Replies

1. 
   DanH | Oct 08, 2004 11:30pm | #1

   Right or not, it's "normal".

2. 
   IMERC | Oct 08, 2004 11:42pm | #2

   Par for the course...

   Double plate and bolt down using grade rated bolts and coupling nuts....

   Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming

   WOW!!!   What a Ride!

3. 
   hammer1 | Oct 09, 2004 12:30am | #3

   Actually is some cases it is desirable. Much easier to lift garage walls without bolts sticking up and you won't have to notch the occasional joist on floors. Just drill the hole first with a large enough bit for the washer and finish it with the normal bit.

   Beat it to fit / Paint it to match

1. 
   IMERC | Oct 09, 2004 12:34am | #4

   He wanted to chip to get length... Countersinking wasn't the way to go... Besides half the material to hold to sometimes doesn't work out well... The powers that be may not care for that either...

   Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming

   WOW!!!   What a Ride!

4. 
   RalphWicklund | Oct 09, 2004 12:40am | #5

   Depending upon where you are located....... the inspector may frown upon hogging out part of the plate to fit the washer and nut.

   In the future, instead of relying on preset j-bolts which may not be where you need them, wait until the frame is up and drill for threaded rod anchored with epoxy. We no longer use j-bolts because the all thread is coupled to extend through the top plate where the washer and nut are placed. Double duty to provide whole house hold-down.

1. 
   FrankB89 | Oct 09, 2004 02:38am | #6

   Ralph;

   That depends on where he is:  If he's in a rated seismic zone or even a rated high wind zone, the withdrawal values of the epoxied anchors won't cut the mustard, especially if the inspector is doing his job.

   In those cases, the double plate and coupling nut answer gets the gold star! 

5. 
   davidmeiland | Oct 09, 2004 02:40am | #7

   Sure isn't normal on my jobs. I drill scraps of 2x4 and nail them across the top of the forms, and then hang the bolts from those. With a nut and washer on top it sets the bolt at the right height. Chiseling out half the plate reduces its ability to resist uplift.

6. 
   CrackerJacks | Oct 09, 2004 04:06am | #8

   They concrete sub always seems to put the new guy on installing the anchors so I finally gave up and started buying these idiot proof (well almost) straps from Simpson.  Depending on your code these work great plus no drilling for the stupid anchor bolts and no getting ticked off when the bolt is sticking above the concrete a half of an inch.  There are several different ones available but this is the one that I use along with its load table.  And it has an idiot line that shows how far to embed in the concrete, not that it guarantees anything.

   View Image

   Anchor Spacing:

   View Image

   View Image

1. 
   IMERC | Oct 09, 2004 04:15am | #9

   What happens if they are off center??? A little or a lot...

   Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming

   WOW!!!   What a Ride!

7. 
   framerboy | Oct 09, 2004 05:55am | #10

   That bit about 1-1/2'' above the finished slab being normal is pure B.S. That would not fly out here on the left coast. The inspectors here take a real dim view of stuff like that. The sole plate is not allowed to be notched due to the requirements of our shear wall schedules. Your cement boy would be buying a carload of epoxy and all thread to fix it and would be required to pay for a special inspection to certify the installation of the anchors. Simpson makes a bolt holder for anchor bolt placement prior to the footing and slab pour. I leave anchor bolts up 3'' for a 2x mudsill and 4'' for a 3x mudsill which is very common in Sunny So Cal. We use 16'' or 18'' anchor bolts to maintain at least 7 inches into the footing. As a framing contractor, I am real interested in accurate bolt placement and insist on doing this locating for the cement contractor. I rarely get an argument from them as they are glad to have me take this annoying chore out of their hands.

8. 
   hasbeen | Oct 09, 2004 07:33am | #11

   It's not right, it's not normal, but it happens.  Comes from having help that can't recognize the difference between 1 1/2" and 2 1/4" without a tape.

   As for how bad it is....  What are your local requirements for bolt spacing and what is the spacing of your bolts?

   Here, the inspector says every 6'.  Every 3' looks good to me. 

   Long live overkill!

   You're unique!  Just like everyone else!      Scott Adams

1. 
   mjesseinc | Oct 13, 2004 12:01am | #12

   Here in northern Illinois, North Aurora specifically. The building department requires a sill plate inspection prior to joisting. Maximum spacing is 6' o.c. ,and no more than 12" from the end of each piece of plate.

   It's the first time I've ever come across this type of inspection. 

1. 
   davidmeiland | Oct 13, 2004 02:33am | #13

   It's not a separate inspection here but they specifically look for the same things you mentioned here on framing inspection.