COMPLETED PROJECTS
Seismic Moment Frames
- This project involved the seismic retrofitting of a three story apartment building. After all design work and final engineering was approved by the city of Menlo Park, demolition and construction was started. The intent was to brace the building with two sets of “moment frames” that would prevent the building from buckling in a seismic load. Large footings were excavated and filled with concrete which had 1 inch thick steel base plates embedded in them. Heavy “I” beam assemblies were fabricated off site and then brought down to be installed into the structure. The building was reassembled and finished to have no appearance that these steel structures were in place
- San Carlos
In-Ground Room Addition In Pacifica
- These owners wanted to add a room addition to their property, on a hill, in Pacifica, but also did not want to block their fabulous view of the Pacific Ocean. HTCI was introduced, and invited to bid on this project, after the soils and structural engineers had already completed their design work to achieve this. The design concept was that of excavating into the back side of the down sloping property. About 100 cubic yards of soil would need to be removed and hauled away, by hand, which was quite a major undertaking. 18" diameter piers would have to be drilled 20 feet deep, using a portable drilling rig, to anchor the structure to the hillside. There would be an 18" steel reinforced concrete mat-slab along with three steel reinforced concrete walls that would hold back the hillside and provide structural walls for the room addition
- San Carlos
Engineered Structural solution to extend existing deck
- This customer had a deck structure that was failing, structurally, at it’s piers, and also at it’s framing. The concrete piers were failing as they were not deep enough into competent soil, and the failing framing had dryrot and fungus damage. HTCI referred the owners to a Geo Technical Engineer, for the pier situation, and a Structural Engineer for the issues involved with the new framing. The owner also wanted to extend and increase the “footprint” of the existing deck. The new deck surface and guard railings were to be composite material, and the guardrails were going to be tempered glass. When all designs were complete, HTCI bid on the work, and was awarded the contract. As part of the agreed upon contracted work, HTCI was responsible to obtain permission, through the owners Homeowner Association, and also the Belmont Building Department. All approvals were obtained, and work began. Some of the existing deck structure was still sound, so house jacks were set into place to “arrest” the existing structure in position, while work was performed. Some main components were removed, and new ones were installed. The Geo Technical Engineer recommended digging the pier holes down to competent soil. There was no access for drilling equipment, to get to the three piers needed, so they were excavated by hand. These pier holes would reassemble “vertical” “mine-shafts”, in that they were shored with lumber as the men excavated downward. The piers had a footprint of 2 feet by 3 feet, and in the end were 16’ feet deep. Steel cages were placed into the pier holes and concrete was pumped into the holes. Pressure treated columns were installed onto the new piers that then extended up to a new pressure treated structural support beam. All soil and structural aspects were continuously inspected by engineers and building inspectors. New composite decking and guardrails were installed, along with tempered glass. The owner was able to use much of the existing structure over again, saving a great deal of dollars in the budget, and increased the existing “footprint” of deck by 50%
- San Carlos
Engineered installation of Steel I Beams and metal braces to support failing concrete retaining wall.
