15 Critical Structural Issues Found in Residential Addition Plans
Missing schedules, code violations, and calculation errors— surfaced before permitting and construction.
The Project
A residential addition project involving new foundations, steel columns, and a Lite-Deck concrete floor system connecting to existing wood framing. InspectMind reviewed the structural drawings and identified critical gaps in documentation, code violations in reinforcement detailing, and errors in design calculations—issues that would have caused permit delays and construction problems.
Sample Findings
Foundation plan labels footings as 'F3.0', 'F4.0', 'F6.0' but no schedule exists to define dimensions, reinforcement, or steel member sizes—creating circular references to missing information.
Details specify 1/2"Ø lag screws with only 2" penetration into existing wood framing to support a concrete deck system—structurally inadequate for the loads involved.
GB-1 specifies ties at 48" O.C., nearly 5x the ACI 318 maximum. Code limits spacing to d/2 (~10.5") for this member—a fundamental structural error.
The noted seismic formula multiplies by R/Ie instead of dividing—resulting in values 42x higher than correct. ASCE 7 requires Cs = Sds / (R/Ie).
Using the stated factors, Pf = 0.7 × 0.9 × 1.0 × 1.1 × 22 = 15.25 PSF. The drawing states 11.0 PSF—38% under-calculated.
Issue Categories
Foundations & Schedules
Missing footing/column schedules, grade beam specifications
Connections & Fasteners
Anchor embedment, lag screw adequacy, product specifications
Code & Calculations
IBC/ACI violations, seismic formula errors, snow load miscalculations
Document Completeness
Unresolved review comments, undefined symbols, missing information
Value Delivered
"The missing schedules would have stopped construction cold. Catching the code violations before permit submission saved us from rejection and resubmittal cycles."
— Project Team