MMY has added a new white paper on Residential Bearing Wall Removal.  We’ve noticed that there’s been a noticeable increase in the number of residential remodeling projects that have come through our office in the last year.  People are choosing not to move or build new and are instead improving the home where they currently live.  One aspect of these remodels is Removal of Bearing Walls.  Whether for creating a more open floor plan or trying to get the pool table to fit in the basement, removal of a bearing wall can be a practical option. This article addresses some of the questions people have and gives some suggestions on what to consider when contemplating removing a bearing wall.

Consider this a gift from your friends at MMY!  Check out the MMY Adjust-O-Scale, which allows you to scale drawings that are anywhere between 1/16″ = 1′-0″ to 1/4″ = 1′-0″ with a graduated scale.  This is great for when you get a pdf that’s not to a specific scale and you need to check a dimension.

Two projects MMY engineered were recently featured in Midwest Home magazine (December 2009) and the Star Tribune newspaper home section (January 10, 2010) respectively. Kudos to our Architect friends at TEA2 Architects, Charlie and Company and Swan Architecture.

Having a project featured in articles is always a nice pat on the back that is well deserved, particularly for the architects who must do so much to make a project a success. We are happy to see the projects featured in articles as it means that the owners are pleased with the results. We helped the project succeed by ensuring that the structure behind the architecture is sound and economical.

Mattson Macdonald Young provided structural engineering services for a residential project recently featured in the Star Tribune Sunday Homes section.  The design of the new rural house was covered in a previous Case Study, see “Progressive Farmer Residence” to the left.  Eric Bunkers worked with Rehkamp Larson Architects to create a traditional looking farm house which utilized many energy efficient systems and building materials.  For more information,see the article here along with photos (opens in new window).

Mattson Macdonald Young was mentioned in the Star Tribune for its work on the renovation of a residential attic space.  MMY worked with Domain Architecture & Design to create a more open space in a once divided attic.  See the article here along with photos (opens in new window).  Joe Cain worked with the architects to provide the open feeling while maintaining the structural integrity of the space.

MMY becomes a little bit greener by having another LEED AP on staff. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, and was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council as “nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings.” Ken Green joins Chris Hartnett as being a LEED Accredited Professional at MMY, having taken and passed the LEED AP exam. MMY has already been involved with several LEED certified projects. Learn more about LEED at the USGBC’s website.

MMY is happy to welcome two new additions to our family.  Both of our Melissa’s are celebrating “life-changing events!!”  Melissa Moening became Melissa Breiter when she married Pete in April.  Co-workers and friends were well represented at the ceremony and reception.  Damaging pictures and videos are up for auction on Ebay.  Sorry Eric, you’ve already been outbid.

Melissa Stolsky and husband Ben announced that they are expecting a baby in September.  We’re of course delighted by the news and are awaiting the first pictures — we found out ultrasounds can do more than locate rebar in concrete, who knew?!  Rumor has it that Ben has already started shopping for skates for the baby and has plans to have him or her on the ice this coming winter.

As one of the few structural engineering firms that has long provided services to homeowners and residential contractors, we’ve gained a great deal of experience specific to these types of projects.  We’re sharing some of that knowledge as we create more of the Residential Information White Papers. We’ve just added an article on Basement Wall Cracking (2.2 Mb) and discuss some of the causes of these cracks and some options for repair. Feel free to contact us if you have questions.

David Macdonald was honored in December, 2008 by AIA Minnesota at their annual awards banquet. David was given a special award by the organization to recognize his creativity, skills and clever solutions in his service to the architectural community as a structural engineer. The award that he received reads: “AIA Minnesota presents this Certificate of Award to David Macdonald for outstanding skill and creative solutions for the architectural profession as a structural engineer”.

Read the full announcement here.