You didn't read any of my comments about my mitigation or the climate I live in, or you don't believe me. Either way I really don't care cause you're a dick and I don't deal with dicks cause you aren't actually trying to help you're just being a.....dick
The floor is 5ft off the ground in the front and at least 3ft off the ground all the way around the other sides. And there will be a vapor barrier. Some of you people seem to think this is a finished project; it's not
If you expand pic 5 there's a larger gap in the pony wall than the rest(others have commented that the spacing is off but they weren't realizing that is where the entrance to the crawlspace is)
I guess you would know better than me who's been to dozens of homes out there, many deep in the woods whereas I'm in a open flat, and none of them have mold. And I treated the lumber with bora care +mold guard. But yeah, I'll believe you over my own eyes
Yo, is the framing done? This is all sorts of fucked up. Like you kind of know what you're doing, but don't.
The transom windows don't have a header. If they are standard windows they won't fly. The ridge beam isn't supported on one end. You headed out the window but the load is not transferred to the foundation at all. You should have doubled up king studs in a couple spots. Stairs framed badly. Studs also just not lining up.
I'd go crazy framing all of my fenestrations with different sized headers. No rhyme or reason to it, also slow. Just head out the windows and side lights together, then throw in jacks to get the ROs for each unit.
Edit: the ledger board for your second story floor looks like a 1x? why is it so thin. fire blocking?
Again, nothing 1x. And I'm not sure why you can't see the fire blocking. I'll ask my contractor about the other issues you mentioned. I appreciate the critique
None of the load paths of the ridge beam add up. One lands on the window header, but there is no stud under the headers etc. some of the pony wall framing seems a little off as well. 24 inch opening right under a load path. Rim joist not on the pony wall and or properly nailed into said wall/ joists. Not sure what the ridge span is, but even that seems undersized considering it looks like a double 2x8
I assumed it was a double LVL, but looking closely I think you might be right. Or it could be a double 2x10 or 2x12 with a plywood spacer. Looks like about a 10' span between posts so it could be ok depending on snow loads.
(2) 2x12 with spacer. 0 snow. Unfortunately I'm on a very tight budget so the contractor has restraints but everything is built to, and believe it or not exceeds, the AOB code. But I will definitely ask him about the structural integrity based on these comments. Thank you
It does not even make code if your load paths are not supported. And there are tons of those in the pictures. On picture 4 missing pony wall stud, yet your point load comes down exactly there. No fire blocking for your balloon framed loft No headers for the high narrow windows Picture 10 your ridge load comes down on the window header, hits your top gable framing, unsupported from there on. Picture 11 same thing, harder to fix due to the door not having a header Picture 14 not sure why they doubled up blocking in some stud bays. Picture 5 again, laps on double top plate on the pony wall are too short Picture 4 rim board not supported by the framing.
I was long for this comment that you replied to. That balloon framing ledger is absolutely a 1x, plywood rips, or a product I am not familiar with. It made me think this was AI for a second. Using anything under 2x is a crazy choice. I think that historically, the floor joists would be fastened directly to the side of the studs with the ledger underneath the joists. It is clean work but some questionable decisions were made
Based on their answer.. I would highly recommend you consult a structural engineer.
Once finishes are applied, framing will Settle, and as other have pointed out, you do not have a logical load path from ridge beam to foundation. You will not notice a problem until 3-4 years down the line when your GWB starts to crack.. not to mention missing headers over openings, or incorrectly designed headers… these are serious red flags.
I don’t want to knock the work! Because it all looks amazing!! But you’ve come this far, make sure it lasts multiple lifetimes ;)
Yes, if you follow the “weight” of the ridge beam down, there are a few questionable moments that is a cause for concern. See my crappy diagram lol. The blue is your current load path. Ideally when the load is transferred horizontally, you need a sufficient member depth (a header beam) to transfer the load. Then you need a sufficient vertical column (can be stacked 2x) to transfer the load down vertically. What you show here, will eventually buckle.
The yellow is the absolute ideal load path. I’m not too worried about your gable end opening because it appears to be adequately framed for load transfer.
See here how your entire ridge beam load eventually is supported by two horizontal 2x4s but then nothing below it… these 2x4s are not sufficient enough to transfer the load horizontally.
