I'm an amateur, and I'm working on a design for a Timber Frame cabin, and I have
a knee brace in an inconvenient spot. I'm wondering if this
is a good way to move it.
Here's the bent section of the original plan:
+---------------------------+------------------------------+
| / \ | / \ |
| / \ | / <--problem \ |
|/ \|/ knee brace \|
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
And my proposed solution:
+---------------------------+---------+-------------------+
| / \ | | / \ |
| / \ | | / \ |
|/ \| |/ \|
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
Is this just as strong? Thanks, CB.
Clark,
Unfortunately, VMI's ancient e-mail system makes it difficult for me to intrepret what you're trying to do with your problem brace.
Let me pose a few questions and see if I can understand what you want to do.
1. How is the brace in the way? Does it extend too far along the ceiling, or too far down the post?
2. What orientation to the frame is the brace? Along an exterior wall, or perpendicular to an exterior wall?
3. What is the cladding to be for the frame?
4. Are you changing the brace from the standard 45 degrees?
Let me know and I'l see if I can help.
Grigg Mullen
Hi Grigg. Yes, I can see that my ASCII art
masterpiece was mis-interpreted :-)
I'll try to ask my question by answering yours.
1. The knee brace is in the way because
it's where I want to put the bottom of the
staircase. Just like in an entryway, you'd
whack your head on it.
2. The brace is perpendicular to an exterior wall. It is in the same plane as the bent, on an interior post.
3. Probably SIPS, but I'm not sure that's relevant since this is an interior post?
4. No, I was going to leave the brace out
entirely, and compensate by adding a post on
the other side of the staircase, and putting
the same knee brace there instead.
Let me try to describe what I want to do.
The post is not on an exterior wall at all.
It is the center post in a 3-post bent. It
would normally have knee braces to both the left and the right. The knee brace on the right is in the way. I propose adding another post about 3 feet to the right of
the original center post. The origianl center post would now have only a left brace, and the new post would have only a right brace. The stairway would then start between these two posts, and not have any knee braces hanging down into it. Make sense? Thanks, CB.
It sounds like your solution will work. However, there may be a simpler way. Are there any infill walls to be built between posts in the plane of the offending brace? If so, the sheathing on the wall could be designed to take the place of the brace.
No, Unfortunately. The area under this bent is all open. It looks like what I came up with is the best solution, but I feel better aobut it after getting an expert opinion. Thanks, CB.
Glad you feel more comfortable. Hope the building process goes well.