Temporarily supporting a ballon framed wall
chriswinder
| Posted in Construction Techniques on
I need to remove the rotten 2×4’s (termites) on 2 exterior walls that are balloon framed. The work is on the 1st floor. How do I temporarily take off the weight that is bearing down on those 2×4’s? Place supports from the 2nd story floor to the 2nd story ceiling joists? Essentialy, temporarily supporting the roof load? I’m hoping this is clear to everybody
Replies
If you replace one at a time you don't have to do anything. Be careful when replacing the studs since it is possible to put them in too tight and actually raise the level of the top plates--same for too loose.
Keep in mind that roof snow loads don't apply if there isn't anything on the roof while you are working and in general most loads we build for are long-term loads and for short durations a surprising amount of framing can be removed with no ill effects.
If you need proof of this (and if you don't know you should have some way of seeing how your work is affecting the stucture) it's very simple--run a nice tight string line along the wall you are working on and make refference marks behind the string on the top plate. Any movement up or down will show up on the string. Best for this is something like spider wire fishing line that has very little stretch and is very low weight so it stretches twice as flat as nylon mason twine if the span is long.
I normally tell clients I'm looking for no more than 1/16" temporary drop in the level of the top plate if I'm putting in something like a 6' wide door opening and that if something drops 1/8" I'll try another approach for temporary shoring. After the new header or other framing materials are in the drop should be less than 1/16", which isn't that hard to do with very little effort. Clients love it when you can tell them a specific number.
Back to your issue....I don't think you should be pulling the existing studs unless you are also renailing the sheathing back to the new studs or else what holds the new studs to the exterior of the wall? Sister in the new to the old and you shouldn't have to support anything.
Hope that helps.