As I said, if you design for it, you can do it. It may mean extra long tenons and braces, some tension steel, rigid connections to the foundation, or all of the above. It also depends on location, use, and live, dead, and wind loading.
I've worked on projects where the frame did all the work. On the coast in a hurricane zone it added plenty of steel and rigid connections to the foundation. In the mountains it required stiff posts with strong braces and equally strong tenons or tension joinery. In California it required lots and lots of embedded steel.
And don't forget about seismic. That adds a whole nother level of requirements.
Last edited by bmike; 02/25/11 10:56 PM.
