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Ever see construction like this?

| Posted in Construction Techniques on May 31, 2002 12:08pm

I recently bought a 1950 single story home. It has a block foundation (crawl space) with 6″X8″ beams on 4′ centers set on posts and hung on the foundation. Interestingly no floor joists but the subfloor is 2″X 8″ tongue and groove redwood. I live in Eureka, CA where redwood was abundant when this home was built. Everything is redwood including trim and siding but I never saw floor framing like this.

mike

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  1. User avater
    rjw | May 31, 2002 06:09am | #1

    sounds like barn or commercial construction

  2. UncleDunc | May 31, 2002 07:02am | #2

    I've seen and heard of lots of roof decks like that, but never a sub-floor.

  3. csnow | May 31, 2002 08:55pm | #3

    That is some very impressive over-engineering.  I suppose redwood was pretty much free in Eureka in 1950.  You could 'mine' that floor and those beams for salvage, and make big $$$ these days...

    1. MIKEBUETTNER | May 31, 2002 09:08pm | #4

      The planking has beautiful grain. There are even a few pieces of the T&G used as ceiling joists. Not everything is that heavy. A few small rooms have only 2X4 ceiling joists. The sheathing on the roof is also T&G redwood but not sure how thick. Same for the detached garage.

      mike

      1. AndyW22 | Jun 01, 2002 06:22am | #7

        Bitman:

        Here near Toronto, some houses were framed that way during the war as quick homes for workers at an ammunition plant. My buddy got a big surprise when he thought he would replace his floors with hardwood!

        Andy

  4. jimblodgett | May 31, 2002 11:18pm | #5

    Here in Western Washington many floors were framed that way in the 50's and 60's. They used 4x8s 48" 0.c. with 2x6 t&g, or "cardecking" as it's called in these parts. It was all fir, though.

    There's a local builder who was still framing his floors that way about 10 years ago, maybe still to this day.

    1. fdampier | Jun 01, 2002 02:53am | #6

      Oops!

         I'm building my house now with 2x6's t&g on top of 6x12's 48" O.C.   (that's sub floor) span's about 14 feet,  (think I over did it?) 

      1. junkhound | Jun 01, 2002 07:06am | #8

        I'll bet yours are all white oak Frenchy. <envious G>

        1. fdampier | Jun 02, 2002 05:15am | #9

          Nah, only the timbers. the finished floor is black walnut.  Of course I might sneak a few boards of white hard maple in for contrast. 

  5. headhigh | Jun 02, 2002 07:45am | #10

    Am currently "restoring" similar framed  house in Santa  Cruz county. First-growth redwood  beams ,  roof framing and sheathing, posts,and t&g log siding . Built originally in the 1920's  in what was then redwood logging country. When I tear out the add-ons that were summer projects for a multitude of owners, I find rotted and infested lumber and plywood siding.  However  when I  get down to that first-growth, the rot just stops. I expose the original framing, sweep off the termite turds and the stuff is like brand new. This kind of lumber can no longer be found , 2nd growth redwood  is no better than  doug fir for rot resistance.  I am having trouble tracking down matching log siding , but I think there are mills up your way that can run off  a special  order but it would have to be cedar.  There are other buildings on this site, but I have not explored them yet as there are tenents living in them.    

    1. MIKEBUETTNER | Jun 02, 2002 09:42pm | #12

      There are several places up here that reclaim the old redwood from buildings being demoed. If you would like I could do a little research into your log siding for you.

      mike

  6. Americandown | Jun 02, 2002 02:34pm | #11

    When I lived and worked out in Portland,Oregon back in the mid '90s,I ran into the exact same floor construction that Jim Blodgett mentioned,obviously the 1st floor only.The 2nd floor was framed conventionally.This was new construction too!This house was located east of Portland,in Troutdale.I got hired onto a frame gang sometime after that.We were in a subdivision east of Portland,in Gresham,building high end custom homes.One of the homes I was working on had  me setting up 4x8 doug fir beams on 4x4 and 4x6 posts,on 4' centers.I reckon they were also going to put down 2x6 t&g subfloor.I never found out as I went back to finishing flatwork-paid way more!

  7. MIKEBUETTNER | Jun 09, 2002 03:10am | #13

    While laying a vapor barrier in my crawl space I was inspecting the subflooring. All looks in great shape other than 2 of the 2X8 planks (side by side) that have an old crack running diagonally for about 2 feet across them. The crack pretty much follows the grain. I can feel a little give in the floor at that spot. Question is how do I make a repair given the beams are 4' apart?

    Thanks.

    Mike

    1. jimblodgett | Jun 09, 2002 06:43pm | #14

      Can you strategicaly add a couple new 4x8s, perpendicular to the beams that are in there now? Use hangers and place the new, short beams up in the same plane as the old ones?

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