Foundation design question

[ScottA]

Hi all,
This site has been a great help for me in my planning so far. I'm building a 14x24' cabin and I want to use 2x6 floor joists. My question is if I double the rim joist and use joist hangers will 6' spacing be ok for the perimeter piers? Or do I need a continious beam or closer spacing?  I'm planning a continous beam down the center of the span. This is a single story plan.

Thanks,

Scott

[MountainDon]

Hey, welcome to the forum Scott. The spacing of the piers has a lot to do with the ability of the ground to support the weight of the structure and the contents. I bought John's Little House Plans kit. Well worth it in the info supplied. Can be found at   http://www.jshow.com/y2k/listings/29.html

You're planning on a similar cabin to what we want to build. Ours is a 14 x 26 with an end alcove for a wood burning stove that stretches that part of the length to 30 feet.

There's a topic thread for my plans at   http://www.countryplans.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1166598189/0#0

FYI, joists hung off a rim joist using Mr. Simpson's metal hangers work, but they don't provide the same degree of stiffness as do joists that sit on top of the support girders/beams.

I'm going with two large 6x12 builtup beams  http://www.countryplans.com/builtupbeam.html , situated a foot or so inboard of the joist ends with piers at 8 foot intervals.

For joists I'm planning on 2x10 for 2 reasons (1) sufficient stiffness for use with ceramic tile and (2) the extra insulation for colder weather.

Smaller girders/beams could be used with closer spacing of the piers, but I wanted to cut down on the number of holes/footings and piers. Ditto the joists; 2x6 with a center support beam would provide stiffness but require more holes/footings/piers.

There are tradeoffs in anything; they are many ways to do a job correctly. What I propose will work best for me. YMMV.  

[ScottA]

Thanks for the reply. After some searching i discovered 4' is the correct pier spacing for a double 2x6' rim joist. I'd go with the beams idea except I'm trying to keep the structure as low as possible without getting any wood closer than 2' from the ground.

Scott

[NorthernMich]

While not  intended to be a plethora of information this site has some neat ideas and information.

Start here on foundations

http://www.summerwood.com/construction/cabins/foundation.html