Notice how the workers, who had no previous experience in metric found once they used it they liked it.


County having hard time measuring up to metric

By AUDREY PARENTE
Staff Writer

Last update: September 17, 2004

Engineer Robert Bullard's latest project -- a $1 million-plus, seven-level home on the ocean in New Smyrna Beach, designed to withstand the toughest of hurricanes -- ran into some unexpected turbulence recently.
But the tumult had nothing to do with hurricanes Charley or Frances.

The problem arose when Bullard, 61, developed his design for the multi-level house in metric measurements and Volusia County building officials turned down his initial request for a permit.

The house, according to the metric plans, is about 185 square meters which, to most builders, would mean about 2,000 square feet. The house is designed to fit on a 50-by-50 foot oceanfront lot.

The outspoken engineer, owner of Absolute Engineering Group of Daytona Beach, said officials were being "xenophobic," not unlike the rest of the United States, which has largely ignored the federal government edict that, by the end of 1992, use of the metric system of measurement is required.

"It's the law but there's no provision in the law for enforcement whatsoever," Bullard said. "Ninety-four percent of planet earth uses metric measurements in their daily lives. We are the six percent not using it and sabotaging our own productivity by not doing it."

A Volusia County Construction Board of Adjustments and Appeals finally saw it Bullard's way and said he could go ahead with his plans. Construction has begun on the project and Bullard said he will continue to use metric on his future project designs.

Augie Kaelber, 41, lead carpenter on this project, who has built about 50 homes, said this is his first-ever metric project. He bought a Stanley conversion tape measure, which has both inches and millimeters, to help him get the measurements right.

"I've got to double-think everything to not have confusion but, once you get it down, it's pretty simple," Kaelber said. "It's a lot easier adding millimeters together than a bunch of fractions."

Blake Cougle, 52, a building contractor for the project, said this also is his first metric project since he began in business in 1980. He's built about 70 homes, two on speculation, the rest under contract.

At first, the metric plans for this project caused him "a lot of head scratching," Cougle said. But then he figured out that "metric works the same as our monetary system, in 10s, 100s and 1,000s, and you can do the math in your head."

Still, he can't "think in metric" all the time just yet.

"I still think in feet and inches and convert," he said. "Take a concrete block, for instance. If it's 25 millimeters to an inch; that means 100 millimeters is four inches and that means the standard concrete block of eight inches is 200 millimeters."

Given all that, Cougle further explained that a block is actually 7 5/8 inches and the addition of mortar makes the eight inches.

"We double check -- measure everything twice and cut once," he said.

Bullard, who has been in business for 35 years, earned his bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from Tulane University (California) and a second bachelor's degree in civil and hydraulic engineering from the University of Costa Rica.

The Sanford native worked during his early career on a 10,000-acre land development for National Homes Corp. in Texas.

In 1973, Bullard began his own business in Daytona Beach and has designed more than 1,000 projects, including 25 hurricane-resistant homes along Volusia County beaches. This is his first completely metric project.

"You have to start somewhere and it's long overdue," he said. "I am rebelling against an archaic and dysfunctional system. The most fundamental technology in the world has not emerged in the United States because of the xenophobic underlying attitudes."

Dennis Hall, chairman of the Volusia County Construction Board of Adjustments and appeals, said the members felt, although it would be "somewhat of a burden to the building officials to deal with, it was time that metric be used."

But inspection officials are not accustomed or trained to deal with metric, Hall said.

"It will take some education," he said. "For this single project, it's probably self-education but I would hope that it will become part of the ongoing education of the building inspectors."

Hall doesn't think that will happen quickly.

"I believe it's a baby step toward using metric in construction, to the degree that entire blueprints and plans will be in metric," he said.

Very good! It states the obvious imperialists are closing their eyes to.

What? you mean casually ignoring the use of metric units in houses on the European continent?

Surely we wouldn't want to do that?

Carly And Eric - what a marriage eh?

(I'd like to suggest that only eric read the cut and paste boring rubbish planted up there by his terrible twin, btw - what d'you think?)

"Ninety-four percent of planet earth uses metric measurements in their daily lives. We are the six percent not using it and sabotaging our own productivity by not doing it."

NO NO NO
94% of governments
.00001% of people

When will government be for the people again? Only when the filth has gone.