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Posted by Pat on March 27, 2008, 5:39 pm
DIYer wrote:
> I need to replace the sill plate in my house so I figure out how I am
> going to lift/support everything while I remove & replace. Then like
> a good law-abiding citizen I call the building inspector and ask
> about
> the paperwork requirements. He asks me about the job I intend to do
> and I explain it and he tells me I need 2 copies of the plan, a
> completed permit application and also mentions anchor bolts are
> required. I explain that as far as I can tell there are no existing
> bolts on the damaged sill plate. No matter, a repair to a structure
> requires it is brought up to code.
>
> I do some googling, talk to the guys at 84 Lumber, and submit my
> paperwork planning to use Simpson UFPs in place of the anchor bolts.
> http://www.strongtie.com/products/connectors/UFP.asp
> A few days later I get a call that my application is rejected because
> the Simpson UFP is only rated for installation in a concrete
> foundation not in concrete block even if the top course is grout-
> filled (which is what I have). I tell the inspector that the joists
> are only 2x8s so by the time I get right-angle drill in there I'll
> have no room for a drill bit. He says all I can tell you is the code
> requires '7" imbedment of 1/2" bolts within 12" of the end of a board
> and spaced no more than every 6 feet'.
>
>
> I ask him what have other people used in the past and he tells me he
> is not allowed to recommend products and I should call around to
> different manufacturers. Fair enough, I call Simpson, KC Metal
> Products, USP Connectors and Red Head; none of them could reccomend a
> product to me other than 1/2 bolts that can be screwed in to the
> depth
> required. Does me no good I can't drill a hole that deep and even if
> I could I couldn't get the bolt in.
> ~7 1/2"vertical clearance - 1 1/2" for the sill means the most I
> could
> go is 6" deep.
>
>
> I call the DCA in NJ (dept. in charge of code compliance) and talk to
> the head engineer. He starts telling me about the 7" imbedment of
> 1/2' bolts etc. I ask him for some guidance and he tells me it is
> incumbent on me to submit a plan that meets or exceeds the anchor
> bolt
> specs. Of course my question is "What are the specs for the anchor
> bolts"? He starts again with the 7" imbedment, I interupt and ask
> him
> what the pullout rating and the shear strength of those 7" bolts is.
> He tells me he doesn't have that information. WTF! How am I
> supposed to find a product that meets or exceeds the specs when he
> can't tell me the specs?
>
>
> NJ didn't write their building code, they just adopted the ICC and
> made a few modifications so I call the ICC. I get the same speech
> about the code
> requires 7" bolts... Again, he can't give the specs for anchor bolts
> just that they need to be 1/2" bolts imbedded 7".
>
>
> I can't be the only idiot that has had termite damage to a house with
> 2x8
> floor joists but I may be the only idiot that tried to get a permit
> to
> fix the damage.
>
> How would I go about finding an architect or engineer to certify that
> a technique or product is equivelant to 7" imbedded 1/2" bolts?
>
> Is this the kind of things architects or engineers are inclined to do?
>
> Is it standard practice for a building inspector to accept anything
> from an architect or is there a formal review process?
>
> Obivously I've had no experience with architects or engineers so I
> don't know where to begin.
Maybe I'm being stupid here, but you're trying to meet the code more
than any care about safety, structural integrity, or the real world.
You have block walls and need to put bolts into them for the sill plate.
You can't drill in from the top.
Without spending time thinking this out, why can't you just take a
hammer and break a block out. Take a new block and fill the cavity with
cement and a treaded tube. Then put the new block in to place and
mortar it into place? I'll know why it's not good but I'll let someone
else figure out why it isn't legal; since you're looking for legal, not
necessarily good.
Barring that, why not just chisel out a 1" hole, cut off a bolt, expoy
it into place the put on the sill plate before you get caught. It'll
look right and no one will know the difference unless there's a tornado.
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