1. Structural Components
Chapter 5
Structural Components
of the Home

2. Structural Loads Types of Loads Dead load
Weight of building materials and permanent fixtures
Live load
Weight of movable objects including people and furniture
Dynamic load
Sudden short-term live load
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3. Load-Bearing and Non-Load-Bearing Components
This beam is load-bearing because it supports weight other than its own.
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4. Structural Components
Footings
Support the structure
Minimize movement
Located on undisturbed soil
Positioned below the frost line
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5. Foundation Gravel Slab Footing Perforated pipe
A bed of gravel and a drain pipe help keep water away from the joint between the footing and foundation.
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6. Foundation
Traditional forms have been used to pour this basement. The rough places in the walls where forms were joined are visible.
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7. Foundation
Stacking these interlocking foam panels allows builders to pour the concrete in the hollow spaces and leave the form to provide insulation.
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8. No space beneath the structure
Basement
Minimum 6' height
Crawl space
1' to 4' height
Slab-on-grade
No space beneath the structure
The major difference between foundation structures is height.
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9. Anchor bolts Termite shield Sill sealer Sill
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10. Framing Methods Balloon Framing Stud
Horizontal floor framing members are attached to the sill
Vertical framing members are attached to joists
Joist
Studs can be multiple stories
Sill
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11. Platform Framing Header joist Stud
Joists are attached to the sill and to edge-laid rim joists around the perimeter of the foundation.
Joist
Sill
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12. Floor Construction
16"
Most parallel structural members are placed on 16" centers. The 16" are measured from the center of the thickness of each piece of lumber.
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13. Joists are aligned with the outer edge of the foundation wall.
Sill
Joist
Header joist
Stringer joist
Joists are aligned with the outer edge of the foundation wall.
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14. Strap bridging Solid bridging Cross bridging
Three types of bridging are common between joists—all of which improve dimensional stability.
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15. Web Gusset Chord Gusset detail
Using floor trusses instead of joists increases the free span width. Floor trusses are usually wider than joists.
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16. Floor Construction and Noise
Standard floor structures readily transmit noise.
Using an additional set of staggered floor joists prevents sounds from traveling through continuous framing members.
A less expensive alternative is to add a ceiling below the floor joists. Insulating the floor would improve the sound transmission class even farther.
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17. Double trimmer Double header
Doubled framing members are used to ensure the structural integrity of an opening in the floor.
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18. Wall Framing
Header
Studs are vertical wall framing members held in their position by a horizontal sole at the bottom and a wall header at the top.
Stud
Sole
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19. Top plate
Header
The wall header is doubled to provide support for framing above and to allow the plates to be overlapped at the top to stabilize the walls.
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20. Studs for inside corners Stud for outside corner
Additional studs are required at inside and outside corners to ensure there is sufficient support for attaching finishing materials.
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21. Additional support is provided in the wall for heavy objects such as cabinets, window treatments, and grab bars.
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22. Wall Construction and Noise
Standard wall construction has a low sound transmission class and easily transmits noise across the barrier.
A wall structure using staggered studs prevents sounds from being carried directly through the studs. Insulating the space between the staggered studs improves the STC farther.
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23. Partial walls must be at least 3' high but do not reach the ceiling.
Floating wall
Partial walls must be at least 3' high but do not reach the ceiling.
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24. Furred walls are non-load-bearing and provide backing for finish materials and space for insulation, wiring, and mechanical system components.
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25. Jack stud
When there are openings in walls, support must be provided for the structure above. This is only one type of header that can be used. The opening itself must be supported as well.
Header
King stud
Trimmer
Sill
Jack stud
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26. Ceiling Support Joist Extra nailer Ceiling finish Wall structure
An additional board is placed on top of the wall structure to provide a place for nailing finish materials when there is no other support.
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27. Roofs Roof Angle Rise Span
Pitch is the ratio of total rise to span expressed as a fraction.
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28. Slope is the ratio of rise to run expressed as X in 12.
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29. Roof Styles Flat roof Hip roof Shed roof Dutch hip roof Gable roof
Mansard roof
Winged
gable roof
Gambrel roof
Jerkinhead roof
Intersecting roof
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30. Roof Structure
Joist and rafter construction is the most common although not every roof uses all these parts.
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31. Post and Beam
This post and beam barn is a simplified version of the technique and uses roof trusses.
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