In this installment of the ‘Hiring an Architect’ series, I address the most common question I’ve heard over the years from potential residential clients- “What? Me, hire an architect?” In my experience what they’re actually asking is;

“Can I afford an architect, aren’t they expensive?”

“Can’t I just by a builder house or buy plans from a book and still end up with what I want?”

“Isn’t an architect just going to design what they want and ignore me?”

These questions weigh heavily on clients, in reality; they couldn’t be further from the truth. However, hiring the services of an architect is not for everyone. Not everyone is building a custom home or taking on a significant renovation/addition. If you are considering/making such an investment, why not hire an architect to assist you in getting what you want? If you want your home to reflect who you…

Found some interesting information that will help educate the public. The following are definitions from MBMA (Metal Building Manufacturers Association) Metal Building System Manual. The definitions define the 2 basic types of standing seam roof panels.

HYDROSTATIC:
Metal panel systems that are designed to withstand being submersed in water for a period of time are called hydrostatic panels. Hydrostatic roof details rely on sealant to keep water from infiltrating the joints and seams. Hydrostatic roof details can be used at almost any slope (1/4:12 minimum).

HYDROKINETIC:

Metal panel systems that are designed to shed water are referred to as hydrokinetic. Hydrokinetic roof details are typically devoid of sealant and rely on water to freely shed over the joints. Hydrokinetic roof details are not to be used on roof slopes below 3:12.

Also found the following information at ehow.com.

Define a Structural Standing Seam Roof
By Ann Salter, eHow Contributor
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We are proud to re-launch the Metal Spotlight (formerly Standing Seam Spotlight), an educational blog for architectural and construction professionals.

Here you will find useful information about metal roofing, wall cladding, and edge products, as well as design, testing, code compliance, and other related information. We will present short articles covering a variety of topics that we hope will be helpful to you.

For more information about IMETCO, visit us at http://imetco.com.

Thank you for your interest!

Such a daunting prospect when looking for a builder, especially when we are bombarded with programmes about so called cowboy builders. However, all is not quite as doom and gloom as it may seem. Obviously as with any trade or industry you will still get those bad eggs that will rip you off and the building trade is no exception. But sometimes these bad experiences can be avoided with good strong communication and expectations from both parties. As a company we don’t provide domestic or residential work we only deal with commercial properties but it doesn’t mean that we still don’t come across someone prepared to cut corners or overcharge us, we need to be vigilant too. Whether you’re a business or a homeowner, here are some tips that can help you with any upcoming building work.

Know what you want

First thing is to have a clear idea of…