I have a question. I ran a question past John and his answer was a little confusing to me (Insert: not the brightest bulb in the box). He is a busy guy so I thought I would ask the group.
As you might know, based on reading my thread in the Owner/Builder section, we are soon to start building a 20 x 34 to live in. We are going to have a root cellar in the basement. I can use either a 1 1/2 story or the 2 story for this. I was under the impression that the 1 1/2 story was built as a cantilevered post and beam foundation. I thought about replacing the posts with basement walls and go up from there. I asked John about this and his answer was:
"The 20' wide 1-1/2 story plans comes with a crawlspace (concrete perimeter) foundation that can be modified for a full or partial basement. The cottage stairs however may not be the best choice for the stair between the basement and the main floor.
A better house for a basement is the 2-story Universal cottage with a full size stair that can stack through the house using a full basement plan. It can be setup for a full width span using I-joists or an internal beam and post that supports standard wood joists."
Ok, if I understand John correctly, the crawlspace plans for the 1 1/2 story can be changed basically replacing the crawlspace walls with basement walls. The part I am tripping up on is the stairs. What is a stack versus a cottage set of stairs? Also, can someone show me a picture of the difference between the i-joist and internal beam building? Why would the 2 story be better for a basement?
My thanks to John. I know he is very busy. I'm just itching to get my plans ordered so I can see how to turn a moron into a home builder. ;)
My thanks to all.
(http://captainofcalamity.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/docs/IMG_0598.150110108.JPG)
Internal beam (center beam/girder) on a crawl space. The post supports would simply be lower in a basement.
(http://www.buildmyowncabin.com/framing/floorjoist.jpg)
I-Joist with center bearing wall. Center bearing wall not needed with a 20ft wide building and properly sized I-joist.
A set of stairs is set up can be an efficient use of space. In some stair designs, the underside of one stairwell lends itself well to being the ceiling of the stairwell underneath it. I believe that is what is meant by a set of stairs "stacks" over another.
Some people have gotten around the stair issue simply by adding a bilco door and accessing the basement from the outside.
Excellent! Now I understand.
I am assuming that making I-joists is no problem, versus having to order them.
Thank Squirl
stacked staircases in one my early designs
(https://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/POshaughnessy/Colorado%20Powder%20Ridge/Layoutdwgs3.jpg)
No, I joists are a specifically manufactured engineered product. They are one solid interwoven piece of osb, with a long solid board, adhered together with structural bonding agents with strict standards. They are a big no on home made.
They have advantages of:
They are straighter without warps, bends, wane, twist, etc. that lumber has.
They are taller and can span longer distances to code.
They have the disadvantage of:
They suck in a fire.
They aren't as rugged.
It isn't known how they will perform over a very long time, because they haven't been around that long.
They require more specific holes, and I don't believe they can be notched.
Shipping a very long board can be a pain.
There are a dozen ways to skin a cat. If you are against a center beam you can space 2x12x20's 12" O/C. A bit more expensive for the joists, but you save on not building the center girder and getting away with thinner subflooring.
Well, that center beam is sounding like an awesome idea! lol
I wasn't against it, it just looked like it might be easier.
You bring up a good point though. I will likely be in this house for 15 to 20 years, maybe longer. I need something that I can trust to be there for the long haul. Seems like the center beam is at least a known factor, versus the I-Joist. And trying to get them to my property would prove to be quite a challenge.
Thanks UK4X4. That helps me visualize what John was talking about. I am going with stacked stairs so I know I was on the right track.
Yes, 20 footers can be difficult to manage alone too.
I believe john's plans have the loads and spans calculated for a 6-8 ft o/c spacing, but I don't have my set in front of me. The picture I posted is of a 5 ft spacing on a 20x30.
When deciding on to do a basement or not, it comes down to mostly location to me.
If you are in Austin TX, where the land is largely rock and granite with zero freeze line to dig under - much cheaper to build up than down.
If you are in New Orleans, LA, where the water table is at 4' with zero freeze line to dig under - much cheaper to build up than down.
If you are in New Hampshire and must dig down 8' to get under freeze lines, basements start making sense.
If your in Oklahoma and tornados are part of life yearly, basements make even more sense.
If it is just for storage, do a storage friendly semi-finished attic is much cheaper, as are building storage buildings.
You can add Colorado mountains where the engineer wants 4ft of repacked fill beneath the footings............
a rather large hole !