Most older homes were built before building codes were part of the construction industry and these houses were built by various immigrants who had their own ways of building houses. It is very rare that we find a house that was built according to any of the seismic retrofit building guidelines. The drawings here illustrate some of the unusual framing we find under these old houses and if you find a house that is not built by the book look at these drawings until you find the one that matches your house and retrofit it as shown. If you can’t find it please write to me and I probably have a drawing somewhere that will match your need.
Balloon Framing
Longitudinal balloonframing with H-10R’s
Longitudinal balloonframing with plywood blocks
Transverse balloonframing with 2by to ledger
Transverse balloonframing with plywood to ledger
Education – Basic Engineering
Diagram – 16,000 Pounds of force each side-2arrowheads
Diagram – 14 ft of plywood each side
Education – What Happens
Unreinforced – reinforced cripple wall defined
General Diagram – Typical failue points
General Diagram – Transfer Tie Failure
General Diagram – Transfer Tie Failure Horizontal
General Diagram – Cripplewall Failure
General Diagram – Cripplewall Failure TWO
General Diagram – cripple wall by stairs
General Diagram – Bolt Failure
General Diagram – Bolt Failure TWO
Cripple wall – 3 EQ forces consequences
Education – Overturning Forces
General Diagram – Overtunring + holddowns no force
General Diagram – Overtunring, holddowns pull on fdn
General Diagram – Overturning, holddown with cement blocks
General Diagram – Overturning, no holddowns, closeup.
General Diagram – Overturning, no holddowns,sill tears
General Diagram – Overturning, no uplift
General Diagram – Overturning,holddowns fdn breaks
General Principles – Concrete under hold down close detail
Stick house – Overturning forces
Education – Shear Wall Construction
General Diagram – Cripplewall Failure General Principles – Nailing of plywood
General Principles – Shear panel – stepped foundation
General Principles – Shearwall framing
General Principles Rreinforced cripple wall only.
General Principles Shear Wall – structural components
Education – Don’t Ignore Top Plates
EQ forces travel thru break in topplate
General Principles – Topplate splice
Topplate splice nailed close up
Education – Misc.
General Diagram – cripple wall by stairs
General Diagram – Ground stationary and house moves
Shear Wall Deformation – rectangle
Lag Floor Connectors – Save The Ceiling Drywall
Misc.
Missing Top Plates
Missing topplate – 2by to next joist
Missing topplate – ply DIA to next joist
New Footings
New footing and shear wall to one joist,
New footing and shear wall to two joists one story
New footing and shear wall to two joists two story
New footing and shear wall with plywood blocking
Shear Wall Repairs
Shearwall repair – DIA stapled to existing shear wall with 2×10
Shearwall Repair – staple 2by to subfloor
Shearwall repair- ply DIA to next joist
Shearwall repair-no blocking-flushcut repair
Short Shear Wall
Short Shearwall – UFP and 2 x 10 shear wall
Short Shearwall – UFP with 2×4 sistered to topplate+2×10
Short Shearwall – UFP with 2×4 sistered to topplate+L-90
Short Shearwall – UFP with plywood shear wall
New Sill to Side of Foundation
Sidebolt, capped transverse 2 joists
Sidebolt-longitudinal capped wall
Sidebolt – 4×4.to side, obstruction bypass
Sidebolt -2×8 LTP4 direct to joist
Sidebolt -2×8, plywood to next joist
Sidebolt -2×8. ply+ blocking to joist BAUM
Side Bolt – No Cripple Wall, No Blocking
Sidebolt 2 x 8 and .75 ply 7 inch bolt
Sidebolt no blocking, 2 x 8 and 1 1-8th ply
Sill Connections
Sill connection – Four panel flush cut
Nailed Blocking
Detail – blocked UFP Sill Connection –
Four Panel Nailed Blocks Sill Connecton –
Reverse Blocking
Reverse block – bolts in wide foundation
Sill Connection – Reverse Block narrow sill
Sill Connection – Four panel reverse blocking
Sill Connection – Reverse blocking + UFP
Sill Connection – Reverse Block Breakdown
Sill Connection – Reverse blocking + bolt
Sill Connection- Three panel reverse blocking
Stapled Blocking
Sill Connection – Four Panel Stapled Blocks
Sill Connection – Stapled Blocks
Sill Connection Plywood stapled to blocks.
Sill Connecton – plywood stapled to blocks.
ZX Sill Connection – Stapled Blocks
Staple to Floor
Sidebolt -staple plywood to floor Short shearwall
Sidebolt -staple plywood to floor, 2 x 12 and ply
Sidebolt -staple plywood to floor, 2 x 8 and ply
Splices
General Principles – Horizontal seam – sheetmetal splice
General Principles – Horizontal stapled splice
General Principles – Topplate splice
Topplate splice nailed close up
URFP Details
