Building Plans for Advanced Framing

Response to Cleus Dalglish-Schommer
by BYRON PRICE

Cleus:

I am a structural engineer with many years of wood design experience. these new techniques are not something that should present a problem for an engineer with wood design experience. The design methodologies are the same for wood whether you do unconventional or conventional framing. You are limited only by your imagination and the strength of the material you are building.

Your engineer should have no problem with these details. It may seem novel but all you are doing is adding some insulation here and there and reducing the amount of lumber to do it. We probably over design anyway so he/she should have no problem.

Just make sure they are using the most current NDS which you can find at this site - http://www.awc.org/standards/nds.html

assuming of course you are in the US. If not follow your countries design standards for wood construction.

Response to Cleus Dalglish-Schommer
by Martin Holladay, GBA Advisor

Cleus Dalglish-Schommer ,
I suggest that you post your question on our Q&A page. That way more GBA readers are likely to see your question:
http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/qa

Engineering Calculations for Efficient Framing
by Cleus Dalglish-Schommer

I am beginning a LEED targeted project and have an rater on board. I also have an engineer who, for various reasons, I am using, but this framing is not something he has done before. Is there a resource with standard calculations for load and sheer that I could point him towards?

Response to Mike Turns
by Martin Holladay, GBA Advisor

Mike,
For wall bracing that qualifies as a prescriptive bracing material -- that is, a material that can be substituted for traditional 1x4 let-in bracing -- Simpson recommends their RCWB strapping, a product with an L-profile. (Their TWB strapping -- a T-profile strapping -- does not qualify as a prescriptive wall bracing material, although it has other uses.)

Simpson RCWB acts in compression as well as in tension, and therefore does NOT need to be installed in pairs installed in opposing directions, as you suggest ("an X or V configuration"). It can be installed in parallel pairs, as shown in our detail, when engineering requirements call for such an installation. However, RCWB does not NEED to be installed in pairs.

Simpson also makes flat steel strapping (WB). The WB strapping works only in tension, not in compression, and must therefore always be installed in opposing pairs.

metal strapping as wall bracing
by Mike Turns

When Simpson says that metal straps shall be installed in pairs, they mean in an X or V configuration, not as shown in your detail. Am I missing something?