Questions for Next Week's Civil Engineer Meeting

Peter's high-school friend at the county civil engineering office. Ranked by what unblocks the most other decisions.

Tier 1 — must answer to unblock budget

1. What's the realistic site prep cost range — low, likely, high? Single biggest unknown in the budget.
2. What does it include? (clearing, grading, septic vs sewer, water source, electrical service drop, driveway, frost-depth foundations, drainage).
3. What's the soil bearing capacity at the planned footprint? Affects foundation + slab thickness + PEMB column footings.
4. Rocky soil or cuttable? Changes everything for trenching, foundation, exterior conduit.
5. Local frost depth? Determines footing depth.

Tier 2 — affects design decisions still in flux

6. Public sewer connection on east side: gravity vs pressure, distance, depth.
7. Septic as alternative? If sewer is expensive, engineered septic might be cheaper.
8. Storm water management requirement? 7,200 sqft footprint + driveway = lots of impermeable surface.
9. Snow load + wind load + seismic for the site? PEMB engineer needs these.
10. Typical winter temperature range? Affects radiant curves, condensation, MUA tempering.

Tier 3 — practical / permitting

11. Typical permit timeline in this county?
12. Setback constraints? The 60'×120' footprint is fixed.
13. Sprinkler systems (NFPA 13/13R) required? Big design decision for exposed ceilings.
14. Building classifiable as residential or mixed-use? Affects energy code, fire separation.
15. County-specific energy code requirements? (IECC 2021 vs 2024 + local amendments).
16. EV charger requirements coming? Some jurisdictions moving toward "all new construction EV-ready."
17. Lightning protection code for metal buildings in this region?

Tier 4 — networking

18. Good geotechnical engineer for the soil report?
19. Good structural engineer experienced with PEMB residential?
20. Good mechanical designer who's done radiant + mini-split hybrids?
21. Has the engineer seen integrated kitchen exhaust systems like LDD-07?
22. Local utility lead times for 400A power + gas service?
23. Local lift / elevator service companies?

Bring to the meeting

• 1-page summary of the building program (use the program zoning diagram)
• Building footprint dimensions (120' × 60', four 30' bays)
• HVAC load envelope (~10–13 tons total)
• 400A service request
• Solar + generator + EV future capacity intent
• Korean BBQ vent CFM intent (~1,200 CFM mockup target)
• The $1.75M budget reality

After the meeting

• Update budget analysis site prep line.
• Update risk register R4 — close or downgrade.
• Update LDD-01 open items — close snow/seismic/wind.
• Update LDD-11 open items — airtightness target from local code.
• Update LDD-05 — confirm ERV requirement per local energy code.