Typically with new construction, a multi-story wood framed building would have holdowns that transfer from the roof to the foundation. With seismic retrofit, this is different since it is only necessary to retrofit the first floor. With this in mind, the existing shear walls on the stories above...
I've been designing using the dead loads from Design of Wood Structures ASD/LRFD - these dead loads would yield roof, floor and wall assemblies of approximately 20 psf. A lot of other engineers use assemblies closer to 15 psf, which is significantly less than the 20 psf for interior wall with...
For a residential project that I am working on, the ceiling has deflected 3.5" due to inadequate support underneath the bearing line (poorly sistered connection with screws on the first story of a four story wood-framed residential building). We are looking to replace the joists underneath the...
