Electric is currently building an off-grid mobile office. In time, this type of office may be able to provide remote construction projects an alternative power source, thus eliminating the need to run generators constantly.

What should someone do if they are considering a solar system installation?

Jim recommends completing some research. He recommends reviewing wholesale solar to learn more about solar size requirements. This site has good customer service and resources for homeowners. Additionally, PG&E has published some great documents on its website. One of these documents is a great guide to help get you started. Jim also believes getting multiple quotes is a must.

How do you find Hammond Electric?

Hammond Electric is based out of Yuba City, serving approximately a 75-mile radius, and can be found on Facebook, Instagram, and their website.

About our “Conversation” series

As part of our conversation series, Jackson & Sands Engineering Inc. will talk with related industry professionals to help provide homeowners, contractors, developers, and more resources and knowledge.

Small Home Plans Plans Are Available for IMMEDIATE Download!

Home plans come in many different shapes and sizes. On this page, we are focused on the small house plans. We have thirteen plans to choose from. These plans range from simple 1-bedroom to 2-bedroom plans, compatible with a small cabin in the woods to a beach house to a cottage. These small house plans can also be utilized for guest houses and farmhouses. Please complete the form below to gain access to small house floor plans and elevations to be used as a starting point in your designs!

Download Your Free Plan Here.

Honoring American Workers. Happy Labor Day!

 

Jackson & Sands Engineering

Introduction video for Jackson & Sands Engineering.

At Jackson and Sands Engineering Inc., the client comes first. Our mission is to provide creative and cost-effective engineering and consulting services to the public, private sector, and Government agencies by using sound engineering judgment. We do this ethically and with a focus on developing and maintaining long-term client relationships. 

See more at JacksonandSandsEngineering.com