Common Construction Details
- Typical reinforced masonry wall construction:
- General terms for reinforced CMU walls.
- One standard CMU: 8" x 8" x 16"
Although not shown here, the cores of the hollow units are usually tapered for easy removal of the block mold cores. This makes for thicker face shells and webs on one surface. This surface is considered the block top.
- Panelized wood construction:
- Girders are the primary support members and are often large glued laminated (glulams) beams.
- The secondary members; known as joists, trusses, or purlins; are typically solid-sawn lumber, wood I-joists, wood trusses, or glulams.
- The smallest members, sub-purlins or stiffeners, span between the purlins and are usually:
- 2X4 or 2X6 solid-sawn members, and
- Generally spaced at 2' on center.
- Most common grades in Western U.S.:
- For 2X4, it is No. 1 Douglas Fir-Larch.
- For 2X6, it is No. 2 or No. 1 Douglas Fir-Larch.
- Structural-use plywood or OSB sheathing is often used to span over the stiffeners. It is normally 1/2 in. or 5/8 in.
thick with its face grain parallel to the stiffeners.
