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.

Second story seismic corner bracing above a garage door.

Method pfg portal frame at garage door openings in seismic design categories a b and c. This is extremely important if there is a living space above the garage because these rooms add weight that the garage must support. 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. 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.

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. 1 inch 25 4 mm 1 foot 304 8 mm. Bracing amounts have been tabulated based on braced wall lines spaced apart by 35 up to a maximum 50 as permitted by the irc. Because of this large opening the narrow walls on either side of the garage door must be designed to resist earthquake forces.

When the narrow sections of the wall on each side of the opening are not reinforced or braced the weakness is worse. Tim healey in a house design where some main walls may have many openings portal frames can be the key to providing code compliant wall bracing. 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. 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.

Garages are vulnerable areas in a house due to the large garage door opening. Make sure the structure is up to snuff before the house was expanded to include a garage addition. This is calculated from standard costs for all of the. However like all remodeling projects adding a second story addition has a broad range of complexity and challenges.

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.