Hi everyone... 
I am currently drawing a 1 1/2 story house with an elevated wall height, which will be about 170 m2 and with 2.5m to the ceiling on both floors. The house's dimensions will be approximately 7x12m internally. The exterior walls will be 240 mm thick, and the interior walls will be constructed with 45x145 to achieve that cozy feeling when the solid panel doors are in place, but they will of course also be able to support some weight, right? The interior walls will be evenly distributed on both floors, i.e. about 4+4+4m, and there will be walls along the house, centrally placed over each other on both floors to support the trusses (45x145). The question is then, is it okay to use these as load-bearing walls to support the roof trusses, as we want the same width on the upper floor to get more space? And what should be the height and spacing for the floor joists between the floors (45x240? 600cc?/ 300cc in the bathroom? ???) The roof is planned to be insulated with 290mm insulation. There will also be a vaulted ceiling in the "middle section" with "visible beams" on the 2nd floor. Lots of questions but...... :-/
I am currently drawing a 1 1/2 story house with an elevated wall height, which will be about 170 m2 and with 2.5m to the ceiling on both floors. The house's dimensions will be approximately 7x12m internally. The exterior walls will be 240 mm thick, and the interior walls will be constructed with 45x145 to achieve that cozy feeling when the solid panel doors are in place, but they will of course also be able to support some weight, right? The interior walls will be evenly distributed on both floors, i.e. about 4+4+4m, and there will be walls along the house, centrally placed over each other on both floors to support the trusses (45x145). The question is then, is it okay to use these as load-bearing walls to support the roof trusses, as we want the same width on the upper floor to get more space? And what should be the height and spacing for the floor joists between the floors (45x240? 600cc?/ 300cc in the bathroom? ???) The roof is planned to be insulated with 290mm insulation. There will also be a vaulted ceiling in the "middle section" with "visible beams" on the 2nd floor. Lots of questions but...... :-/
If the question is whether 45x145 is sufficient for a load-bearing interior wall, the answer is "more than adequate." I don't think I've ever heard of any manufacturer using more than 45x120. I would argue that it's somewhat of a space waste to frame interior walls with such thick timber. They will probably be sturdy enough if, for example, you nail raw paneling onto the frame and then plasterboard on it. The most common joist dimension is probably 45x220 (wider is hardly available if you want solid wood). C/c 600, i.e., one between each rafter, c/c 300 where you are installing tile flooring (there are other ways to solve this, for example, with double plasterboard on top of chipboard on joists c/c 600).
It is not clear if you will be building yourself, but if you are going to do that (or order the materials yourself), you need to remember to order strength-graded timber (class K24, sometimes also called T2) for the floor joists.
That's great... and when you say it, 45x120 sounds like a better solution... thanks What do you think about supporting the Ridge beam on the Trusses with the Inner walls that will be "centrally placed under the Ridge beam along" the house and which in turn rest on the walls under the Floor joists on the 1st floor? (without a lot of Support legs that sit quite far in and take up space), Like "Svensk Takstol" :-/ Another thing, there will be no wall placed in the Living room on the 1st floor. Is a so-called H-beam recommended just to support the wall on the 2nd floor, which in turn then supports the Ridge beam on the Truss... I understand that drawings may need to be submitted for load calculations to an architect, etc., but it would be fun to know if I'm somewhat on the right track. Thanks in advance..... Eager CAD,are
What do you think about supporting the Ridge beam on the Trusses with the Inner walls that will be "centrally placed under the Ridge beam along" the house and which in turn rest on the walls under the Floor joists on the 1st floor? (without a lot of Support legs that sit quite far in and take up space), Like "Svensk Takstol" :-/ Another thing, there will be no wall placed in the Living room on the 1st floor. Is a so-called H-beam recommended just to support the wall on the 2nd floor, which in turn then supports the Ridge beam on the Truss... I understand that drawings may need to be submitted for load calculations to an architect, etc., but it would be fun to know if I'm somewhat on the right track. Thanks in advance..... Eager CAD,areWell, the idea is to build it myself...as much as possible ;D working on calculations for materials...it's starting to become a hobby with lots of rows in Excel...but it's really fun hunting for the cheapest prices. But I guess I'll get quotes from as many as possible for the materials and maybe even call carpenters to see what they want, maybe I can even get help for the same money...they usually have their discounts on materials ???
It doesn't sound impossible that you could avoid support legs with this solution, but are support legs really a big problem? What can you do with space where the ceiling height is one meter and below? I would think it would be a bigger concern to have a load-bearing central wall even on the upper floor. Regarding beams, it's probably a matter of taste between steel or glulam. If you want a visible beam, then glulam is the way to go. The truss manufacturer can quickly answer whether this with an upper central wall is feasible, you don't need to pay an architect for that.
Good luck! I'm in exactly the same situation as you but a little further in the cycle (walls up, roof in progress). The Excel files are well-filled... Unfortunately, you can probably forget your reasoning about tradesmen and discounts. You don't get the tradesman's discount, instead he pockets it as profit (you are also likely to pay more if you buy from him than if you shop where you get the best price as a private individual).
It is probably as you say, Bob: how much time do you estimate before it is ready to move in? Are you off from work, or are you working on the house after work? I am just curious... I might have to take a year's leave to get it done as quickly as possible. We'll probably have to live cheaper at the same time + incorporate the lost income into the loan ???
I was off for about three months, during that time I completed the external VA, foundation (crawlspace), and floor framing. Now I'm working and things are going MUCH slower However, all the walls are now up and part of the roof. The drying fans will be working hard in a few weeks.... :-/
Move-in...? Well, we'll see. But it won't be on the anniversary of the construction start (Aug), that's for sure. :
However, all the walls are now up and part of the roof. The drying fans will be working hard in a few weeks.... :-/Move-in...? Well, we'll see. But it won't be on the anniversary of the construction start (Aug), that's for sure. :
Good luck I'll probably return soon with other thoughts...bye for now!!
I'll probably return soon with other thoughts...bye for now!!I agree with the previous speaker - building a load-bearing wall with a frame of rough-planed 45x145mm is to:
1. Throw money down the drain
2. Get a lot of unnecessary trouble when mounting your interior door frames in the oversized walls.
3. Sacrifice valuable room space to no avail.
Modern standard frames are adapted for walls with a total thickness of around 95 or 120mm. At these thicknesses, you avoid unnecessary shim and trim boards since the frame and wall thickness match.
My tip is to build the load-bearing wall of rough-planed 45x70 cc 300mm if you want to clad the wall with two layers of boards on each side, alternatively 45x95 cc 450mm if you settle for a single layer of drywall. Both walls are about 120mm thick when finished, and they can handle all loads in wooden houses.
Good luck!
/Cson
1. Throw money down the drain
2. Get a lot of unnecessary trouble when mounting your interior door frames in the oversized walls.
3. Sacrifice valuable room space to no avail.
Modern standard frames are adapted for walls with a total thickness of around 95 or 120mm. At these thicknesses, you avoid unnecessary shim and trim boards since the frame and wall thickness match.
My tip is to build the load-bearing wall of rough-planed 45x70 cc 300mm if you want to clad the wall with two layers of boards on each side, alternatively 45x95 cc 450mm if you settle for a single layer of drywall. Both walls are about 120mm thick when finished, and they can handle all loads in wooden houses.
Good luck!
/Cson
According to information I received from my truss manufacturer, 45x70 cannot be used in load-bearing wall constructions, and at least 45x95 is required, but that might be incorrect?
Oh, the king might have a jerry-built house! ;D Don't stomp too hard on the upper floor before you know how things stand with this matter...