One of my pet peeves is building utility elevations. As I drive around my neighborhood and visit other coastal sites, I see countless examples of brand new mechanical equipment (generators, A/C pads, electrical meters, etc.) set below the design flood elevation....
Blog
Zoning Enabling Simplified
Written for Developers, Builders, Engineers/Architects interested in Zoning Enabling On January 1st 2024, the state of Rhode Island passed what we in the industry refer to as “enabling legislation” with the explicit goal of creating more housing stock to alleviate the...
Dock, Dock, Goose
Co-written w/ Ed Avizinis, CPSS, PWS | Avizinis Environmental Services avizinis.com One frequent question we get, particularly for folks purchasing waterfront parcels is: Can I have a dock? We love docks, many of us in the office are boaters, surfers and sailors, and...
Raising Houses part 2
This article is intended for homeowners with non-flood compliant homes, who may be considering raising their home, or performing a major addition or renovation. The requirements surrounding these practices are complex, and this article is not a substitute for...
Raising Houses part 1
This article is intended for homeowners with non-flood compliant houses, who may be considering raising their home or performing a major addition or renovation. The requirements surrounding these practices are complex and this article is not a substitute for...
Filling in Flood Zones – a strategy for mitigating nuisance flooding
Filling in flood zones is a complicated subject. As a consultant, it can be a challenging recommendation to offer. The case is a fairly simple one to make: building sites are not often improved and it may be a once in a lifetime or a once in a 50 year period...
Sea-level rise presentation by Neal Hingorany with the Aquidneck Island Climate Caucus
Last month I took part in a discussion with Rep. Terri Cortvriend and Rep. Laura Carson about Aquidneck Island sea-level rise and the subsequent coastal planning that's taking place. I was also joined by Mark Thomspon (Newport Restoration Foundation) and Bob Rulli...
Project Planning, Design and Contract Procedures
The main goal of the project planning phase is to provide proposals and estimates to clients that are clear and comprehensive. We want our clients to be able to understand our proposals (and have a clear total) so that they have reliable figures when they do their own...
What’s Your Budget?
Understanding a client’s project budget is crucial for the design and planning process. Some clients are often unwilling to divulge specific budgets, for a variety of reasons. This can lead to an inefficient or ineffective design process. The core of this post is to...
CRMC and RIDEM – Environmental Permitting in Rhode Island
* This article is not a suitable replacement for a detailed and site-specific project review by a consulting Surveyor, Engineer or Architect. This is intended as an overview which will enable clients to understand the necessary permitting pathways for project...
V Zone Foundation Construction – in photos
Today you'll learn what a V Zone is! Using soils, geotechnical data and site information (as well as site data, the flood zone, grades, architectural design, etc.), we are able to design an appropriate foundation for any home or structure. How that’s done deserves its...
Surveys 101
If you’ve landed here, you probably need a survey done. You’re in the right place. What this post attempts to do is outline the general types of surveys available and provide a few examples of what types of surveys work for what types of problems (e.g. I want to...
Septic Systems: Everything You Never Wanted to Know
This article is principally for homeowners in Rhode Island who are building a new home or looking to have a septic system designed. We perform system designs (Title V) in Massachusetts, but MA predominantly uses conventional septic systems with some rudimentary...
Building in Flood Zones – a Client Primer
The first thing I would say to a new client about new construction or a substantial rehab (>50% building value) in flood zones is don't do it, unless you can afford to lose it. First time homebuyers, homebuyers financing a significant portion of the property, and /...
Basements: A hole in the ground you put your stuff in…
Basements can be great, if they are well designed; if you just went out and dug a basement sized hole in your yard, chances are it would fill up with water sooner or later. Part of our job is to make sure that does not happen.nbsp;Basements are a relatively...
Droning on…
Using UAV’s for land surveying, development, and modeling. UAV, UAS, RPA, RPV, RPAS, etc. are all (generally) abbreviations for what’s commonly known as a “drone.” They are all good terms, we’re going to stick with UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle), which is a good enough...
Don’t get too high while you’re building, but get as high as you can. (Building Height Restrictions in Rhode Island)
UPDATE: APRIL 8TH, 2019: ***Currently, the "new" building height definition law that became effective March 1, 2019, requiring measurements to be performed from average existing grade, or the Base Flood Elevation is being usurped on multiple fronts. Municipalities...