Anyone know anything about framing a house / inspecting framing?

[mattpegher]

Given the average humidity and freeze/thaw in Pittsburgh, you can bet the drywall will crack bigtime there. I don't think a galvanized plate is going to prevent torsion along this seam. It may be unorthodox but see if the builder will consider using several lag bolts to narrow the gap.

 

[danzigrules]

are the panels prebuilt? If so I would say that is a standard in prefab homes. The lumber companys do not care what the panels look like after they leave the lumber yard. I would just make sure the corners are plumb, if they are then it shouldn't be a problem.

But... Like others have said the top plate should at least span 4 feet past the break in the wall.

Everyone is saying sloppiness by people in a hurry, well if it is a panel built home, most of them only pay 2-4k to frame a house.

Most framing contrators should not have to fix panel wall, as they are not the ones that built them.

Union Journyman carpenter talking here, so I do know what I am talking about

edit, I just read that they are panel walls. Where I come from in Indiana, the panels do not come with the top plate installed.

 

[BoomerD]

Not a wood-tick like danzig, (Carpenter) but that sure looks like shoddy construction to me. I'd definitely be asking the local building inspector about it. Maybe show him the pics you posted here. Ask for an inspection due to your concerns. That will probably piss-off your contractor, but if it were me, I wouldn't be satisfied with work like that.

 

[bctbct]

I think you will be fine, ideally the top plate would overlap but this should not be an issue with the drywall. The overlaping would stiffen the structural integrity in high winds, but the steel plate will probably do the same.

Hello to danzigrules

I am a Union Carpenter also.

 

[Greenman]

I'm a building contractor in CA. And there is no way that would fly around here. If someone was dumb enough to not bother with a proper splice in the plates, he would have to add a 48" steel strap, and fill the gap.
The point of lapping the plates is to make the entire wall behave as a single piece. Stress along the length of the wall will act on the entire wall. When you have a gap in the top plates, the wall can compress under lateral load, you will also have deflection at the break in the plates. Here in earthquake country, that could lead to failure.

 

[TheCanuck]

Thought I'd update this with one final pic of the completed joint filled with epoxy & joined with the galvanized plate:


Wall w/ Plate

From what I've read I guess this is pretty standard building practice in PA. Although I still would've preferred that the plates were overlapping...but my old man who's been a drywaller for 40 years summed it up: "They're building a fvcking house not a god damn piano!".

 

[AlienCraft]

Originally posted by: TheCanuck
Thought I'd update this with one final pic of the completed joint filled with epoxy & joined with the galvanized plate:


Wall w/ Plate

From what I've read I guess this is pretty standard building practice in PA. Although I still would've preferred that the plates were overlapping...but my old man who's been a drywaller for 40 years summed it up: "They're building a fvcking house not a god damn piano!".

Then follow that with "Then why are we upset that 'they don't build them like they used to'? ".
In another time we would have built that not with OSB but plywood, and with not so much an eye towards the bottom line, or perhaps more of an eye toward actual building skilz as opposed to knowing which end of the hammer is the working end.
Hope you're gonna run CAT5 everywhere for the HTnAudio...... wait thats me building my place.....