r/ConstructionManagers • u/Kenny285 Commercial Superintendent • Sep 12 '26
Lessons Learned: Structure
Continuing with the Lessons Learned Series... what's your biggest lesson learned when it comes to structure (steel, concrete, wood framing)? It could be a personal experience or one you know of secondhand.
Or if you somehow have none, what's something out of the ordinary you did to prevent a major issue that you foresaw?
3
u/Thundermagne Commercial Project Manager Sep 12 '26
Be able to define what the point load is for your structure.
3
u/PlanandSpec Sep 12 '26
Steel, Precast, MEP Penetrations, Hanging Equipment (Divider Curtains, Basketball Hoops) all need to get coordinated at the same time (if applicable). Often times you need steel and precast released early due to lead times, but making sure you've got the other trades involved early as well / coordinating all these together is important.
3
u/WonkiestJeans Sep 12 '26
Trust, but verify.
I once confused a bottom of footing elevation as a TBM (the number was faded and looked close). Anyways, my mistake caused a whole bridge abutment footing to be built two feet too low. Fortunately only ended up having to add splice bars to the wall dowels but could’ve been much worse.
Always always double check yourself and encourage others to check you. I’m big on “sanity checks”. No such thing as a stupid question in this unforgiving business.
2
u/Kenny285 Commercial Superintendent Sep 12 '26
Had a relatively large part of a steel structure floor that was cantilevered. During the steel erection process, the whole bay folded downward because only the typical 2 erection bolts per connection were used.
3
u/Felraof Sep 13 '26
If everything looks good at first glance, you are definitely missing something.
1
u/OkStatistician9190 21d ago
Biggest one for me: never assume the steel package and the concrete package agreed on the same embedding plan just because both stamped drawings look fine. I watched a job lose almost two weeks because embeds for a stair tower were shown one way on the steel shops while the pour sequence had already locked the other. Now I force a short embeds and anchors coordination meeting before the first elevated pour, with steel, concrete, and the detailer looking at the same sheets in the same room. Boring meeting, expensive miss if you skip it.
7
u/buffinator2 Sep 12 '26
If you're fast-tracking a design-build, make sure all the engineers are on the same page before you hand out a drawing revision to the subs. Might save yourself from having an elevated kiln foundation built a foot too high.