20X36 two story - Prescott AZ

Started by Cougr67, January 30, 2015, 01:19:26 AM

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Cougr67

Bought an acre south of Prescott in the fall of 2013. It is fairly remote and at about 7000 ft.  Spent many hours reading this site and figuring out what I wanted to do.
Took me almost a year to get plans drawn, structural engineering, soil engineering, well and sceptic permits and finally recieved the building pemit in Oct last year. That whole process was far more expensive and painful than I dreamed it would be!

As soon as I had the permit in hand I was ready to break ground though and was able to get the foundation completed before closing down the project for the winter.

I will post a few pictures of my progress when I figure out how to do it ???

Cougr67




My footing ended up being quite deep. 7.5 feet on one corner due to the cut and fill. Had to dig until we reached native soil.



footings and rebar in place



Almost done



The engineer speced out these huge bolts to be placed into the block, extend up thru the sub floor and attach to the shear wall framing.  Sure hope we got them in the right place because they arent moving. 18 of them total



Done for the winter





MountainDon

Wow! That is some depth and some very healthy sizes anchor bolts!  Looks like a great foundation. Thanks for sharing.

Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

Matthewpeace

Looks good.  We are building just up the hill in flagstaff.  Good luck with the build

Cougr67

Thanks Don and MP

MP, I can't believe how fast your place went up! Are you working on it full time? It looks great and similar to what mine will look like. I will start on the subfloor in the next month or so but really have no idea how long it is going to take me to build. My regular job in Phoenix allows me 3 or for 4 days a week to dedicate to the build so hopefully it will go quickly now that I am building with wood and not concrete. My girlfriend (holding the bolts) has been a great help but wont be able to be up there as much as I due to work schedules.

I am looking forward to have you guys to bounce ideas off of and get general advice. There are some aspects of this build that I haven't been able to wrap my head around yet. Like 2nd story walls with no second story floor to build on. Just got to keep telling myself, one step at a time.....

I started a website for my build also if you would like to see more pictures www.TheNordinePlace.com




dablack

Yes, that is one sturdy foundation.  I really like it. 

As far as 2nd story walls with no second story floor, I'm not sure what to say.  You can check out my build if you would like.  Most guys build the 1st floor walls, put on the 2nd floor support system.  For my floor system I used 26' floor trusses, but since you are only 20' deep you could use 2x12s or many other things.  Then on top of the floor support system, you put a subfloor.  There is a plywood that is almost weather proof.  Lots of guys use it.  I used random width 1x pine.  Then, standing on your 2nd floor subfloor, you build your 2nd floor walls. 

Any other questions, let us know.  Also, we love pictures so keep them coming. 

Austin

Cougr67

Getting ready to build the subfloor this next week and have a couple questions.
The foundation is not exactly square. On the front of the house the foundation measures 19ft 11 1/2 inch. So it's half inch short of what is was supposed to be. How close is close enough? Can I just let the sill plate Hang over the edge of the block 1/4 inch on each side on that end to make it an even 20ft?

On the north wall (36ft long) we ended up 1 inch too long. This seems like less of a problem, if the sill plate doesn't quite reach the edge of the block at least the entire sill plate is supported.  (This might make sheathing a problem though?)

Am I over thinking this? What should I be worried about? ???

Cougr67

Let me rephrase my real question and see if that helps.
How much, if any, can the sill plate hang over the edge of the foundation and still be OK?
It will only be about half an inch. What do you think ?

Todd

Bob S.

I would fudge 1/4" on the with of the building and then let it hang over 1/8"  on each side and call it good. I think you will see it all the rest of your life but no one else will ever notice.   


Don_P

You can cantilever feet over a foundation if you do it correctly. You are fine without having to worry about that though, put the sill down at 20' wide x 36'1" and roll with it, double rim if it worries you. Never underhang the foundation dimension if at all possible it'll cause headaches or a water problem later. Measure parallels and diagonals when the sill is down to assure it is uniform and square, correct there, check and keep correcting all the way up. The roof is more difficult to fudge so try not to.

I arrived at one job to see a foundation that looked like an hourglass, there had been a strong tremor just as the last concrete truck left. The corners held but the length of the walls had bowed in a bit. In the width of the building it was easy to just cantilever a little to keep the floor straight, on the length we stepped in a joist, turned the framing 90* and blocked, allowing a short cantilever where needed in that direction.

I missed the 2 story wall question earlier, studs need to run unbroken from floor to floor, floor to ceiling, or floor to roof... in other words they should end only at a point of lateral support, a sheathed floor or roof diaphragm. Tall walls can require deep studs, very good connections top and bottom and may need engineering.

Cougr67

Thanks for the reply Don. That was not an option that I considered. So, overhanging the sill plate by a full inch wouldn't be a problem? Is this something I should run by my inspector before I do it or wouldn't this even raise eyebrows?

