Are there alternatives to using the lateral-load anchors described in the IRC? More
Q: I know that the sill of an egress window in a second-floor bedroom must be no... More
Q: I am having an electrical problem on a second-story addition I am currently building. The clients report that the lights dim periodically during the early morning hours, but that it’s not related to the refrigerator starting nor any other piece of electrical equipment in the house. I have tested the voltage and have found no fluctuations greater than two or three volts during the course of a day. The service is 200 amps, and the entire house has been completely rewired within the past six years. The wiring looks to have been properly installed. Is there something I have overlooked in trying to determine the cause of these electrical surges? The adjacent houses have not reported any surges. More
A West Coast builder tells how he used structural steel and engineered lumber to strengthen a two-bay garage beneath a master bedroom addition. More
Q: A client wants me to add a second story addition on a small Cape. The add-on would necessitate bringing new floor and roof loads onto existing steel columns in the basement that heretofore have supported only first-floor loads. Are the footings for those steel posts up to the additional loads? Standard practice in this area is to pour a 2x2-foot pad, 8 to 12 inches thick; the slab is 4 inches thick. More
In second-story additions, existing bearing walls can limit your design choices. A design/builder tells how he used steel and engineered lumber to handle large loads and wide spans. More
The roof came off, the second story went up, and the roof went back on — all in less than four hours. The contractor on the job tells how he did it. More
Adding a second story to a ranch requires good design skills and a fast-working crew. Here’s how to make this kind of work go smoothly. More
