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Framing Question: Walls of different heights

jeffg

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Aug 16, 2006
Messages
248
Location
Idaho
I hope this is a simple question, I just cant figure it out on my own.

I am starting to build a small "shed" that I will be using as a home office. It will be fully finished and conditioned. The design calls for a single pitch, skillion roof resting on a 12' wall in the front and an 8' wall in the rear.

My question is, how do I connect the top plates of the 8' side walls to the front 12' wall? Typically if the walls were the same height I would just overlap the double top plates and call it good. Since the top plates will be essentially 4' away from each other, what should I do?

Again, hopefully this is a simple question and thanks in advance.
 
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Chris705

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Nov 1, 2012
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834
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The Finger Lakes of NY
Match the side wall heights & plates to be the same as the rafters with their birds mouths in place. If concerned that the top plates don't interlock, use a long Simpson strap. I think the lower end of slope will intersect & be flush with lower top plates. Upper end of sloped wall I'm thinking soul be about 1 1/2" lower than top plate of high wall, allowing for the birds mouth. Does that make sense?
 

matt_i

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Mar 14, 2008
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10,753
Location
SE Michigan
So I'm guessing you will build 3pc - 8' walls and 1pc 12' wall. With a couple of trapezoidal endwall trusses to make up the difference.

Or, maybe you are going to frame the endwall with a sloping top chord, balloon-framed all the way from bottom to top.

Either case the double top chord of the endwall is going to transfer the loads that keep the walls from blowing out, I would buy a flat Simpson strap 24" long, bend it around the corner, you could do both top chords in similar fashion. Slightly less length on the strapping, probably 12" if you are connecting to a king stud in the corner in case 1 above.

To help out, I'd buy some GRK-RSS flange headed screws and drive 5-6 of them into the corner studs, this will really help make it rock-solid. Don't forget an inside corner stud for your drywall, although this could be added later. The plywood/osb is icing on the cake, nail 6" OC x #8s on the panel edges.
 
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jeffg

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Aug 16, 2006
Messages
248
Location
Idaho
12' in the back, 8' in the front, seperated by 4' ??? That's gonna be a mighty steep roof pitch...

No, the building is 12'x12'. The roof pitch is 4/12.

The 4' difference was vertically, between the top plates of the side and end wall.
 
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