Werid Code Rules Unique To Your City

john5mt

Any really odd ball codes that your city enforces?

Two years ago our city started demanding that trusses not be nailed to the top plates on interior non-load bearing walls for seismic reasons. Has anyone else run into this or is it just my city that is comes up with these fubar ideas?

Because of major truss deflection problems and the drywall corner at the wall ceiling connection ripping on every house that we follow the rules on, we usually wait for the inspection and then go into the rafters and nail them down afterwards anyway.


Another one was on this small bungalow an inspector wouldnt pass it until we bought this specialized seismic caulk/ adhesive that is supposed to be in the corners of the rim joist. No one in town had ever heard of such a thing and none of the stores had it. We looked it up online and it was $125 bucks a tube.

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gregj

Are you sure it was for seismic reasons? Sounds like it was to prevent cracking from truss uplift.

wooddan

i was a lumber humper on a job many years ago were we didnt pass because of the boss decided to save about $0.30 on drywall nails using only one in the field.

TempestV

It's state wide at least, we get that here in Bozeman from time to time. Same reason too.

Never heard of that before.

K2

I think your first two are for truss uplift as gregj said. We don't have that uplift problem in this climate. The caulk sounds weird.

Colorado front range has floating walls which my 1982 drawing has become the standard... Many designs on the front range have 12 ft concrete walls for basements with a hanging joist system and crawler instead of a slab. Both of those designs are for expansive soils which is comon on the front range.
I know of some other unique codes specific to this area but I'll have top think about them.

finehomes

John,

I think if you check with just about any truss manufacturer you will find that you are NEVER supposed to nail trusses mid span on non bearing walls. That's a big NO NO. You start getting any kind of uplift there and its going to take that wall right with it. Read the specs and engineering that come with every truss package and I'll bet it states right in it that you are not to do that. You inspector is right on the money on that one.


Sam

fourcornerhome

there are connectors you can get that will fasten the truss to the plate of interior walls that allow truss uplift and will hold the wall in place.

john5mt

so what do you guys do? Just let the drywall crack every summer?

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finehomes

Never had a problem


Sam

wyoming 1

put a heave block in on the top of the wall and fasten the drywall to the block and keep your first drywall screw in the truss about 16in away from the wall if and when the truss heaves (up lifts) it will not pull in the corners and the drywall will bend.

cmansmith

I had to sheet rock the outside wall on a duplex in Manhattan Kansas for fire code because it was too close to the house next door. So we sheeted it then hung Sheetrock with fire tape, then hung siding over it. Ironically enough the house didn't catch on fire but the buddy of mine that I helped build the duplex told me the tornado that recently went thru Manhattan destroyed that duplex along with about three other houses he built. It seemed to me they had strict rules on the fire codes but nothing else.

Bkessler

Huntington beach, have to have a stainless steel ground rod.

Since 1977

Pittsburgh Pa.

If you are drinking on the job, You gotta be drinking IRON CITY BEER.

he he he

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thom

We are required to put a switched light (keyless fixture will do) in all attics. I don't like doing this in attics built with trusses because it encourages people to use the attics for storage. The trusses are not engineered for more than the drywall load and the insulation is crushed.

DEZLN

if you cant block truss above interior walls and nail blocks to top plate of non bearing wall then must you frame it up to the ceiling or use stc clips dont sturdy the wall

Trimwerx

Codes? What are those? Seems like in Tulsa as long as they see fire blocking they're happy...

Teetorbilt

Fire blocking????? as in stud construction? I still do it but I'm ancient. It also helps square the cheap studs that we are forced to work with today.

BTW, I think that the inventor of metal studs belongs in the same cell with Charlie Manson.

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Trimwerx

Ooh, how bout this one. In Tulsa, on new construction, framers aren't allowed to nail down their bottom plates. There's a company that has to be hired to do specifically that. That company also foams in the windows.

Joe Carola

What is the reason for framers not nailing down the bottom plates? Are they told how many nails they are allowed to keep the plates in place?

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Joe Carola

Trimwerx

I don't really know the deal with it. Theres this company called Tulsa Energy Control who nails them all down. Something about them complaining and petitioning the county for it cause all the windows and doors they had to insulate were all out of whack cause the plates were nailed down wrong... I don't know. Some Tulsan just probably paid the right person off and got a legal monopoly out of it. Big crock of poop if you ask me. The fella that does the nailing has a severe limp and wears braces on his upper body. Funniest thing ever to watch. He looks like a machine doing it. His right arm hangs next to his right leg with a gun in hand and every step he takes he fires a nail. Kinda wobbles his way round the house.