# Look what I found in NJ



## jar546 (May 16, 2011)

Some construction on an island:


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## Darren Emery (May 17, 2011)

Looks like pretty solid construction from the plate on up. We don't have much coastal area here in Kansas, so I don't have a lot of experience with the pier system - any idea on the life span for those poles?

Also - I wonder what type of engineering has to be provided to obtain a permit?


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## globe trekker (May 17, 2011)

comment deleted by globe trekker


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## Rio (May 17, 2011)

It looks like the piers are notched to support the posts to me.


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## Mac (May 17, 2011)

Looks pretty good but I would want my beach house investment supported by more than a few bolts.


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## rogerpa (May 17, 2011)

Unguarded openings. No OSHA in NJ?


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## mtlogcabin (May 17, 2011)

Plywood sheathing instead of OSB. I am impressed.


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## Darren Emery (May 17, 2011)

Hey Jar - did you change the storage method on the pics?  I could see them this morning, but not now...


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## brudgers (May 17, 2011)

Hope all those straps and nails are stainless steel.


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## KZQuixote (May 17, 2011)

Looks pretty good. Would have liked to see the straps run across the rim joist and onto the second floor studs as well, instead of wrapping around the first floor top plates. I'm sure there are connections we can't see.

Bill


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## jar546 (May 17, 2011)

brudgers said:
			
		

> Hope all those straps and nails are stainless steel.


Good catch.  Simpson would want it that way.


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## TimNY (May 17, 2011)

Shearwalls are overrated anyway..


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## Papio Bldg Dept (May 17, 2011)

Don't the piers require cross bracing?  I seem to recall homes similar to this in Pensacola with cross bracing at the pier level, albeit they sat a bit higher, and in the end, the entire structure was gone after a hurricane anyway.  Still neat to see.  Thanks for posting Jar.


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## brudgers (May 17, 2011)

jar546 said:
			
		

> Good catch.  Simpson would want it that way.


I don't think they require it, just their hot-dipped galvanized.

There's usually pushback on the fasteners just because their relative cost is high compared to regular fasteners.

But the overall additional expense even on a large project for stainless nails is probably less than $1200.


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## brudgers (May 17, 2011)

TimNY said:
			
		

> Shearwalls are overrated anyway..


Below base flood elevation they are not a good method in this sort of environment.


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## Forest (May 17, 2011)

Missing straps at bottom plate 2nd floor.Maybe more if costal wind zone.


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## DRP (May 17, 2011)

Platform framed gable end with a cathedral ceiling?

2 lookouts on the flat and an ill fitted fly. I'd keep an umbrella handy in a storm.


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## Mule (May 17, 2011)

That is the type of framing that is required by the 2009 IRC now.


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## TimNY (May 17, 2011)

brudgers said:
			
		

> Below base flood elevation they are not a good method in this sort of environment.


I was looking at the amount of full height sheathing vs wall length, and the lack of any blocking or holddowns on the exposed second floor framing..  It seems shearwalls are not a concern; are you saying that shearwalls are not desirable in the house itself?


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## pwood (May 17, 2011)

TimNY said:
			
		

> I was looking at the amount of full height sheathing vs wall length, and the lack of any blocking or holddowns on the exposed second floor framing.. It seems shearwalls are not a concern; are you saying that shearwalls are not desirable in the house itself?


looks like they are blocking as they go. the edge nailing is there on the first shear panel joint and the blocking is in place on the next layer. hit  Ctrl+ to zoom on the pictures.


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## TimNY (May 17, 2011)

pwood said:
			
		

> looks like they are blocking as they go. the edge nailing is there on the first shear panel joint and the blocking is in place on the next layer. hit  Ctrl+ to zoom on the pictures.


Cool, thanks for the tip.  I kne it made text bigger.. did not realize the image got bigger too!


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## peach (May 17, 2011)

don't you want the straps tying the plywood sheets together?  Look like they are pretty randomly placed.


