Is a continuous column better than two stacked?
DoRight
| Posted in Construction Techniques on
If you have a choice is a continuous column better than two stacked? I have a situation where I could place 20 foot tall column in a wall with additional support with the column tied into the second floor floor. Is it better to just run a 20 foot column or to break it at the floor an stack a second column on that floor.
it seems like continuous would be better. But a 20 foot column will cost more, it might have greater chance of developing a twist, etc.
Thoughts?
Replies
If you're talking about a 2 story platform framed situation with 2 stacked wall assemblies with some sort of shear panels, and the columns insided the walls, then I think stacked columns would be fine. This has the advantage that the top plates for the bottom wall are continuous rather than interrupted by the column. In any other situation I'd run a continuous column.
Squash Blocks?
Your summary of teh stacked version is spot on.
For squash blocks, they are to be run vertically (end grain on top of block), right.
Do you use any "Simpson" post bases for the columns on first or second floor?
Thanks
yes, continuous would be better
ok, one vote continuous, one vote stacked
1 to 1
you could always stack a bunch of sikkening cans from the popups here and glue them together with a sikkening product for a column?
hey dude ..
I did not ask how to make a column I already have the pizza boxes ready to stack! Gee wez.
If it's in a wall it's a post. There is absolutely no advantage to having it one piece. An engineer would tell you a one piece won't hold one pound more than two pieces.
If it will somehow stiffen a wall that needs it then of course you'd want it and the rest of the framiing to be ballon framed.
hey mike and idaho etal
Ok, platform framing is fine for posts in the wall. I beleive squash blocks in the floor deck should be run with the grain vertically. This probably does not matter for many posts as the loads are not that great, but if the loads are potentially large with snow loads it probably is best to run them vertically. However is it ok for the rim joist to be included in that sqash block set up? You could break the rim joist and use only vertical grain components but then you break the rim. Then again the rim has to brak somewhere. What is best practice for best squash blocking in this application?