Second Story Seismic Corner Bracing Above A Garage Door

When the narrow sections of the wall on each side of the opening are not reinforced or braced the weakness is worse.

Second story seismic corner bracing above a garage door.

The large opening of a garage door and the weight of a second story room built over the garage can result in the walls being too weak to withstand earthquake shaking. For visual symmetry she centered double windows over the garage door and a gable end window over the window below. For that scenario a site built solution known as the narrow wall bracing method developed by apa the engineered wood association can be used to provide a braced wall as narrow as 16 inches. But what about popular designs with a bonus room or second story above the garage.

A second story room addition above an existing garage can make a substantial change to your current home s curb appeal and of course create an increase to your living space. According to salter spiral stair the approximate cost of finishing the bonus room over your garage is approximately 35 per square foot. Bracing amounts have been tabulated based on braced wall lines spaced apart by 35 up to a maximum 50 as permitted by the irc. Make sure the structure is up to snuff before the house was expanded to include a garage addition.

An engineer will need to verify that the garage s existing framing and foundation can bear the weight of an addition. For example in some cases the code will call for a 4 foot sheathed section on both sides of a garage door opening or at the house corner or flanking an entry door interfering with the. Garages are vulnerable areas in a house due to the large garage door opening. The examples above illustrate a portal frame solution with just one reinforced corner top two reinforced corners on a single garage door middle and two reinforced corners flanking a double garage door.

Method pfg portal frame at garage door openings in seismic design categories a b and c. This is calculated from standard costs for all of the. This is extremely important if there is a living space above the garage because these rooms add weight that the garage must support. Braced wall panel r602 10 1 a braced wall panel is a section of a braced wall line that is braced with a code compliant bracing method e g let in brace a wood structural panel or.

1 inch 25 4 mm 1 foot 304 8 mm. Where supporting a roof or one story and a roof a method pfg braced wall panel constructed in accordance with figure r602 10 6 3 shall be permitted on either side of garage door openings. Average cost of adding a bonus room above a garage for all the reasons mentioned above the cost of finishing a bonus room above your garage can vary.