- his customer was dealing with a neighbor on his property line, that had formally complained to San Mateo County, about his concrete retaining wall that was in total failure. My customer answered this complaint by hiring a Geo Technical and Structural Engineer to design a minimal concept to “arrest” the existing concrete wall in place, to save on the cost of the project. HTCI was hired to install the Steel I- Beam “solution”. HTCI redesigned, with the approval of the Structural Engineer, the “hands” that would extend out from the Steel I- Beams and hold the concrete sections in their current positions. The original “hands” concept were to be made of concrete, which HTCI suggested steel tubes and plates welded onto the I-Beams instead. The Structural Engineer agreed that this was a better alternative. Due to the limited access to the existing wall, all 20’ deep pier holes had to be drilled with a portable hydraulic drill rig. The I-Beams weighed about 1,200 pounds each, and had to be set into the pier holes by hand, with the help of a portable crane, designed and fabricated by HTCI. Concrete was pumped into all of the piers to fix the I -Beams into place. Steel tubes with metal “hands” were welded, onto the Steel I-Beams, between the existing concrete wall sections and the new Steel I-Beams. In addition, ¼” x 12” x 32” steel bands were installed to hold the failing wall together. This job required building inspections, special inspections, and certified welding. All steel was primed and then coated with a gray enamel. In the end, by not removing the existing concrete wall sections, and starting over with a whole new wall design, our customer saved more than $200,000.00
- San Carlos
Structural Pier And Mat Slab Mitigation At Creek Edge
- HTCI was called out to a Belmont residence, by the owners, to assess the erosion damage caused by high creek level, and flow, from rainstorm and a very large tree falling over in very close proximity to their home. The damage to their creek shoreline was extensive. Approximately 100 tons of their yard was washed down the creek, and the tree had to be removed. The biggest concern was that their garage, which was now only five feet from the (new) creek shoreline, was being compromised and, if there was any more erosion, could slide into the creek. Another big factor that played into the problem was that, arguably, the area of failure and need for construction work, was right in the area of "The Riparian Zone" as defined by CDFW (California Department of Fish and Wildlife), WQC (Water Quality Control) and also The Army Corps of Engineers. These agencies are very strict in how their creeks, other bodies of water and shorelines are to be managed. There is a JARPA (Joint Aquatic Resource Permit Application) that must be filed if work, of any kind, will be performed in the "Riparian Zone". Knowing that this would be an extremely expensive endeavor, HTCI suggested working with those various agencies, and demonstrating to them that the work would not be done in that Zone. The owner did most of the work to achieve this, with the help and guidance of HTCI. Besides the agencies already mentioned, the owner and HTCI also worked with The City of Belmont (Public Works and Building Departments), an ecological company to develop reports on the plant and animal life in the area, a soils engineer and a structural engineer. At the end of this nearly two-year long journey, it was decided to drill a 24" diameter hole down through the soil adjacent to the garage foundation that would be 8 feet below the creek bed, set a steel cage into that pier hole and capped the entire area with a 20 foot by 5 foot steel reinforced concrete mat slab. This new structure was kept out of the Zone and served to support the garage foundation. The shoreline was repaired, the garage was resupported and none of the three agencies were directly involved.
- San Carlos
Steel I Beam Retaining Wall in Belmont
- As a result of a failing wooden retaining wall, the owner’s concrete driveway started to crack and fail. As the wall continues to fail, cracking and failure became worse. In order to prepare the project’s site, BMPs were practiced by installing straw wattles, silt fences, and safety cones. Once BMPs were in place, demolition was begun. Demolition involved removing the strip of concrete, excavating behind failing walls and removing walls.
- Redwood City
Keystone Block Wall in Redwood City
- Footing compacted, the first row of Keystone Blocks in place, filter fabric installed and drain pipes installed:
- A second level of Keystone Blocks in Place:
- Installing the Second level of Keystone Blocks:
- Redwood City
Retaining Wall in Hillsborough
- Demolishing and Grubbing:
- False Steel “I” Beam Wall and Temporary Road Construction:
- Drilling Pier Holes and Removing Spoils:
- Installation Crane:
- Pouring Concrete into the Drilled Holes with Cages:
- Finished Concrete Lower Wall:
- Damaged Drainage Pipes to be Repaired:
- Finished Concrete Walls with Reinforcing Steel Stubbed out for New Walls to Connect to:
- Hillsborough
“Water-Main Break” in Belmont
On June2, 2017 a water main break/failure occurred in Belmont that created a, 2 hour long, river of water that undermined a 25 cubic yard void under two neighbors concrete driveway slabs, carved a football filed length “rill” (mini-canyon) approximately 6’ wide and about 5’ deep through the those neighbor’s back yards and deposited 90 cubic yards of soil and mud (a mud slide) onto the street and into a neighbor’s house below. In addition, a sizable crack occurred in one neighbor’s concrete retaining wall, apparently from the buildup of water behind it. This event created a great deal of damage, a very big mess and left a situation that was precarious at best, and dangerous at worst.
- Belmont
Engineered structural repair in San Carlos
- This project was an engineered repair of an existing elevated driveway, which included some new framing, all new concrete driveway, new guardrails and stair structure.
- San Carlos
Engineered repair of elevated driveway in San Carlos
- This engineered elevated driveway structure required extra steel reinforced concrete piers, portions of the damaged support structure to be replaced with new pressure treated framing and a sister beam to be installed under the garage, and above the bathroom ceiling as necessary extra support to the dry rotted existing beams.
