Anyone with advice/experience on the following is hereby invited to provide opinions on the best approach. Otherwise I am warming up the cats paw and putting the nail cutting blade in the sawszall –
The framers did not block horizontal joints in the plywood wall sheathing. In other words, where one CDX sheet was not enough to go from bottom plate to top plate, they started another sheet but did not put a horizontal block across the studs – the sheathing is only nailed to the studs at these joints. Framers long gone at this point (this is a “you take over now – the other guys are gone” sort of job).
I can’t see an alternative but to remove at least one of the sheets of sheathing, block properly, and then renail the sheathing back to the wall, properly nailed every 6″ on the edge
Also – it looks like the sheets butt up directly to one another. I was always taught to keep an 8d nail gap between sheets of sheathing to allow for a bit of expansion.
thoughts welcome.
Replies
The only times I'll block the horizontal joints is when the engineer calls for it ,like in a sheer wall.If thats the case your framers aren't done.Otherwise your walls probably don't need it.As for sheet spacing an 1/8 th inch is normal but if it's dry weather and the wall isn't too exposed I dont worry about it.If I your are concerned about sheathing expansion you can run a saw up the joints. The only place that is has ever given me a problem is on roofs and I learned the hard way.
good luck ............Rik.........
Are the walls insulated yet? Why can't you toe nail blocks in from the back side? Might be difficult to get a nailer in some areas but it seems a LOT easier than pulling sheathing off. Forget it if they used ring shank nails, you'll only pull the heads off.
Good luck.
Already insulated and some are paneled or sheetrocked.
in seismic zone 3 (Sierra Nevadas) and occasional high winds so I think code requires shear wall nailing schedule and sheathing, at least at the corners. Won't worry about it in the middle of the wall
bummer - sounds like sawzall w/ hack blade, removing sheets, blocking and replacing is best option. blocking and tackling
A possible alternative to removing entire sheets is to cut out a 1 foot strip of one sheet, block twice, and nail the strip back in. Uglier, yes, and the engineer would have to approve the minimum size of the rip you make, but you don't have to take off 32 square feet of material to get blocking in. Depends entirely on how easy those nails are coming out, and how many they used.
No seismic zone in NC, but we still have to have that seam blocked in order to pass the framing inspection. And we've gotta pass the framing inspection before we can insulate, and that's got to be inspected and passed before we can sheetrock. No inspections?
I'd have to see it, but I think I'd go at it from the inside, especially with the earthquake factor. I've had to put fire blocking in after the fact, it's not easy, but can be done. Screws can come in handy, sometimes easier and more effective than nailing. Then nail sheathing from the outside. You can still get to that?
Are you all plumbed and wired? How'd you get so far without doing it?
I don't envy you, good luck
Don't worry, we can fix that later!
I got here by taking a job after the first builder stopped halfway through!
Passed framing inspection before it was insulated, but not sheathing/shear wall inspection (that inspection hasn't happened, but I know it won't pass without blocking, as you state above).
PIA (pain the ####) factor = 10
Gratification factor = 1
kerf the wall an addd the rack braces over the osb..or cdx. nail with 12d's in the studs an plates..seam over it with ice an water stick on 6'' wide..that'll do ya.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
Sheathing nailoff is inspected here before all the rest. The inspector would have caught the lack of blocking on panel edges at that time, failed the inspection and come back later when you called for reinspection and paid the violation fee.
At this time, I would call for the missed inspection, find out if you have to have blocking at all the panel edges and go from there. Pay the reinspection fee. It's simpler.
At some point in shear wall construction, the placement of blocking and the nailing pattern is immaterial, but you, personally, don't know where that point lies without consulting a PE (and getting around the actual code or inspectors whims).
I don't see how your inspection system would have allowed coverup without following a prescribed regimen of inspection. If your coverup is incomplete, with only some insulation in the way at some points and drywall up at others, I would opt for removal of the interior materials. There is a strong possibility that electrical or plumbing runs in the walls would compromise the exterior tearoff route which might make for an erratic patching pattern.
Wylie, I'm also in seismic zone 3 and, other than fireblocking and requirements spec'd in an engineered shear wall, I can't find the code requirement you think you're committed to.
And I am also a little confused; you said you've passed your framing inspection, which, in my experience, means your plumbing top out and wiring is done, allowing you to insulate, which then means you get to call for the insulation inspection, after which, you're good to cover (sheet rock or whatever).
Now, what's this about a shear wall inspection.....that should be part of the structural.
Now, if I've got it wrong, there are some good suggestions in previous posts about retrofitting blocking.....if you really need to....????
Why do you want the blocking?
Could you get away with H clips?
Hole saw on the joint big enough to slip an H clip in, maybe one to each side of the hole?
Again, why do you have to add anything?
Joe H
California code in Seismic zone 3 requires blocking at horizontal jsheathing oints on shear walls. alternatively you can have an engineer spec metal diagonal bracing straps , but that is expensive. however at this point might be easier than pulling/sawing all those ##)#*$&$& nails
Unless this is a single story jobber....
I don't envy you one bit.
And I can't even begin to imagine what I'd have to charge to make it worth my while to climb an extension ladder and pull of that amount of sheathing.....even for good $ I'd be a bear for however long it took. I try to keep a positive attitude at work, but that's right up there with my old boss directing us to tear down all the ceilings in an old house.....without cleaning up the blown in insulation in the attic first. Couldn't do it from above either due to low pitch roof, knob and tube, and bat colony.
Gotta be another way around it, no?
I keep thinking someone will appear with a magical solution but I think I am down to ripping off sheathing. I think I will just need to rip off the bottom row as I can get the block up behind the top peice of sheathing.
With CDX at $20+ bucks a sheet mr homeowner is not going to be happy about the bill
Only fun part is I just got new Senco so get to break it on putting blocks and sheathing back up.
WT
About the only magical solution would be to get an engineer to sign off on some less drastic kind of fix.
What kind of final siding surface is this supposed to have? That'll determine whether there's some room for an engineer to design something that can go between the existing ply and whatever comes next. I'm thinking maybe the engineer could bless some kind of steel strap over the joints.
-- J.S.
what is wrong with cutting in the rack braces? If they'd pass w/o the blocks, then it oughta still fly.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
Get the inspection before you do any blocking. Not all shear walls require blocked edges of sheathing. UBC requires lateral bracing but it can be done in a variety of ways. Is this an engineered structure or was it designed to meet the light frame conventional construction provisisions of the UBC? Makes a big difference.
Cut through the sheathing one foot from the joint. Remove the one-foot strips. Put blocks at the original seam and the new seam. Reinstall the one foot strips of sheathing. I would use this as an opportunity to enjoy ripping one-foot strips on my outstanding DeWalt portable table saw.
You may want to talk to your inspections dept. before you do anything. While our state code is the IBC, each county and town has it's own addendas. Maybe it's like that out there? Could save you a lot of headaches, or give you a whole bunch more!LOL Don't worry, we can fix that later!
Thanks for all the suggestions. To answer a few of the questions:
- I think I've got a new inspector who is making an issue of the blocking (or lack thereof) at the sheathing ends. Haven't really wanted to ask how long he has been doing his job for fear of pissing him off and having him get all "CSI" on my jobsite, but he looks younger than I and I have never seen him on previous jobs
- I think the "cut out 1-2 foot strips, block upper and lower edges, nail back strips" idea may be the best way to go here.
- I think I will just do this with the vertical sheathing panels at the walls and then one in the center of the walls. That should more than address any racking concerns. Will call for the newbie inspector to come back out and show him the section of the IBC that just requires shear walls at the corners.
wish me luck