sobo

Given that scenario, and not quoting a "firm" price (as you stated), and me not being a structural engineer, I would tell Matt between $40k-$60k, and allow for a 30% contingency. Everything works back from there. And of course... Opinions of Cost, Financial Considerations, and Schedules In providing opinions of cost, financial analyses, and schedules for the project, SOBO has no control over cost or price of labor and materials; unknown or latent conditions of existing equipment or structures that may affect operation or maintenance costs; competitive bidding procedures and market conditions; time or quality of performance by operating personnel or third parties; and other economic and operational factors that may materially affect the ultimate project cost or schedule. Therefore, SOBO makes no warranty that MATT’s actual project costs, financial aspects, economic feasibility, or schedules will not vary from SOBO’s opinions, analyses, projections, or schedules.

Mark, You add several salient points. Recognize that my list was not meant to be all-inclusive. Hence, the "and surely more" qualification in my post above.

You're not being silly, but why would you want to do that? IIRC, you had several other objectives for your trip. You were lining up Adams, Hood, MSH, and Rainier (to Muir). Just go and get on one of those.

Boots: Leave the plastics at home and take the leathers, assuming that they are doubled. Lightweight leather summer hiking boots are NOT recommended in October. Jacket: Either one, but if you take the puffy, make sure you have a shell to protect the down from getting wet.

Difficult to quantify without having several variables known. We will firstly assume that an engineer competent in the field will be engaged to generate the design. Then... 1a. Will it be designed by the registered engineer acting professionally (that is, for a fee and the PE stamps/seals the design)? 1b. Or will it be designed by the registered engineer acting charitably (that is, pro bono and possibly no PE stamp/seal affixed)? 2a. Will plans and specifications be required (that is, for submittal to a regulatory and/or approving agency)? 2b. Or will it be built off "the back of an envelope" (that is, from some crude sketches/conceptual drawings)? 3. Will permitting costs be included? 4a. Will the labor be union and/or prevailing wage (that is, will this be built as a Public Works project)? 4b. Or will the labor be donated (that is, charitably by friends, benefactors, etc. a la Habitat For Humanity)? 5a. Will the materials be purchased by private citizens (that is, at Hope Depot, Lowes, etc.)? 5b. Or will the materials be purchased at a construction supply warehouse and at Contractor Price schedules? 5c. Or will the materials be donated by a local construction contractor (that is, say in exchange for publicity)? 6. Will the land upon which this project is to be constructed be purchased, or will it be donated? Clearly, there are several unanswered questions, and surely more, that could add dramatically to the currently envisioned total project cost. For similar reasons, on every contract for engineering services that I write for my firm, I am required to have the following statement prominently displayed in the contract: Opinions of Cost, Financial Considerations, and Schedules In providing opinions of cost, financial analyses, and schedules for the project, ENGINEER has no control over cost or price of labor and materials; unknown or latent conditions of existing equipment or structures that may affect operation or maintenance costs; competitive bidding procedures and market conditions; time or quality of performance by operating personnel or third parties; and other economic and operational factors that may materially affect the ultimate project cost or schedule. Therefore, ENGINEER makes no warranty that CLIENT’s actual project costs, financial aspects, economic feasibility, or schedules will not vary from ENGINEER’s opinions, analyses, projections, or schedules. Now that may seem like CYA to a lot of the people on this board, but you'd be hella surprised at the number of clients out there that think that once you estimate a project cost for them, it's cast in stone for the life of the project.

OK, so it has a little more history than 1997. I'll give ya that... But everybody remembers the line from GWH.

As ivan has noted, it's from the 1997 film, Good Will Hunting. There is a memorable scene where Matt Damon's character (Will Hunting) is challenged by Clark the College Puke (Scott William Winters, the guy on the left in the photo below) to acquire the phone number of a certain female student named Skylar (Minnie Driver), whom both The College Puke and Will Hunting are in competition for her attention. The Puke asserts that Will is of singularly low breeding, and that Skylar would never deign to release her digits to such a member of the proletariat as Will. By contrast, The Puke fancies himself as being from a much purer gene pool, and clearly he will emerge from the wager with Skylar's contact info. Will locates Skylar, chats her up, and leaves their conversation with a scrap of paper upon which she has written her phone number. While walking down the street shortly thereafter, Will chances to spy The Puke enjoying a light repast in a local cafe. Will takes the paper upon which Skylar's digits are inscribed from his pocket, plasters it up against the window opposite The Puke's table, and shouts through the glass, "Do ya like apples!!??" Initially surprised, The Puke recovers quickly and replies churlishly, "Yeah.", in response to which Will utters the snappy rejoinder, "Well, I got her number. How'd'ya like them apples?" Hence, the origin of DPS's comment.

