Building my two story salt box. House is 30′ x 36′. Standard wall heights (8′) and am using a 12″ floor truss system supported by a load bearing wall in the middle of the house.
I’m dealing with “one of those inspectors” who isn’t there to help, but to make a point so I want to get my ducks in a row before I start lifting walls. Do any of you have a link to a certified or accredited span chart for window/door headers?
I’ve always done triple 2 x 12 with 1″ foam sandwhiched inbetween for spans less than 6′. 6′ – 8′ I use double 11 7/8″ LVL with doulbe cripples on each side. I know this works, but my inspector insists on seeing “documentation” that it works. I NEED SOME HELP!!!!
upnorthframer
“If you think education is expensive, try ignorance!!!”
Replies
your rules of thumb are fairly heavy, but still mean nothing in the gernalities presented.
It always depends on the load being transferred to those beams.
For instance you can have>
A 6' header with nothing but a roof loading on it in alabama - or even in a gable end where a gable truss keeps any load off it.
or
A 6'header over a window in the first floor of a three story house with a roof bearing to it - in snow country where roof live loads are 120#/ft - in addition to the floor joists of second and third storey floors and even a point load from another upper window not aligned....
In these tow examplles, you could have tons of difference in how much load the header will have to bear.
Welcome to the
Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
Isn't the world wonderful? He's now in the cya mode and there isn't anything you can do about it except to give him a letter from an engineer. Your lumber supplier might have some help for you.
I'd like to ask though: why not put the lvls tight and just add the foam on the inside or outside instead of sandwiching it?
Bob's next test date: 12/10/07
Quote of the day: "...can't be done, it will take too long, not enough pipeline capacity, yada yada but yet they don't apply the same skepticism to their own "solutions" such as wind and biofuels"
I sandwhich the foam so I have somthing to nail/screw my trim and drywall too on the interior. Foam is poor for this.
The load I am concerned about is a 65" R.O. front door and a 6' R.O. sliding glass door. Both are on the main level of a two story home, on the eave side the of the house, and yes, I am in northern wisconsin, so snow load is a concern.
Anything on the net which quality information? I'm seaching with little luck! HELP!
upnorthframer
"If you think education is expensive, try ignorance!!!"
Calculate the load, look up span tables for lumber or engineered lumber, do the math.
Show the work and results to the man.
They can't get your Goat if you don't tell them where it is hidden.
That might work. It wouldn't work here. In MI, either the city wanted the engineering or they didn't ask. Near the end, more of them were starting to ask for proof. Their goal was to cover themselves for liability; at least that's what the inspector told me. One time there was a very small header...something like a 16" wide load. The plans called for a 16" microlam. It was an obvious mistake. We put in a 2x6 header for the very minimal load; after all, it was only a one span header. You guessed it; we got knocked down and had to put a double 16" microlam in there or get the plans re-engineered and approved. Bob's next test date: 12/10/07
Quote of the day: "...can't be done, it will take too long, not enough pipeline capacity, yada yada but yet they don't apply the same skepticism to their own "solutions" such as wind and biofuels"
There is a reason that span charts are available for floor framing, but not for beam sizing. That is because there are too many variables impacting it, as I tried to point out. you or an engineer has to do the work, plugging figures into a formula.You can give us the width of the openning but not the actual live load requirements nor the tributary area bearing on it. you need these things to start out. The fact you don't know that you need to know that is why he is being particular with you.Not trying to beat you up, I think your headers will work, but...Remember in high school algebra when teach made you "show your work"?
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
The IRC does have tables for headers for basic rectangular structures.But it is limited to sawn lumber and the biggest is 3 -2x12.I don't know if the LVL manufacture has one in that form or not.But who spec the floor trusses? They should be able to spec the headers..
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.