# Attaching Ledger board to existing 2x4 exterior wall.



## Austin N (Mar 1, 2022)

I am raising the floor in my 22'x25' garage. I will run a beam the 22' length to attach one side of the floor joists to. My main question is, can I safely attach the 2x10 ledger to the existing 2x4 wall to hang the other end of the floor joists from?


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## Rick18071 (Mar 2, 2022)

yes


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## Austin N (Mar 2, 2022)

Rick18071 said:


> yes


Would a ledgerlok style bolt be enough to secure the ledger?


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## Beniah Naylor (Mar 2, 2022)

The main difficulty with the ledgerlok bolts going into 2x4s is that there is not a lot of width to the 2x4 you are going into. Ledger bolts don't usually fail by breaking, they fail because the wood around them fails. Not that it can't be done, but if I as an inspector saw you going with ledgerloks into 2x4s, I would tell you to have an engineer look at it before I would approve it.

The code calls out either 4 framing gun nails per stud, or 3 16d common nails per stud in Table R602.3(1), item 28. That may be cheaper than ledgerloks anyway, and that is probably the route I would take.


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## Beniah Naylor (Mar 2, 2022)

To clarify... you aren't parking a car on this floor, are you? You mentioned that the floor you are raising is in a garage.

Obviously, that would change everything.


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## Austin N (Mar 2, 2022)

Correct, 


Beniah Naylor said:


> To clarify... you aren't parking a car on this floor, are you? You mentioned that the floor you are raising is in a garage.
> 
> Obviously, that would change everything.


I am building  a master bed and bath and utility room in the space.


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## e hilton (Mar 2, 2022)

I don't know the detains of your construction … can you run the new joists a little long and rest them on top of the perimeter sill plate?   You would not need hangers that way.


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## Austin N (Mar 2, 2022)

Only issue with that is, it would cause the floor to be 1.5" above the current house level. The span is too long to have a 2x8 as a joist. I need 2x10s and they will hang just below the sill plate.


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## Paul Sweet (Mar 2, 2022)

IRC R502.8 will allow you to notch the 2 x 10 joists to fit over the sill late.


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## ICE (Mar 2, 2022)

Austin N said:


> Only issue with that is, it would cause the floor to be 1.5" above the current house level. The *span is too long *to have a 2x8 as a joist. I need 2x10s and they will hang just below the sill plate.


Girder to break up the span?


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## bill1952 (Mar 2, 2022)

Assuming there is a stem wall on a footing, could you support the ledger board from top of stem wall or slab edge sitting on it? Just some vertical blocking?  I like the notching too.


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## Mark K (Mar 2, 2022)

Does the IRC address this condition?  I suggest that you will be well served by having an engineer address the issues.  You need to document how the loads will be transferred from the ledger to the studs.  How will the raised floor impact the connection to the shear walls.


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## steveray (Mar 2, 2022)

Mark K said:


> Does the IRC address this condition?  I suggest that you will be well served by having an engineer address the issues.  You need to document how the loads will be transferred from the ledger to the studs.  How will the raised floor impact the connection to the shear walls.


Sort of...

R502.6 Bearing. The ends of each joist, beam or girder shall
have not less than 11/2 inches (38 mm) of bearing on wood or
metal and not less than 3 inches (76 mm) on masonry or concrete
except where supported on a 1-inch by 4-inch (25 mm
by 102 mm) ribbon strip and nailed to the adjacent stud or by
the use of approved joist hangers.


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## e hilton (Mar 2, 2022)

Build a perimeter wall to support the ends of the joists and carry the loads, then attaching the ledger to the existing 2x4 studs will be just for lateral stability, not load bearing.


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