Residential Structural Design
DISCLAIMER
Before purchasing, review the rules of your licensing or certifying entity. It is your responsibility to confirm this course meets your CE requirements. See the credit tab on the course page for details.
What’s Included: Full webinar recording, written course materials, expert instruction, a mandatory quiz, and a certificate upon completion.
Deliverability Timeline: All courses are generally available within 1-2 weeks after the live presentation.
CE Credits: AIA and/or LA/CES accreditation is available by request for courses recorded prior to March 11, 2026. All courses after that date include those accreditations by default, if applicable. With these accreditations, our courses qualify for credit in nearly all states for engineers, surveyors, architects, and landscape architects.
Learn more about the on-demand format in our FAQ or contact us at (715) 835-5900 or customerservice@halfmoonseminars.org
Description
A roof collapses under a snow load nobody bothered to calculate. A foundation cracks because nobody checked the soil. A framing connection looks fine on paper — until the wind hits it wrong.
Residential structural design isn’t just code-checking. It’s the difference between a house that stands and one that doesn’t.
And with IRC provisions, wind, seismic, snow, and flood loads all stacking up, there’s no room for a guess.
So if you’re not sure how to size a footing, don’t have a clean process for combining loads, or want to actually build a home from the ground up instead of just reading about it, this training is for you.
Join Joe Lawendowski — a Professional Engineer with more than a decade of hands-on residential design experience across Alaska’s toughest conditions — as he takes you through loads, foundations, framing, and lateral design from the ground up…
…PLUS puts you to work in a live workshop designing the structure of an actual single-family home.
Drawing on the International Residential Code and real-world lessons from the field, this training will help structural engineers, civil engineers, architects, and builders design homes that don’t just meet code — they hold up.
Don’t let a missed load case be the reason a house doesn’t make it through the next storm.
Register now!
Agenda
Webinar instructions will be emailed 24-48 business hours before the date of the webinar.
Please log into the webinar 10-15 minutes before start time.
Tuesday, December 8, 2026
9:00 am – 4:30 pm CT (includes breaks)
Agenda:
Presented by Joseph Lawendowski, PE – Owner of Onsite Consulting & Engineering in Big Lake, AK
Understanding Structural Loads
- Types of structural loads
- General structural integrity
- Classifying buildings and structures
- Modifying and expanding existing structures
Residential Design Loads
- International Residential Code Structural (IRC) structural provisions
- Other standards and guidelines
- Dead loads
- Live loads
- Combined loads
- Wind loads
- Ice and snow loads
- Flood loads
Break
Residential Foundation Design
- Examining site soils and characteristics
- Determining bearing capacity
- Choosing a foundation type: footings, piles, basements, slabs
Frame Design
- Choosing framing materials
- Framing floors
- Framing walls
- Roof framing options
- Connection design
Break
Designing for Wind, Snow, Flood and Seismic Loads
- Wind resistance design
- Managing snow and ice loads
- Handling flood and wave loads
- Seismic design options
Workshop: Structural Design of a Single-Family Home
Webinar Instructions
All attendees must log-on through their own email – attendees may not watch together if they wish to earn continuing education credit. HalfMoon Education Inc. must be able to prove attendance if either the attendee or HalfMoon Education Inc. is audited.
Certificates of completion can be downloaded in PDF form upon passing a short quiz. A link to the quiz will be sent to each qualifying attendee immediately after the webinar. The certificate can be downloaded from the Results page of the quiz upon scoring 80% or higher.
Webinars are presented via GoToWebinar, an easy-to-use application that can be run on most systems and tablets. Instructions and login information will be provided in an email sent close to the date of the webinar. It is highly recommended that you download, install and test the application before the webinar begins by clicking on the link in the email.
GoToWebinar App requirements:
Windows 10 or higher, macOS 11 or higher, Linux, Google Chrome OS
Web Browser:
Google Chrome (most recent 3 versions)
Microsoft Edge (most recent 3 versions)
Internet connection: 1 Mbps or better
Hardware: 2GB of RAM (minimum), 4GB or more of RAM (recommended)
For more information, visit the Support section at www.gotowebinar.com
Credits
Engineers
6.5 PDHs
Architects
6.5 HSW CE Hours
AIA - American Institute of Architects
6.5 LU|HSW
ICC - International Code Council
0.65 CEUs (Building)
This webinar is open to the public and is designed to qualify for 6.5 PDHs for professional engineers and 6.5 HSW continuing education hours for licensed architects in all states that allow this learning method. Please refer to specific state rules to determine eligibility.