- San Carlos
Structural repair of elevated deck in Half Moon Bay
- This elevated, second and third story deck structure, was considerably damaged by dry rot and subterranean and dampwood termites, to the point where major structural beams and other structural components had to be repaired and replaced. All new TimberTech decking was installed along with all new tempered glass guardrails.
- San Carlos
Engineered Deck Structure in San Mateo (new)
- This project involved the demolition and rebuilding of a three story deck structure at the rear of the residence. Being that it was three stories up meant that there had to be a Geotechnical Engineer involved, to test the soil strength and a Structural Engineer to design the foundations and framing for the deck.
- This was a multi level elevated structure with attachment points to the residence and a "moment-frame" for seismic events. The structure also had a central staircase which led to the lower level of the yard, which included ornamental iron guardrails.
- All aspects of the construction required Building inspections by the San Mateo Building Department and also "Special-Inspections" by the respective Engineers on the project.
San Mateo
Steel “I” Beam Wall in San Carlos
- Demolishing and Grubbing:
- Setting Steel “I” Beams in Concrete:
- Installing PT Laggings:
- Installing Drain System:
- Finishing All Site Work:
- San Carlos
Solid Concrete Driveway in Woodside
This was an entirely engineered project that required the involvement of soils and structural engineers. The homeowner had experienced a total failure of their elevated driveway. Upon investigation by the design team, it was discovered that it would be necessary to engineer for a load of a 25-ton fire truck.
- Woodside
Second Story Deck Structure in San Carlos
This was a second story deck, demolish and install, in the exact footprint as the original. The condition of the deck was that it was nearly falling down. The beams and joists were mostly dry rotted with the decking in as bad a condition.
- San Carlos
Rebuilding & Armoring Creek Bank in San Mateo
- Installing Boulders in Eroded Bank:
- Finished Site Condition:
- San Carlos
Open Space Balcony in Woodside
Helped design, fabricated and installed custom deck balconies. Owner constructed a custom home with doors leading out into open space. So along with an architect and an engineering company were worked together to build something that could attach to the outside surface of house that would support people walking on it.
- Woodside
Landslide Repair and Keystone Block Retaining Wall in Hillsborough
- Dewatering of Creek:
- Installing Rip-Rap Boulders:
- Installing Keystone Block Walls:
- Finished Keystone Block Walls:
- Protecting Project During Winter:
- Engineered Retaining Wall
- San Carlos
Landslide Repair and Keystone Block Retaining Wall in Daly City
Due to a terrible rainy season, the owner found herself in a “nightmare” situation, with a mudslide on their rental property threatening a home down the hillside. The owner had been working with a contractor that was dragging her feet and not committing to building a retaining wall because of the dangerous hillside and the urgency with which it needed to be completed. Thankfully, the owner decided to get another bid and that’s when she met Ray.
- Daly City
Elevated Driveway and Ornamental Iron Project In San Mateo
This was a completely engineered project that involved drilled piers, structural framing, a concrete slab and ornamental iron. The existing elevated driveway had suffered dry rot damage and need to be mostly demolished. Once new piers and a large footing have installed, a frame was constructed to support a poured concrete driveway.
- San Mateo
Steel “I” Beam Wall with Fence Atop in San Mateo
HTCI was hired by this owner to build a team of engineers to design a Steel “I” Beam Wall, 6′ foot tall wooden fence and drainage system. After many months of design work and varied challenges, a permit to construct the project was obtained from the City of San Mateo.
- San Mateo
Drain System in San Mateo
HTCI was contacted by these owners with a troubling problem. They had water intrusion in several of their rooms due to water migration and percolation from the soil in and around their home. They had hired a Geotechnical Engineer that had done a survey of the situation and had come up with several designs and suggestions to resolve the problems. HTCI reviewed these designs and decided to bid the project, The suggestions included trenching around the perimeter of residence, reworking the downspouts, regrading areas around the structure and reconnecting the outfalls of the accumulated water to the front connections at the street. All of the work was permitted and the Geotechnical Engineer was the “Special Inspector”, for all of the construction.
- San Mateo