If I needed double plates for support how would those be attached? The anchor bolts would not be long enough to go thru both plates.

As for my tall walls without a floor for support was engineered. The engineer speced out 12 Simpson HDU8s connected in pairs by a threaded rod. Here is a picture from the Simpson site showing similar installatioin. Mine won't have the subfloor between the two floor though. Those brackets are huge, almost 18 inches long and the rod is 7/8 inch diameter. I have read so much on this site and others about "hinge" points between walls I hope the engineer knows what he is talking about ::)




Don_P

Double rim joists, not 2 sill plates  ;) It moves the load path inboard over the foundation a little better. Never hurts to ask the inspector, every one has a different take on things.

That connector takes care of uplift, does nothing for a lateral load on it's own. I also don't know all the details so I'm not saying he's wrong.

flyingvan

  The nuts on the HDU's will need to be tightened up now and then....I painted mine with luminous paint to make them easier to find without holding a flashlight in one hand and wrench in the other.  A year after final inspection they had loosened significantly
Find what you love and let it kill you.

Cougr67

Quote from: Don_P on March 04, 2015, 07:30:06 AM
Double rim joists, not 2 sill plates  ;) It moves the load path inboard over the foundation a little better. Never hurts to ask the inspector, every one has a different take on things.

That connector takes care of uplift, does nothing for a lateral load on it's own. I also don't know all the details so I'm not saying he's wrong.

Thanks for the clarification Don d* Makes total sense


Cougr67

Quote from: flyingvan on March 04, 2015, 10:12:15 AM
  The nuts on the HDU's will need to be tightened up now and then....I painted mine with luminous paint to make them easier to find without holding a flashlight in one hand and wrench in the other.  A year after final inspection they had loosened significantly

Aren't yours buried inside the walls? How do you access them? I haven't seen anything in my plans or from Simpson that you should provide access to them at a later time. Although it now sounds like a good idea per your experience

flyingvan

My through rod ones come through the plate.  The upper nut is hidden in the wall, but the lower ones are in the crawlspace.  I went through and tightened all the bolts on the postcaps, then checked the HDU's they were all pretty loose. THe phosphorescent paint makes them easy to spot
Find what you love and let it kill you.

Cougr67

Got the subfloor framing done this weekend and bought off by the inspector.
I have had 3 different inspectors so far and they have all been great. Offereing advice on the next step. giving me an idea what will be expected on the next inspection etc. Easy to get worked up and worried about getting inspected but so far it has been easy






pmichelsen

Quote from: Cougr67 on March 13, 2015, 03:14:31 AMEasy to get worked up and worried about getting inspected but so far it has been easy

They aren't all bad and some can actually be really helpful along the way, though I am a bit biased being my father has been a building inspector for the past 40 years and my grandfather was a building inspector as well  ;)

dablack

Looks good so far.  It is tradition around here to be pictured doing some sort of dance on the subfloor once it is installed.  Reluctance to do so will result in banishment or at least extreme mocking. 

Did you get everything square?

Austin

Cougr67

Quote from: dablack on March 13, 2015, 02:13:54 PM
Looks good so far.  It is tradition around here to be pictured doing some sort of dance on the subfloor once it is installed.  Reluctance to do so will result in banishment or at least extreme mocking. 

Did you get everything square?

Austin

Yep, got the still plates square to the 1/16 of an inch. Remeasured at the point in the picture and we are now 1/4 inch out measured diagonally. Still not bad but I was surprised how easily we lost 1/4 inch. That could really add up by the time you get to the roof if your not paying attention. I will try to get back to square with the first story walls or at least not goo any further out.

Haven't danced since by wedding almost 30 years ago but I think I can handle this 8). Decking going on tomorrow

Todd


Cougr67

My brother Mike was up for a couple of days to help with the floor and start framing some walls. No problem being the floor Dow and here is my obligatory picture of dancing on the finished deck.

MountainDon

Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

dablack

GREAT JOB! 

Most of us have been there and it is a great feeling.  The first wall going up will feel even better. 

Austin

rick91351

Your job site looks very clean and ordered.  Believe it or not that does help inspections. And yes I know what you mean about still being nervous!   

I had an electrical inspector tell me one time he could just take the panel cover off the service box and have a pretty good idea if everything was above board and done right.  Clean neat and ordered speak volumes.    ;D

Foundation venting not required?

Proverbs 24:3-5 Through wisdom is an house builded; an by understanding it is established.  4 And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.  5 A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.

Cougr67

Rick, venting is required, after the walls are sheathed they will be cut into the rim board.

The day after the floor was done we framed up the long Walls. One of these days I will figure out that everything take longer than you think it will. It was a long day and several mistakes to get to this point.

Anybody see the framing mistake in the picture ? I didn't notice it until I was home and looking at the pictures. Sometime you are just to close to see the obvious.