Damn...we tried to get that bridge!! We did get the index bridge waaaay back when... Didn't your firm and another (in a JV or partnership) win the D/B of the new Tacoma Narrows Bridge? I'd say that's a true winner and quite a prestigious grab... Yah!! that job was one to retire on! I worked on the cutting edges for the caissons, the caissons themselves, the orthotropic deck and the cable saddles...Sometimes my job sucks but there are moments that leave me speechless! Yah! So quit yer complainin'! Yeesh!

Apology accepted. Your basic "catwalk" would be ideal in this case. What is commonly referred to as a "Burma Bridge", as the OP stated on Page 1 of this thread. It is technically referred to as the negative camber catenary suspended bridge. See Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom for the classic Hollywood example. Or the Capilano Suspension Bridge, from waterboy49's link on Page 1 of this thread, for a more modern contribution to the genre. If proper selection is made, it wouldn't be the cables. More likely it would be the anchorages. They have the most unknowns and therefore would require the most study. If high winds are a concern, just close the bridge/treehouse until more favorable conditions prevail. If all is engineered rigorously (connections, anchorages, etc.) and materials selected properly (cables, slats, suspenders, etc.), then there is no reason to anticipate a failure, assuming proper O&M. Take the Capilano bridge as an example - the bridge has never failed as a result of its engineering. It has been in operation for over 120 years. As I like to remind my clients, "There's no substitute for good engineering."

Working there would beat the alternative, no?

2:50 ::

Your wife's a Director of Public Works? Where? Can you get me a job?

Damn...we tried to get that bridge!! We did get the index bridge waaaay back when... Didn't your firm and another (in a JV or partnership) win the D/B of the new Tacoma Narrows Bridge? I'd say that's a true winner and quite a prestigious grab...

Too anxious, eh? OK, we'll remember to slack off on our "anxiety" a bit when we come around to engineering anything for you and your family... FYI, engineers have a professional AND ETHICAL DUTY to protect the public in whatever we design and build. This duty can be traced all the way back to Babylon, in the Code of Hammurabi. See Canon #1 below, from the American Society of Civil Engineers Canon of Ethics. 1. Engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of the public and shall strive to comply with the principles of sustainable development in the performance of their professional duties. (emphasis added) From here: ASCE Canon of Ethics, which is required reading for all registered professional civil engineers in America. Adherence to the Canon in its entirety is compulsory and mandatory - it is not discretionary. Yeah, we're just too damned anxious about that "safety, health and welfare of the public" thing...

Good one, Dan!

+1

Wow! Two posts in 10+ years. I think that's a record here. ivan, what do you say?

Nah, he could do that anywhere.

Matt- Camp Prime Time near White Pass is a charitable organization benefitting terminally ill children that I have been involved with over the years, donating sweat and civil engineering talent. They recently completed an ADA-compliant treehouse project. The treehouse is not anchored to the trees, but "floats" on supports that allows the tree to continue growing without restriction. I don't remember the name of the treehouse consultant that donated his time to the design, but I could easily find that out for you if you're interested. It was a USFS requirement that the tree not be damaged or killed (Camp PT is on USFS property). Scroll to the bottom of the linked page for construction photos.

They should at least lock them up in their own homes instead of a jail cell. Galileo is rolling in his grave fer sure...

AH! Now I get it. I had the definition of a true suspension bridge in my head, and let my civil engineering career get in the way of my rational mind. I was thinking you were planning to build a true suspension bridge (like Tacoma Narrows, Golden Gate, Brooklyn, Verrazano, etc.), where the deck is suspended from above by suspender cables hung from the main (near-parabolic) cables, which is a very different structure than what you are planning, which is a simple suspension bridge, also known as a rope bridge, where the deck is supported by the main cables themselves and form a catenary curve. With the curve sagging, the result is a nagative camber, which is why Seattle Bridge is calling your bridge concept a negative camber catenary suspended bridge.

Let me get this straight, matt... are you considering the tree in the ravine (the one with the planned treehouse in it) is going to be one of your two backstays? Or is it to be one of two towers? Does this bridge completely span the ravine and the treehouse is a "dropping off" point? I'm having a difficult time imagining this bridge in my mind from what you've described. If you're planning on using the "treehouse tree" itself for a backstay/anchor and the terminus of the span, I think you'll find that you're in for some serious stability issues in the long run.

Yessir! Consider it done! Mmmmmmmm, Maryhill Winemaker's Red... It was a verrrrrrrrrry long day today.

Yeah, I haven't left yet. OK, time to go... NOW!!!

I think OW is just spoutin' some Crazy Talk... get it??