# Floor framing. Why put a joist under a non-loadbearing wall?



## KennMacMoragh

one man show said:


> shear walls cannot have any section of shear ply less than two feet. If you would like to see the code section I will find it


Sure, we framed a couple walls that way. They looked so chopped up it was ugly, eliminated practically all of the 4' panels, so we decided to quit doing it, inspectors were ok with that. Looked like it was ruining the integrity of the wall with no panels less than 2'.


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## ScipioAfricanus

one man show said:


> shear walls cannot have any section of shear ply less than two feet. If you would like to see the code section I will find it


I think the term "shear wall" is being misused here.
A shear wall is an engineered wall system, not a prescriptive braced wall panel.
Simpson makes sear walls that are 18" wide and they are good in a properly designed and engineered system.

We all get this confused and I include myself in that.

By IRC 24" braced wall is (I think) the narrowest allowed, and that depends on the situation.

Andy.


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## KennMacMoragh

ScipioAfricanus said:


> I think the term "shear wall" is being misused here.
> A shear wall is an engineered wall system, not a prescriptive braced wall panel.
> Simpson makes sear walls that are 18" wide and they are good in a properly designed and engineered system.
> 
> We all get this confused and I include myself in that.
> 
> By IRC 24" braced wall is (I think) the narrowest allowed, and that depends on the situation.
> 
> Andy.


Well any exterior wall we consider a shear wall, even though strictly speaking only certain sections of the exterior walls are required to have shear. I learned this when I worked for a guy who broke it down once, he labeled all the sections of the exterior wall which were required to have shear. But most sets of plans will just say every exterior wall. 

I do recall on a job someone saying "don't leave any sections of sheathing less than two feet." I don't know if it was an anal inspector that brought that up or what, but we only did it that way on a couple of houses before we decided it was a bad idea. When we switched back to leaving less than two foot sections, none of the inspectors gave us a hard time with it. But we did leave 2ft sections only at the outside corners of the wall. By making the entire wall with all two foot or larger pieces, you really hack up the wall, you don't have to be an engineer to tell its not working. Every time you get to an inside corner or large window you have to cut back the piece that would have been 4ft down smaller in order to leave your last fill in piece more than 2ft. By the time you're done there usually isn't any full 4' sections of wall sheathing left. This is placing vertical sheets.


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## ScipioAfricanus

HI Kenn, that sounds like a continuous sheathing plan that is well documented in the IRC. In continuous sheathing all the of the exterior walls are sheathed but only the areas that are not under or above a window or door are considered the braced panels.
In seismic zone d (which is where you and I are) you can still use only braced wall sections that have sheathing but the length of the total braced wall sections in the braced wall line will have to be a little greater.
Nailing and other things for the braced wall panels will be beefed up in sub 0, 1 & 2 but it can still be done, though nowadays most builders prefer the continuous sheathing.
Also in the new IRC you can start the braced wall panels a max. of 12'-6" from any one corner or a total of 12'-6" from both corners or ends of the braced wall line.
So you can have windows in the corners or very close to the ends.

Andy.


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## ohiohomedoctor

Did you take pictures of that house today Andy?

I want to build one. How much for the plan?



And oh yeah, shear walls are good.


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## ScipioAfricanus

ohiohomedoctor said:


> Did you take pictures of that house today Andy?
> 
> I want to build one. How much for the plan?
> 
> 
> 
> And oh yeah, shear walls are good.


Hah! Torrance is about 30 miles north of me in the LA area.

I won't go up the 405 freeway if I don't absolutely have to.

Need to go to Torrance this week though to submit corrections for another project so I will swing over to the house and see if I can get some pics. :thumbup:

Andy.


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## ohiohomedoctor

So you really can run out of thanks. Wow. I thought that was a running joke..


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## ohiohomedoctor

Thanks Andy!


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## ScipioAfricanus

I do love Google and Bing Maps.

Ooh, they changed the color scheme.

Looks good.

Andy.


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## ohiohomedoctor

Its **** a craftsmen style track home. Ill bet I could sell that eesign as a facelift to many many home owners in my neck of the forest.


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## ScipioAfricanus

Try selling this one too, ha ha.

I should be ashamed of this but it is what the HOs wanted.

Andy.


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## ohiohomedoctor

That is a big fugly bastid.. The customer is always right..


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## Tinstaafl

ScipioAfricanus said:


> Try selling this one too, ha ha.


That's quite... eunuch, Andy. :laughing:


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## ScipioAfricanus

Tinstaafl said:


> That's quite... eunuch, Andy. :laughing:


Ha ha, yes, I should have been slapped for that but, it is just what they wanted.

Andy.

Or perhaps...castrated for it.


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## KennMacMoragh

ScipioAfricanus said:


> Try selling this one too, ha ha.
> 
> I should be ashamed of this but it is what the HOs wanted.
> 
> Andy.


I kind of like that house, I can see how that would be a practical design. My opinion.


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