Hello, I am building an 8×16 sauna that is going to be built on a grade of 6/12. the sauna on the uphill side will be about a foot off the ground. On the downhill side, it will be about 5 ft off the ground. I have 6 (3 per side) 6×6 posts connecting to 12-inch sonotubes via Simpson bases.
My question is do I need diagonal bracing on the 6x6s? and where can I find this in the code book? I am located in Michigan and thank you for the help
Replies
Where are you located? If in a seismic zone, yes. Lots of snow in winter, then probably yes. Best course is to talk to a structural engineer.
You sound like you don't want diagonal bracing. Why not? Code won't specify what kind but will require some sort of lateral bracing. Go ahead and do it. The longer the braces the better. Both directions. No big deal. Probably less than $100 and 2 hours. No big deal.
Can it be built without bracing? Perhaps, but it'll depend on how you're going to frame it (both the floor AND the walls & roof above) and how the floor's main beams connect to the piers on the uphill side.
I can understand wanting to minimize the bracing so you can have access to covered space below the floor. But exercise caution here. Where you are matters.
[CT professional engineer]