[Bigdaddygb]

I was wondering if any one has ever use either a glulam in a 4×10 or 4×12 configuration for a rim joist and glulams for floor joists. Or What about a double rim joist. I will explain why I was thinking this. First I wanted to build a house to stand for a 100+ years much like a log home. So in thinking of a log home or a timber frame home they all had one thing in common… well two … First they had huge sill logs or sill timbers, and second back in the day they didn’t have indoor plumbing… ( water is the root of all evil in building..lol.) So My thought was this. I could use either a glulam in a 4×10-12 rim joist, glulams in 3×10-12 floor joists ( no bounce or squeak) and have a solid start to a solid foundation. I also thought of running a double engineered rim joist with water repellent properties and standard floor trusses. What are your thoughts, and doing either one would you recommend either a thicker basement wall , thicker than 8x8x16 cinder block walls and a wider 2×8 pressure treated sill plate or something better?
Thanks.

 

[Nealtw]

So if you have a water leak, it will take longer before it falls down?

Just build a regular house and spend your energy on learning about waterproofing. drain planes, window and door installations. There is much you can learn before you design something different which my cause other problems down the road.

 

[chandler48]

As Neal said, the shear weight of the added Glulam could cause its own problems, and make you go to 24" footings and 12" block wall.....just an added expense in itself, without a great deal of ROI.

 

[House Designer]

I agree, stick with proven principles and conventional construction methods.
Since one of your goals is solid floors with fewer squeaks, try engineered I-joists for your floor joists. They are very straight, and the span charts typically use L/480 deflection criteria which result in a solid floor that is less bouncy than L/360 Code requirements.

 

[Bigdaddygb]

Thanks for the input. I have abandoned my thought and gone back to normal practices.

 

[Nealtw]

Thanks for the input. I have abandoned my thought and gone back to normal practices.

So let's talk about that, we are a nosy bunch. :biggrin2:

 

[Msradell]

Also you probably should consider using poured concrete walls instead of CMU. Much more stable and easier to waterproof. They have become the de facto standard in many parts of the country.

 

[3onthetree]

For your specific question, a "Glulam" is used for certain design properties which your rim joist doesn't warrant. Using actual glulams for floor joists is money wasted, there are better options.

In general though, many people have a sentiment that to build it "better," or "stronger," or to "last longer," they need to thicken, or double, or do redundant things without first understanding their purpose and what doing so actually accomplishes. There is a member on this forum that does everything like this, and what it shows is for most things it's really a psychological pacifier rather than a building science or reasoned action.

So bumping a sill plate up from a 2x6 to a 2x8 will not make your building last longer if the loads don't warrant it. I work on 120 year old houses with no sill plate whatsoever. What you have to do is think about each building system as a whole, then it's parts, and how to make those work right, obtaining quality materials, with the technology and knowledge that exists today. Because in the next 100 years, your house will probably be ripped apart anyway and rebuilt with new technology and knowledge for that time.