Hi,

I have a small one level ranch new construction being built now. The other
day I got down to the crawlspace to check it out. I am a bit concerned with
the way the floor joists are supported. Being a layman I don't know if this
is the right way to suppor the joist. Not sure if the joists are supported
adequately.

The lot slopes slightly from back to front. When the foundation walls were
poured the builder said it was necessary to make a "step" in the wall so the
back is about 12" higher than the front (this way driveway wouldn't too
steep). The joists run in back/front direction so now the back ends do not
sit on the concrete. There are 2x4 studs 16" OC just inside the concrete
wall supporting two pieces of 2x4 as beam. The TJI joists sit on the beam.
The total span from back to front is 32'. Two addtional footings with same
type of posts/beam are in the middle to reduce the spans to about 11'.
Concrete wall is about 3' tall.

Is this the right/standard/acceptable way to support the joists in such a
one-level house on a gently sloped lot? This is quite close to a "spec
house" - nearly everything is "standard" grade. But I am a little nervous,
knowing the back end is not sitting on concrete.

There is an illustration below, just copy and paste the URL to browser. It
is very small gif file (9KB) but quite descriptive.

http://64.126.161.28/joists.gif

Thanks in advance for any input.

Bob

In article ,
"Bob" wrote:

The lot slopes slightly from back to front. When the foundation walls were
poured the builder said it was necessary to make a "step" in the wall so the
back is about 12" higher than the front (this way driveway wouldn't too
steep). The joists run in back/front direction so now the back ends do not
sit on the concrete. There are 2x4 studs 16" OC just inside the concrete
wall supporting two pieces of 2x4 as beam. The TJI joists sit on the beam.
The total span from back to front is 32'. Two addtional footings with same
type of posts/beam are in the middle to reduce the spans to about 11'.
Concrete wall is about 3' tall.

What is the spacing on the floor joists? Are they positioned
above each 4x4 pillar? Or are the joists being supported by
the horizontal 4x4's?

-john-

--
================================================== ====================
John A. Weeks III 952-432-2708
Newave Communications http://www.johnweeks.com
================================================== ====================

Joist spacing is 16" OC. The posts/pillars are 2x4. The horizontal beams are
two 2x4 stacked so it is 4x4.

See illustration:

http://64.126.161.28/joists.gif

Bob


"John A. Weeks III" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"Bob" wrote:

The lot slopes slightly from back to front. When the foundation walls
were
poured the builder said it was necessary to make a "step" in the wall so
the
back is about 12" higher than the front (this way driveway wouldn't too
steep). The joists run in back/front direction so now the back ends do
not
sit on the concrete. There are 2x4 studs 16" OC just inside the concrete
wall supporting two pieces of 2x4 as beam. The TJI joists sit on the
beam.
The total span from back to front is 32'. Two addtional footings with
same
type of posts/beam are in the middle to reduce the spans to about 11'.
Concrete wall is about 3' tall.

What is the spacing on the floor joists? Are they positioned
above each 4x4 pillar? Or are the joists being supported by
the horizontal 4x4's?

-john-

--
================================================== ====================
John A. Weeks III 952-432-2708
Newave Communications http://www.johnweeks.com
================================================== ====================

In article ,
"Bob" wrote:

Joist spacing is 16" OC. The posts/pillars are 2x4. The horizontal beams are
two 2x4 stacked so it is 4x4.

I have no clue on the right answer, but I do see load bearing
interior walls made this way all the time. These walls sometimes
support the 2nd floor structure or carry part of the roof. As
a result, it is likely OK. I personally, however, would feel
much better if the vertical 2x4's were sistered to be 4x4, or
were 2x6 to start with. Outside walls are normally 2x6 in my
neck of the woods. The floor joists make an 11 foot long lever,
which is a lot to carry, plus you have the rest of the structure
that will rest here, too.

