In the last article, we described the primary structural and wood-related changes in the 2021 International Residential Code, Chapters 3 and 4. This article will continue with the primary changes to Chapters 5 through 8 of the IRC. Decks For the 2018 and the 2021 IRC, an informal group...

Per BCSI-B4 (Building Component Safety Information): The term “construction loading” is typically used to describe Loads from workers and Building materials on unfinished structure, as, for example, when builders temporarily stack bundles of panel sheathing or gypsum board on...

This August marked the 30th anniversary of the Florida landfall of Hurricane Andrew, one of the most damaging, and influential, hurricanes ever to hit the United States. Hurricane Andrew hit South Florida with Category 5 winds early on the morning of August 24, 1992. Andrew caused damages of $25...

A Truss Design Drawing (TDD) includes specific information[1] for structural engineers and building designers: truss profile, plates, loadings, wind speed, codes, enclosure, exposure, reactions, deflections, materials, bracing, bearings, etc. The maximum reactions are the most important values...

As lumberyards continue to recover from pandemic-related supply issues, there’s been an ever-increasing shortage of building materials, creating many challenges for building contractors. These shortages have impacted availability of wood structural panel sheathing and, as a result, our...

Over the past few years that I’ve worked as an engineer for Simpson Strong-Tie in Texas, work-related events have brought me to a few great beach destinations: Clearwater and Destin, Florida, to name a few. But tightly packed schedules always left me feeling like I didn’t get to...

For more than 40 years, truss partition separation, often loosely referred to as “truss uplift,” has been a practical (and annoying) issue for homeowners and homebuilders. While it was first investigated at the field level and researched in the laboratory in the 1970s, an October...

Many of you reading this may already be familiar with our Strong-Wall site-built portal frame system, or PFS for short. Simpson Strong-Tie launched the PFS last spring to provide designers, builders and contractors in prescriptive markets with a simple and cost-effective solution to meet...

Once in a while, I’m asked—Is there ever an occasion when connectors on both sides of the truss need exact placement? Well, the answer might surprise you. There are, in fact, several situations where the top face connector and the bottom face connector need to be exactly...

Last month’s fine article by Glenn Traylor, “How Do I Choose Which Plates for a Critical Plate Inspection?”, reminded me of investigative experiences I’ve had throughout my career. The work of truss builders is extremely important, as evidenced by instances of truss...