The Avery County Mountain Retreat

The Avery County Mountain Retreat

Our Role in the Project The Avery County Mountain Retreat was a fun project for us here at Areté Engineers; providing structural plans for a home from the ground up. Steel and timber design was our main focus for this project and for good reason. Perched on the side...
“Achieve a proper bearing before you go out staring.”

“Achieve a proper bearing before you go out staring.”

The Structure: Imagine waking up everyday to enjoy your morning coffee on the back deck with a view like this! However the view wouldn’t be quite as enjoyable if the deck you were on was not structurally adequate. This particular deck underwent moderate settlement due...
“Don’t be square put some rebar in there”

“Don’t be square put some rebar in there”

The Structure: The foundation of this mountain residence in beautiful Boone North Carolina was built using typical CMU (concrete masonry unit) walls that appeared to be ungrouted and unreinforced. These certain factors can cause a number of structural problems to...
“Walls that retain should be built to remain”

“Walls that retain should be built to remain”

The Structure: If you look out the back door of the majority of residences built in the high country, the chances that you will see a retaining wall are pretty high. Retaining walls are an extremely prevalent way of holding back soil. This particular one is a tiered...
“Fill is heavy, keep it steady”

“Fill is heavy, keep it steady”

The Structure: Although the views are magnificent atop beautiful Beech Mountain, they come at a risk. Like many residences that are built on this extreme slope, they are built using extremely high CMU (concrete masonry unit) foundation walls. Fill material is then...