Stumbled on an old spec that said we were over-engineering floor joists by 20%

Was digging through some archived blueprints from a 1990s project last week, and I found a note from the original engineer. He had a hand-written calculation showing the span ratings were way conservative compared to what we use now. Like, we're adding extra lumber and cost for no real reason... got me wondering how many other old specs have hidden gems like that. Anyone else run into outdated standards that changed how you draft?

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wright.rowan11d ago

Had a buddy find a 1980s spec requiring steel beams where wood would've done fine, saved thousands on his reno.