Railroad ties

Started by Backcountry Joe, February 03, 2017, 01:12:02 AM

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Backcountry Joe

Hello all!

Like most of you I have following this site for quite some time. We were overseas for a while and are back stateside and ready to build.

We have a few questions we're hoping you all can answer. Can I substitute railroad ties for the 6x6's on my pier foundation? Can I sub 2x12's for the I-beams in the floor and loft?

The price of engineered products and pressure treated in interior Ak is astronomical so we're looking for alternatives.

Thanks,

Joe

ChugiakTinkerer

Welcome to the forum Joe.  To start, where you are building will determine whether or not a jurisdictional authority will allow substitutions.  If you are in Fairbanks or North Pole, both cities have adopted the International Residential Code.  It doesn't look like the borough has adopted building code other than for flood plain management, but if you are in the FNSB you should confirm that.  Other communities in the interior may have adopted building codes but I doubt it.  So depending where you are building you may be free to do whatever you want.

That said, it may not be wise to stray far from the provisions of the IRC.  You can access an online version of it here.  It provides an overwhelmingly in-depth reference for how to build a structure that will withstand the rigors of the Alaskan environment and keep you and your family safe for decades.

It would be hard to answer your specific questions without a lot more detail about your planned construction.  Railroad ties are a very common material for cabin footings, but not knowing what the planned use is for the PT 6x6 it's difficult to know if it makes a suitable replacement.  If you could provide some more information it would help us understand your project better and allow drilling down into the specifics.  If you want to start a project thread in the Owner-Builder section, it would be a great place to consolidate that information and any further questions and answers that arise.

I wish you lots of luck on your adventure!  And don't forget to share pictures along the way.
My cabin build thread: Alaskan remote 16x28 1.5 story


glenn kangiser

If exposed to bright sunlight, railroad ties can ooze creosote and give off a bit of a smell you may not want to be around. :)
"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

Glenn's Underground Cabin  http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=151.0

Please put your area in your sig line so we can assist with location specific answers.

Backcountry Joe

I'm in Denali borough so no building codes. I'm building the 1 1/2 20x30 and the only change is stretching it to 32.

I need to go 6 feet down to get past the frost line and that's some board feet in 6x6's.

Joe

firefox

Wont you be enclosing the crawl space with something? I would think that would shield the ties from direct sunlight.
Bruce & Robbie
MVPA 23824


Backcountry Joe

I will be skirting around the base and there only will be two feet above ground so it won't be much.

Backcountry Joe

I will start a post on the owner builder side once we get rolling on the build. My site is under a couple of feet of snow right now so it not much to look at.