-john-

--
================================================== ====================
John A. Weeks III 952-432-2708
Newave Communications http://www.johnweeks.com
================================================== ====================

On Sat, 1 Jan 2005 22:47:30 -0800, someone wrote:

...There are 2x4 studs 16" OC just inside the concrete
wall supporting two pieces of 2x4 as beam. The TJI joists sit on the beam.

What do the 2x4 studs sit on?

Surely they do not just sit on dirt?

If they are supported by the concrete foundation, what is the problem?

Are your roof trusses going to be supported by concrete?

Are the second floor joists of a two story house supported by
concrete?

Sure they are, by the concrete in the foundation, which is below the
2x4 studs 16" O.C.

-v.



Reply to NG only - this e.mail address goes to a kill file.

On Sun, 02 Jan 2005 13:07:19 -0600, someone wrote:

...I personally, however, would feel
much better if the vertical 2x4's were sistered to be 4x4, or
were 2x6 to start with.

Sorry, but that is a total crock, unjustified "feeling" with no basis
in fact.

Houses in northern climates are often built with 2x6 walls to allow
more space for insulation, not because 2x4's are not strong enough.
The outside walls would only "need" to be 2x6 for sideways strength if
it was a very high wall subject to a high wind load, like a "2-story"
room in hurricane country. A 2x4 can easily carry the vertical load
of merely one floor and one roof, they are routinely used for that
purpose. In a 2-story house they are doing just that, and at full
story height; here is a short vertical span which is stiffer and less
prone to deflect to the side and thus can carry even MORE weight
safely.

And an 11 foot joist span is NOT NOT NOT a long span. It is a SHORTER
one than that which traditionally was handled by regular 2x8 joists.
The typical 2-story "colonial" style house is usually wider than 22
feet, and has one center beam, so the joist spans are commonly more
than only 11 feet. Of course there can be quite a bit of weight on
it, in the sense that there is weight that has to be supported and it
is more than you could hold up with your hand. This is only a surpise
to the uninformed, it is par for the course otherwise.

Bending loads (as in a joist) are a much more severe strain on the
material than the axial load on a joist. That's why the joist
typically needs to be much larger than the stud that supports it.
This seems to be a case of imagination gone wild, both in the OP and
the response.

I graduated engineering school before I became a framing designer, and
I was a framing designer before I was a framing contractor. Don't
panic!!!! As long as the 2x4 wall has a foundation under it, I don't
see the problem. Why would such a short wall need to be of 4x4s, when
much taller walls that support floor joists in 2-story houses don't
need to be????

-v.


Reply to NG only - this e.mail address goes to a kill file.

On Sat, 1 Jan 2005 22:47:30 -0800, "Bob"
wrote:

Hi,

I have a small one level ranch new construction being built now. The other
day I got down to the crawlspace to check it out. I am a bit concerned with
the way the floor joists are supported. Being a layman I don't know if this
is the right way to suppor the joist. Not sure if the joists are supported
adequately.

The lot slopes slightly from back to front. When the foundation walls were
poured the builder said it was necessary to make a "step" in the wall so the
back is about 12" higher than the front (this way driveway wouldn't too
steep). The joists run in back/front direction so now the back ends do not
sit on the concrete. There are 2x4 studs 16" OC just inside the concrete
wall supporting two pieces of 2x4 as beam. The TJI joists sit on the beam.
The total span from back to front is 32'. Two addtional footings with same
type of posts/beam are in the middle to reduce the spans to about 11'.
Concrete wall is about 3' tall.

Is this the right/standard/acceptable way to support the joists in such a
one-level house on a gently sloped lot? This is quite close to a "spec
house" - nearly everything is "standard" grade. But I am a little nervous,
knowing the back end is not sitting on concrete.

There is an illustration below, just copy and paste the URL to browser. It
is very small gif file (9KB) but quite descriptive.

http://64.126.161.28/joists.gif

Thanks in advance for any input.

Bob



Bob, it looks okay to me tho I'd want to make sure the joists rest in
line with the studs rather than between for best construction. It
could work otherwise but in the long run you prefer the proper
alignment. When I was studying your pic, I was more concerned with
the foundations but I think that will be okay too.