HalfMoon Education is an approved continuing education sponsor for engineers in Florida (Provider License No: CEA362), Indiana (License No. CE21700059), Maryland, and New Jersey (Approval No. 24GP00049300). HalfMoon Education is deemed an approved continuing education sponsor for New York engineers and architects via its registration with the American Institute of Architects Continuing Education System. Other states do not preapprove continuing education providers or courses.
The American Institute of Architects Continuing Education System has approved this course for 6.5 HSW LUs (Sponsor No. J885). Only full participation is reportable to the AIA/CES.
The International Code Council has approved this event for .65 CEUs in the specialty area of Building (Preferred Provider No. 1232).
While this course is designed to qualify for credit in all states, licensing boards have final authority with respect to acceptance of credits. We recommend reviewing the rules of your licensing board(s) before undertaking any continuing education activities.
Attendance will be monitored, and attendance certificates will be available after the webinar for those who attend the entire course and score a minimum 80% on the quiz that follows the course (multiple attempts allowed).
On-Demand Credits
The credits listed above apply only to the live webinar. This course in an on-demand format may not qualify for the same credit. Please refer to specific board rules to determine if an asynchronous, on-demand course is appropriate. The following credits will be included subject to approval:
- 6.5 HSW LUs (AIA)
Speakers
Joseph Lawendowski, P.E.
Professional Engineer, Owner of Onsite Consulting & Engineering in Big Lake, AlaskaMr. Lawendowski specializes in structural design focused on residential and light commercial projects. He is a long-time Alaskan who retired from the military after more than 23 years of service and has more than ten years of engineering and construction experience. Mr. Lawendowski’s background includes experience in design, construction, testing and monitoring of engineered projects. He has worked all over the state of Alaska, including extensive time in the arctic and remote regions. Mr. Lawendowski takes a practical and economical approach to design, considering who is going to be doing the construction and how it will be done. He has hands-on experience in the construction of water and wastewater systems; the construction and renovation of buildings and large earth works projects. He is currently licensed in AK, HI, ID, LA, ME, MT, OK, TX and UT.
AIA Info
AIA Provider Statement:
HalfMoon Education Inc. is a registered provider of AIA-approved continuing education under Provider Number J885. All registered AIA/CES Providers must comply with the AIA Standards for Continuing Education Programs. Any questions or concerns about this provider of learning program may be sent to AIA/CES (cesupport@aia.org or (800) AIA 3837, Option 3).
This learning program is registered with AIA/CES for continuing professional education. As such, it does not include content that may be deemed or construed to be an approval or endorsement by the AIA of any material of construction or any method or manner of handling, using, distributing, or dealing in any material or product.
AIA continuing education credit has been reviewed and approved by AIA/CES. Learners must complete the entire learning program to receive continuing education credit. AIA continuing education Learning Units earned upon completion of this course will be reported to AIA/CES for AIA members. Certificates of Completion for both AIA members and non-AIA members are available upon request.
Course Title: Residential Structural Design
Delivery Method: Live Online
Course Description: This 6.5-hour course provides guidance in residential structural design, with a focus on evaluating structural loads, selecting appropriate foundations, and designing framing systems. It covers critical aspects of the International Residential Code (IRC), along with guidelines for wind, snow, seismic, and flood resistance. The course also includes a workshop on the structural design of a single-family home, providing an experience in residential structural design.
Learning Objectives:
Learning Objective 1: Learners will be able to evaluate different types of structural loads, analyze structural integrity, and classify buildings for residential projects.
Learning Objective 2: Learners will be able to interpret and apply International Residential Code (IRC) provisions, standards, and guidelines when designing for dead, live, wind, snow, ice, and flood loads.
Learning Objective 3: Learners will be able to examine soil characteristics, assess bearing capacity, and select appropriate residential foundation types such as footings, piles, slabs, or basements.
Learning Objective 4: Learners will be able to analyze structural frames for floors, walls, and roofs, incorporating strategies to resist wind, snow, flood, and seismic loads.
LUs: 6.5
LU Type: LU|HSWs
Prerequisites: None
Advance Preparation: None
Program Level: Intermediate
Course Expiration Date: 08/25/2028
Complaint Resolution Policy:
Complaints regarding this course can be emailed to fchapman@halfmoonseminars.org or by calling (715) 835-5900. A HalfMoon Education representative will respond within 72 hours to resolve the complaint, which will include, but not limited to, access to another CE activity at no or reduced cost or a full or partial refund. Each instance will be resolved on a case-by-case situation.
6.5 Knowledge Points
Purchase this course using Knowledge Points by clicking the button below.
(Account login required. Knowledge Points can only be redeemed by the owner of the points. Cannot be combined with any other forms of payment)