brick piers biiger than specified

I wonder if someone can make a quick comment on this:

I have some builders (a very reputable local firm) currently removing a load bearing wall from my victorian house. The structural engineer has specified two pad foundations and two piers to support the steel beam.

Problem: the builders have built piers that are much thicker than specified.

I have contacted the manager; he says his 'men' have told him the piers match the specification but he is going to come in and take a look. He said they might have had to enlarge the, because of the way the bricks keyed into the existing wall. Specification: Pier A: 220mm x 220mm (1 brick x 1 brick) pier B: 220mm x 330mm (1 brick x 1.5 brick) the 220mm sides are adjacent to the existing wall and keyed into it.

Built: Pier A: 330mm x 330mm (1.5 brick x 1.5 brick) Pier B: 330mm x 440mm (1.5 brick x 2 brick)

Any comments from people expoerienced in this kind of thing would be most welcome. Is this plainly a mistake, or does the brick-keying sometimes force you to enlarge piers by 1/2 brick in each dimension like this?

Robert

Reply to
RobertL
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Why not get the structural engineer back to take a look?

Reply to
mike.peppert

Why is it a problem? Its going to give a stronger job and only sticks out by a small amount.

Reply to
The Medway Handyman

It might not be a problem, we've yet to decide what to do about it. yes, it is stronger and that is on the plus side.

Although it is only an extra 100mm on each side of each column, but it is quite a small room and it does make a visual difference. but there's also the question of the extra weight (about 16%) placed on the pad foundations. This is probably OK but i'd need the engineer to express an opinion.

Are piers are sometimes specified as a size + an extra 100mm, for example, as "220x220 with an extra 100mm on all dimensions"?

Robert

Reply to
RobertL

an update: the bricklayer just rang me from the house. Apparently he misread the spec and built hollow piers with a voids inside. the voids are where the pier actually should have been!

He is rebuilding them.

Thanks for people's comments.

Robert

Reply to
RobertL

If he was such a reputable builder he should have queried before building anything so ridiculous! Hollow piers??? Maris

Reply to
Maris

Sounds like they went to an easy to build size - 1.5 bricks..which allows a deecent attractive bond going two by two and rotating 90 degrees is possible, but doesn't allow keys into the wall..

Anyway, knocking it down and redoing isn't the end of the world.

Brickies cant read plans anyway.

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

He obviously is a reputable builder. 'He is rebuilding them'.

Reply to
The Medway Handyman

Can make construction easy if using very hard bricks to an odd size - the void them being filled with concrete.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

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