Garage to House Cap plates
We’re building a home in SE Wisconsin and trying to make it airtight, energy efficient and well-built. It has an attached garage which will be a different air space from the house of course so we’re trying to frame and sheath the house and then add the garage to outside of the sheathed house as has been recommended by building science pros and makes sense to me. My question is how to install the cap plates. I assume the cap plates would normally tie the garage wall to the house wall by continuing across the top plates of both walls. However if we sheath and add the air barrier WRB to the house before the garage is attached then we don’t have that structural connection. Is that ok? Thanks for your help.
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Anywhere with high wind or seismic loads I would have a concern. However the solution is probably simple. A steel strap, like a Simpson ST strap, could be nailed horizontally on the face of the exterior sheathing, bridging the joint between the 2 cap plates. This would restore the continuity.
It's so easy to do that I would recommend it in any location.
Thanks, that sounds like a great idea!
It's not something I worry about but I don't work in a seismically active area. The wall studs and rafters will be nailed to the house studs and plywood or OSB will tie the rest of the garage to those framing members. If I were concerned, Simpson makes a lot of different hold-down devices that I sometimes use in horizontal applications--you could use one at each garage top plate, fastened to the house framing.
ok thanks for your help Michael!