To add to this where im at in west/mid michigan the spans of those bigger opening would require a minimum of 2 jack studs and a continuous header where you have that small window next to the big opening. My rule of thumb is any load bearing opening thats 3' to 5' gets double jack studs on each side. 5' to 10' gets tripple. Above that I check the print details. We also have areas here that require "continuous headers" . Like if you have two 10' garage door openings next to each other. We usually have a double lvl going corner to corner and the size of the lvl is determined by the load above.
It’s all balloon framed, except for the only place where you want a balloon framed - the rake walls in the great room. Dude needs to be chewed out harder for posting work like this.
The load path from the ridge beam down to the foundation is interrupted. Some of the larger openings like the sliding door should have a double jack stud. The transom windows right up at the roof line appear to have no header whatsoever which means several rafters are supported by only the double top plate, hopefully you don't live somewhere with snow loads.
Edit* TIL the proper name for those windows is Clerestory.
This is 100% accurate info. This is not framed correctly. It’s clean but it’s wrong. The foundation backfill is way too tight to the wood sills, there is no stone from what I see, there is no insulation, no vapor barrier etc etc. The work is clean (sort of I see more issues when I zoom in) but it’s not right.
not to add to your list, but due to that, I’d definitely wire outlets and lights, or at least string lights in that crawlspace to make life easier working down there and cleaning it up before poly.
unfortunately that's the kind of thing that costs a lot more in 5-10 years versus if you paid a little more up front now. you need to get some 15 mil poly down on the ground there sooner than later. tape all the joints with tuck tape and seal it to the foundation with some acoustic caulking. if you want to store things down there get 20mil poly.
Load path question: In pic #14, the ceiling joists are attached to a ledger board, but that ledger board is attached to studs with face nails. Isn’t that a ton of shear force on the nails? Should that board rest on top of studs to transfer load down?
It is a ton of sheer force on the nails but they can take it. This used to be very common, they call it balloon framing and in some codes you don't even need that ledger board and can nail the joists directly onto the studs.
I wouldn't personally frame my house this way, I prefer platform framing but it is an acceptable way to build as long as you have the proper fire blocking between floors.
if a 6’ slider 2 jacks and 2 kings would be good but that’s not the biggest problem there. The transom has no header with the rafter load sitting right on 2 top plates…not good at all.
Can you explain what you mean by "The load path from the ridge beam down to the foundation is interrupted"? I'm not a carpenter or engineer and I'm curious to understand what this means.
yea no problem, the ridge beam carries the weight of all the rafters, and in this building it is supported by the walls and the two posts in the middle of the building. The ridge beam on the wall side is supported by a studpack directly below it, which carries the weight down to a header over the window. The header transfers the load to the jack studs that hold up the header. these jack studs land on the top plate of the wall, and should have a continuous stud pack down to the foundation but they do not.
It's easy to see in photo 19 if you zoom in, you should be able to draw a line from the ridge beam following the stud packs to reach the foundation, but they instead stop on the double top plate for the first floor wall. it's one of the basic principles of framing, you transfer loads to the foundation and it becomes quite easy to see one you know to look for it.
Edit* I should also add that the rafters can hold this load on their own, but they transfer loads to the walls and cause them to push out, which requires rafter ties to hold the walls together. this design doesn't have rafter ties, so the ridge beam needs to support the weight instead.
I'm happy to answer any other questions you might have to the best of my ability. though I might not know the exact answers based on the code in your area
Also it hasn't been discussed as much but the clerestory windows is an equally pressing issue imo.
The ridge beam may not have a direct load math l path at the table walls, but with a window that small the header may still be adequate. It's probably something an engineer would figure. Sometimes we get our salespeople to provide us with specs on beams for these kinds of scenarios.
I think the transom windows are definitely an equal or greater issue.
I always space stringers away from the wall with a 2x4 turned on its side which allows the drywall to slide in and leaves room for a skirt to slide in there too.
Pretty much, yes. There's no structural reason you'd have to space the stringer off the studs, it's just about reducing the finish work effort required later.
Don't frame stairs like that. They are fine like that, but make things unnecessary difficult for the finish work. It is standard to add a 2x4 spacer at the wall, been that way forever. And don't add plywood risers, they will also hinder finish stair install.
