Module 2: Conventional Wall and Foundations Framing Design

This section covers the following.

1. The distinction between engineered and prescriptive design.

2. The International Residential Code - State adoption and amendment.

3. The course outline.

This section covers the following.

1. Wall framing layout for studs, headers, jack studs, king studs, top plates and bottom plates.

2. Wall loading.

3. The distinction between wall types (bearing and non bearing walls, exterior and interior walls, braced walls and non-braced walls).

4. The wall assembly with respect to the wall weight limitations.

5. Reference Publications for wall weights.

This section will cover the following.

1. Sawn lumber conformance standards, grades and species in conventional construction.

2. Limitations for story heights and stud heights in conventional framing.

3. Framing requirements for top plates and bottom plates (sill plates).

4. Notches, cuts and holes in bearing and non-bearing studs.

5. The fastening schedule and wall framing connection requirements.

6. Wall sheathing framing requirements.

7. Wood structural panels requirements (performance standards, span rating, thickness etc)

This section will cover the following.

1. Types of headers and header framing methods.

2. Design and framing of headers and girders (Header span tables) at bearing walls and porches.

3. Design and framing of trimmers and full heigh studs adjacent headers.

4. Design and framing of headers at non-bearing walls.

The section will cover the following:

1. Soil and subgrade requirements including geotechnical investigation requirements.

2. Concrete material requirements and specifications.

3. The design of wall foundations (size and reinforcement requirements).

4. Foundations with concrete and masonry stem walls.

5. Protection of foundations from frost.

This section will cover the following.

1. Masonry specifications and the design of masonry foundation walls.

2. Concrete and reinforcement specifications and the design of concrete foundation walls.

3. Drainage requirements at Foundation walls.

4. Water proofing and Damp proofing requirements at foundation walls.

This section covers the following.

1. Causes of wood decay and naturally durable species.

2. Preservative treatment of lumber per the AWPA and how to specify on the drawings.

3. Framing locations requiring protection of lumber against decay.

4. Corrosion protection of steel fasteners in contact with preservative treated lumber.

In this section, we will continue with the conventional structural design of a two story residential structure in Seismic Design Category D2 (Very high seismic hazard risk) and a wind speed of 120 miles per hour.

Since the scope of this module is on wall and foundation framing, our design work will be limited to the design of the wall framing elements and foundations. We will design the wall studs, headers, jack studs, king studs, top plates and sill plates, the wall sheathing and wall framing connections including uplift connections. We will also design foundations. Additionally, we will develop the structural drawings as is typically required for permit issuance and construction.

The drawings will include layout plans showing the headers and header schedules, an elevation drawing showing the wind uplift connections, details drawings and material specifications drawings.