Recommended by sealed plans

[Mr. Inspector]

Please help me understand this. I have this odd note on a sealed plan for a house that I am doing a plan review for. Normally we don't require a geotechnical report or sealed plans for a house. But by the engineer that sealed this plan saying that they recommend a geotechnical report and foundation design recommendations be made by a registered engineer specializing in geotechnical analysis, does this mean it's required? In other words if the sealed drawing recommends something does that mean it's required?

This is the note:
The foundation for this structure has been designed in the absence of a geotechnical report. It is recommended that a geotechnical investigation be preformed by a qualified agency and foundation design recommendations be made bu a registered engineer specializing in geotechnical analysis. The current foundation design is subject to change based on the geotechnical engineer's findings.

 

[ICE]

The current foundation design is subject to change based on the geotechnical engineer's findings.

I have seen the word recommend on plans and I have tried to get whatever was recommended. For example, swimming pool plans have such things as clean gravel under perimeter slabs and expansion joints at the slab to bond beam interface ... both are "recommended" and when a contractor refuses, there is no way to force the issue.

However there isn't a paragraph full of words to go with it such as is the case that you bring. The last sentence takes it out of the recommended condition and into "well what about this".

 

[mark handler]

It is a CYA. The Engineer may Assumptions/Guesses with the foundation design.
It is up to the AHJ or the owner, to require it.

 

[classicT]

If the engineer sealed the plans, then it is not required. They have recommended the geo report as a CYA. But given that they have signed and sealed the plans, they are condoning the continuation of the project without the geo report for the basis of their design.

Generally speaking, I would not hold this up and would proceed with the review.

 

[tmurray]

Normally, we would see the design assumptions included on the plans (such as assumed soil bearing capacity). Recommended geotech is a new one for me though.