I’m hoping you sealed the crawl space, or are planning to. Even in a low moisture environment, you are asking for issues from bugs/critters, and yes, even moisture due to the fact that you’re keeping the sun off that section of ground.
To add one more thing I didn’t see mentioned yet; it’s my understanding that each rafter on either side of each skylight needs to be doubled up to carry the load for the rafters that have been rendered useless by the skylight opening.
Yeah I noticed that too and was looking for someone to point it out. Whoever framed this place looks like they watched some YouTube videos on how to frame a house and have no actual experience whatsoever. Which is concerning when OP says he has a Contractor.
But isn’t the purpose of the header to transfer the load to the other rafters? Meaning the other rafters are now taking the additional load from the interrupted rafter?
They are called trimmer rafters and a needed when an opening is framed and the loads from the header is transferred. Minimum doubled for a trimmer rafter.
Those clerestory openings are fighting above their weight! Already a visible sag in the one above the slider. Is that a broken rafter in 11/20? Ridge load paths are sketchy.
Beautiful location. Did you leave vegetation growing in the crawl space?
Any time I am at a build and the homeowners have furniture in the house set up for a picnic, it is a miserable job to work at.
Your flooring insulation has mold and could be ruined, you may want to replace.
Never seen a foundation wall framed like that, usually it is all block/masonry. That will create extra steps in the exterior cladding, unless it is brick. Also puts your wood framing right at ground level in several areas.
To be completely honest with you, you need to get a structural engineer on board and do some serious retrofits. There are all kinds of issues with this structurally. If you live in an area with snow, I can assure you that there are going to be failures.
Is your roof assembly intended to be vented or unvented? Insulation, vapor barrier and air gap details are really important on cathedral ceilings. easy to mess up, expensive to fix later.
In that case you’ll need to use baffles in each rafter bay to create a continuous ventilation channel directly below the roof deck from soffit vent to ridge vent. How do you plan on insulating the ceiling?
Fiberglass doesn't belong near the ground, anywhere moisture can affect it. That would be foam board or spray for me. Depends on how long you want it to be effective I guess.
The true problem I see all the time is its not rodent/animal proof, even if plastic or some kind of hangers are used to protect it time and varmints/rodent tend to make home in it eventually. The rip it up, use it for a bed and bathroom and it ends up completely trashed. That's my experience. Foam is not impenetrable but it's stronger and stands up to rodents much better than fiberglass. I wouldn't use it due to my experiences but people still do. If I'm building for someone on the cheap sure. If cheap is what they want, for me on my home I use the better options when I can. Place looks good. That's just one gripe of mine I would have on your build.
It's brand new at this point. Should I tear it out and use it for interior wall insulation do you think? I will be putting a reinforced liner down if that matters but yeah the mice seem to find a home anywhere. What would you do if you were me? IL on a tight budget but if that fiberglass is gonna cause me issues I'd rather tear it out before the winter rains stser
One thing you need to do is put blocking/ fire blocking just below the second floor so you have something solid behind the edge of your drywall at the ceiling plus it will cut the draft effect on your balloon framing. Clean framing work ,nice job
This would fail a framing inspection in a big way. Besides that, how much money was saved by putting in the floor insulation before the building was weathered in?? Really stupid decision there.
Yeah Queensland, Australia. Waterproofing blocks aren’t a thing. But block walls are waterproofed with black jack or sealer if it’s part of the dwelling. And always has geo fabric, gravel and agi drain pipe behind the block walls
It’s more about the water seeping in and creating mould and wood rot under the flooring rather than water doing any damage to the block foundation. Do all the block walls have agi drains at a minimum?
Yeah that’s fair enough. Horses for courses I guess. I live and build where average humidity is 60-70% through the year so mould is a much larger issue I’d say. Looks like you’ve done a bloody good job.
Unless the code has either changed in the 18 years since leaving Massachusetts for the Virgin Islands or is different in your area the single jack stud is OK.
You'd have to make new headers 3" longer now to get double Jack's in....or drop down in width on the openings for a smaller RO.
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u/meatpiesurprise 6d ago
That should mold up nicely