Load paths are critical when homes are engineered to resist the forces brought on a building by earthquakes or high winds. Lateral forces are transferred to the foundation through shear walls, where they are often "tied down" to the foundation through holddowns. In order for them to function as designed, its important for them to be installed correctly.

In this video, you'll learn how easy it is to install the Simpson Strong-Tie STHD14 holddown. This is an embedded strap-type holdown that is set in place prior to concrete placement. It is critical that they be installed correctly and in the right location. The good news is that they are very easy to install, especially when used with the StrapMate.

I like to think of the process as similar to the load path itself. Load paths take the loads from high winds or the shaking caused by an earthquake and transfer them from the roof to the foundation. If any element in that path is missing or installed incorrectly, the path isn't continuous. Since an engineer has analyzed and calculated how to resist the forces the building will see, I have to make sure I install what is specified properly, or the "load path" is broken.