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## TimNY (May 17, 2011)

as long as the joints between the sheets are blocked, they should be fine.  It probably would have been easier to put the plywood vertical though.

Interesting photos.. They're not done yet so anything I say is just speculations, but makes the brain think about it.

Too bad we don't have photos of the whole elevation.  Being a gable end the strapping is usually not too crazy.


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## brudgers (May 17, 2011)

TimNY said:
			
		

> I was looking at the amount of full height sheathing vs wall length, and the lack of any blocking or holddowns on the exposed second floor framing..  It seems shearwalls are not a concern; are you saying that shearwalls are not desirable in the house itself?


You can't take shear walls all the way down to the ground in a V-zone because the walls need to break away.


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## KZQuixote (May 18, 2011)

brudgers said:
			
		

> You can't take shear walls all the way down to the ground in a V-zone because the walls need to break away.


Ben,

Are you saying that that's why the straps don't connect the first floor to the second?

Bill


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## jar546 (May 18, 2011)

Since I am not in a wind zone like that on the coast.  I too was curious as to why the straps did not connect the floors.  There were no connectors for the rafters either so I was assuming they were not done framing yet.  I won't be back there any time soon so be able to check on it.


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## TimNY (May 18, 2011)

Simpson has a new connector system using threaded rods to tie the floors together.  The upside is they don't interfere with siding and they can be done afterwards; we won't know if they are missing something or if they are just going to do it later.

KZQ brudgers is referring to the pilings when speaking abou shearwalls.  In a V zone waves are possible from the storm action.  You can't enclose the space permanently as the waves are supposed to pass through the pilings rather than exert lateral pressure on the foundation (as would happen if the walls were solid, such as if shearwalls were continued down to grade)


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## Architect1281 (May 18, 2011)

My curiosity would begin where the load path ends - all those lovely straps tied into the lateral side of floor joists/truss at first

beams from pier to pier look light? and what holds the second floor to the first and second floor band / floor to first

Hope theres a truckload of timber lok, ridge beam to column to plate and that non continuous stud gable end configuration,

nice hinge effect going there - should I stop

Plywood in shear it might be if they add a second layer to bring the plates............................ I should stop

hopefully lateral and diagonal pier supports.........................I should stop


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## brudgers (May 18, 2011)

KZQuixote said:
			
		

> Ben,Are you saying that that's why the straps don't connect the first floor to the second?
> 
> Bill


Not at all.

The structural design of the building is not self evident from the photos - and it may or may not be properly designed.

But in any event, the structural requirements are more sophisticated than your typical SFR.


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## Mule (May 18, 2011)

It looks like the straps are part of the portal framing.


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## Forest (May 18, 2011)

I wonder if they accounted for Length of nail into stud at strap location minus sheathing.


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## Mule (May 19, 2011)

The 2009 IRC allows the straps to be installed on the outside of the sheathing without mention of additional length.


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## brudgers (May 19, 2011)

That's because the sheathing is required to be attached to the stud in  such a way that the failure will occur in the wood rather than at the fastener. In other words the fastening of the sheathing to the stud is such that they act as a single piece of wood.


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## Paul Sweet (May 19, 2011)

The plywood sheathing can be designed and nailed to transfer uplift forces as well as shear forces, so metal strapping isn't always necessary.


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## TimNY (May 19, 2011)

Straps on the outside of the sheathing require a 2-1/2" nail per Simpson.

As it was explained to me in simple terms, the sheathing is not used to transmit the uplift forces because it's strength is used for the shear and there's not enough left to use for uplift.  Not to say it can't be done, but it would be a significant amount of math and more importantly a lot of drawing to inform the contractor how to properly do it.


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## brudgers (May 19, 2011)

There is plenty of strength for both, typically (2300 psi tension for 24/0 rated sheathing).

Straps are used at the discontinuities in the studs typical in platform framing.

At higher windloads, hardware becomes an attractive alternative to additional nailing (e.g. 10d @ 3" o.c. along top and bottom plates.


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