# Gyp Board Extending 6" above T-Bar Clg - Code?



## mychaelp (Mar 19, 2020)

Hope you are all doing well out there, we are still stuck at work as boss feels the health situation is overblown.
I ran into a situation where a contractor/client want to know specifically why and if required by code the Gypsum Board on a non-bearing interior stud wall must extend 6" above the T-Bar Ceiling.
For the life of me I cannot recall any reason other than facilitation of installing the T-Bar angles. 
Am I missing something here? 
any references to code or industry standards would be really helpful. 
You'd think after 32 years doing this I'd know this, never had anyone want to do this before, other than T.I. with existing ceilings they don't want to cut.
Thanks everyone...


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## cda (Mar 19, 2020)

So does said client want to cut six inches off and use it somewhere else???

Said client does know the sheets are eight foot sheets ??


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## mychaelp (Mar 19, 2020)

Question is from contractor and the ceilings are 10'. 
The item is from another here at our office so I was helping out as usually I'm pretty good at finding code and ansi items. 
thoughts about the actual requirement versus convenience of the sheet length?


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## cda (Mar 19, 2020)

mychaelp said:


> Question is from contractor and the ceilings are 10'.
> The item is from another here at our office so I was helping out as usually I'm pretty good at finding code and ansi items.
> thoughts about the actual requirement versus convenience of the sheet length?




I take it this is for walls and ceilings 

Not Rated??

If so dont think there is a requirement where the dry wall stops


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## classicT (Mar 19, 2020)

Not a code based requirement, but one of conventional practice.


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## mychaelp (Mar 19, 2020)

Thank you everyone. Now I know why I couldn't find anything. 
At least once a year I get a client wanting to know why their contractor is ok with doing something.
In this case I tried to explain that the ceiling and floor are not necessarily the same height throughout the room and it's also much easier to fasted the t-bar angle with gyp a bit higher.
thanks again


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## Tim Mailloux (Mar 19, 2020)

what do you want to do, build the wall to the underside of the acoustical ceiling?


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## mychaelp (Mar 19, 2020)

Tim Mailloux said:


> what do you want to do, build the wall to the underside of the acoustical ceiling?


No, the wall is up, the contractor for some odd reason has informed the owner he can save money if he adds the gyp to just the top of the t-bar angle. Very odd. Maybe he can use the cuts for other small ceiling elements we have there. It's odd, but I wanted to find if there was a code section. And there isn't. 
thanks


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## cda (Mar 19, 2020)

Them dry wall guys can do tricks 

With ten feet 

one eight foot sheet

Than maybe cut exactly two feet out of another?? Do you get four two feet pieces??


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## Rick18071 (Mar 19, 2020)

I seen plans that required the 6" of wall with drywall above the suspended ceiling a few times. No code requirement just do what the stamped plans say.


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## JPohling (Mar 19, 2020)

We typically have several wall types on projects.  one to the underside of ceiling, one to 6" above ceiling, and one to deck.  these are the most common that you will see.
I assume that with the 10' ceilings the contractor is intending to run 10' sheets vertically and he does not want to have to add a 6" rip at the top.


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## mychaelp (Mar 19, 2020)

great comments everyone. We all deal with contractors from time to time with their own ideas and statements that they've done something a certain way for 30 years, etc etc.
In this case I responded to the RFI that there is no code requirement prohibiting cutting the gyp lower, but we highly recommend constructing per plans.
This client BTW is not allowing us to issue any directives or rejecting any work, they want to do it all. For this one I'm not going to try to hard with, there are other bigger issues, just never encountered it before.


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## Tim Mailloux (Mar 19, 2020)

mychaelp said:


> This client BTW is not allowing us to issue any directives or rejecting any work, they want to do it all.



Then why are they wasting your time with this RFI?


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## mychaelp (Mar 19, 2020)

Tim Mailloux said:


> Then why are they wasting your time with this RFI?


I ask myself this question with almost every project during the construction phase. I recently received another RFI on other project asking for the calculation to prove the exhaust fan in a restroom complied with code for fresh air requirements. 
Sometimes rejecting them outright works, and other times it take up more of my time than just answering. Usually I bring it up on the meetings.


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## my250r11 (Mar 19, 2020)

I prefer to put the rip at the bottom. The taper doesn't but have had the joint pop out when they nail on the ceiling angle several times.


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## Pcinspector1 (Mar 19, 2020)

Are they using the space above the wall as a return air plenum?

Also sound transmission from room to room should be considered.


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## BayPointArchitect (Mar 19, 2020)

As an architect putting together a set of drawings and wall sections, this makes me inclined to call out 9'-6" ceiling height rather than 10'-0".  But where the drywall is a standard 8' in height, then I do not care much for a 7'-6" ceiling.  Sure, the 7'-6" is acceptable by code but I don't like it.


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## e hilton (Mar 20, 2020)

Thats an odd statement.  Since when does an architect base design decisions on product dimensions?   Would you make plumbing decisions based on 10 ft pipe lengths?


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## Pcinspector1 (Mar 20, 2020)

From an estimators view, we would look at lengths of material, like: drywall, casing, base, floor and ceiling joist etc. We're estimating pennies, but pennies add up and someones got to pay. 

What I fine on this side of the desk as a BO is that the Architect's work for the client and I assume there's only some many bags of cash to work with. The client wants finishes to "WOW" their neighbor's. 

An opening above the grid system would provide some MEP advantages.


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## BayPointArchitect (Mar 20, 2020)

e Hilton,

Old-school-architects and architects who have been trained by old-school-architects are mindful of standard cabinet dimensions, ceiling grid sizes, and masonry dimensions.

If you show me a plan for a new brick building, I can tell you right away if it was designed by a new architect or a grey beard.


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## classicT (Mar 20, 2020)

BayPointArchitect said:


> e Hilton,
> 
> Old-school-architects and architects who have been trained by old-school-architects are mindful of standard cabinet dimensions, ceiling grid sizes, and masonry dimensions.
> 
> If you show me a plan for a new brick building, I can tell you right away if it was designed by a new architect or a grey beard.


This is one that I notice quickly with masonry structures, and I am sure for the same reason as brick. With CMU, every dimension should be divisible by 8-in. (CMU units are either 8 or 16-in)


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## Builder Bob (Mar 20, 2020)

general construction practice -


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## ADAguy (Mar 20, 2020)

Builder Bob said:


> general construction practice -


At last someone gets it; methods and means are the responsibility of the contractor, as is code compliance. Is this a Design-bid-build or a CM/ fixed price project?


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## TheCommish (Mar 20, 2020)

save money in one trade spend more in another


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