I’m looking for a simple detail(s) on the best way to drop a floor. I’ve got 2×10 floor joists running perpendicular to the beam, and wish to drop the floor in the great room 6″. Herein lies the particulars: the beam will be a W8x21, which rounds off to be about 8 1/2″ deep. With a 2x plate on the beam and 2×10’s, 3/4″ pwd and 1″ hardwood I end up with 12 1/2″ sitting on top of the beam. My great room floor will drop 6″ which leaves me with 6 1/2″ to contend with. I don’t want to drop steel below my floor drop due to height ( the basement walls will be 7′-10″H.). I was thinking of a 1/4″ welded plate on the beam, but that still leaves me with the same problem. Has anyone used hangers on a situation like this? or is there a better way to construct?
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Maybe like thus.
Red thing it a bolt
Mr T
Do not try this at home!
I am a trained professional!
Yo T -
I don't think your idea is a good one.
For starters, you would have to have a heck of a lot of bolts to transfer the load. And you would also be intruducing tension perpendicular to the grain into the dropped ledger board.
Nice picture, though...............
Don't let your mind wonder. It's too little to be left alone.
I had the idea of using a couple 16" microlams. This will give the customers abit more headroom as well. I looked for a connector to hang the joists off the beam but came up with no such product. I called my local steel fabricator, and although they could fab a beam, it would be $$$.
My solution is to use (2) 16" lvls, and hang BOTH floors off of this. I reduced my column spacing to achieve the required rating for 16" lams. I usually don't mix and match the basement floor beams, but in this case I think it may be a good solution, and they will have a little over 7' of headroom at this beam.
Edited 8/27/2002 4:21:55 PM ET by FINEHOMER