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July 2021 #13264 Page #126
Wall-Bracing Alternatives to Help Designers and Builders Navigate the Lumber Shortage By Simpson Strong-Tie Staff
As lumberyards continue to recover from pandemic-related supply issues, there’s been an everincreasing shortage of building materials, creating many challenges for building contractors. These shortages have impacted availability of wood structural panel sheathing and, as a result, our field engineers and sales team have received many questions about potential alternative solutions to meet the wall bracing provisions within the International Residential Code (IRC). Simpson Strong-Tie Branch Engineer Silvia Dyer has researched these provisions and compiled this useful information for our team. Silvia will be taking part in a webinar with Atlas Roofing and Matt Risinger of the BUILD Show on June 30 to discuss this challenge. In advance of the webinar, she thought it would be useful to pass this information on to our readers as well. At Simpson Strong-Tie, customer service is one of our top priorities. Our engineering team is always available to discuss your wall bracing situations and to help you investigate unique wall bracing solutions. Read Silvia’s research and suggestions below. Wall bracing is fundamental to preventing failures such as racking, sliding, and overturning from horizontal forces that a structure may encounter throughout its life. The most common forces are wind and seismic. The IRC has prescriptive wall bracing requirements and methods in section R602.10 to address lateral bracing including continuous and intermittent methods. Note that the code has specific requirements for each wall bracing method, and the length of braced wall panels vary depending on the method used. A designer may evaluate the following wall bracing methods as potential solutions when asked to reduce the amount of wood structural sheathing products in a project. For all the methods in the code, including those mentioned below, you can use our Wall-Bracing Length Calculator to determine the minimum length of braced wall panels you would need on a braced wall line based on the method used. In addition, you can use our Strong-Wall® Bracing Selector to select one of our code-listed prefabricated shearwall products that meet the intent of the code while providing a narrow wall solution.
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