I would like to hang my second floor joists on joist hangers on a framed wall. My mind tells me the structure will be more rigid this way. But most if not all buildings, the second floor joists are placed on top of the wall (crown).
Would it be ok to suspend the second floor joists?
Why are second floor joists generally placed on top of the wall?
Replies
It's fine to hang the joists, although you'd have to add something to hang them from and you'd have to make the walls below taller to accommodate the joist depth while still maintaining ceiling height. It's a lot faster and easier, and structurally at least as sound, to put the joists on top of the wall. There's really no reason to reinvent this particular wheel.
You can use joist hangers (understand that the end of the joist actually sits on the hanger, which provides most of the support)
Be sure to understand and follow the installation instructions for the hangers you use. Most are designed to attach a joist to a beam (which needs to be properly supported)
How exactly would you plan to attach the joist hanger to the wall? Which hanger do you have in mind?
Thanks for the replies. I'm aware that I'd have to raise the walls to accommodate the floor joists but never considered the amount of extra material it would require just to hang the joists. In that case it makes more sense to place them on top. If I was going to hang them, I would have use a method similar to the one in the attached images.
You might do the detail in those images in a cape-style house, where the second floor is essentially an attic with knee walls. Otherwise, it would be a bunch of work and hangers for no reason. In those cases even, I'd have run a ribbon joist on or let-in to the studs and set the joists on it, also nailing them to the studs.
This is not an adequate support for any kind of floor.
The whole thing is held in place by face nails holding the 2x onto the walls.
a no-no.