Excessive Top Plate Cutouts Bracing Load Bearing Wall Help

[Sheenbean]

Hi all,

Need some help with best approach to bracing a load bearing wall in-between garage and house (I'm sure its load bearing?) with what I think is excessive cutout by a contractors plumbing job when they added / modified a sink, laundry box and dwv. I don't want to get slammed by inspector or be forced to replace top plate.

My questions: Code in CA requires 16 gauge strap to pass the cutout by 6 inches on either side. I purchased the Simpson strong tie RPS18 which should do that.

1. In two sections, it is almost cut all the way through, do I put this strap on both sides?
2. What nail do I use for the strap?
3. Do I strap both top and bottom top plates? Because this whole section would be all strapping and no place to screw drywall
4. If yes to #3, do I just glue drywall / drill strap some to get screw through?
Thanks!

 

[wwhitney]

Your answers for the top plate are here:

https://up.codes/viewer/california/ca-residential-code-2022/chapter/6/wall-construction#R602.6.1

On the bottom plate, between the studs it's not gravity load bearing (all the load comes down the studs), so as long as it's not a shear wall, you can leave the bottom plate severed.

Cheers, Wayne

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Sheenbean]

Your answers for the top plate are here:

https://up.codes/viewer/california/ca-residential-code-2022/chapter/6/wall-construction#R602.6.1

On the bottom plate, between the studs it's not gravity load bearing (all the load comes down the studs), so as long as it's not a shear wall, you can leave the bottom plate severed.

Cheers, Wayne

Thanks Wayne, that's what I was going off of. So if I used the image as an example, in a double stud top plate only the top stud needs to have the brace?

And I reread the section with the nail specification, its asking for 8 10d nails per side so the Simpson strong tie RPS18 with 6 per side is not per code. Any idea the correct strap to use then?

I found the SS RPS22 which has the 8 nails per side but I don't think cant fit three side by side. Can I stagger them between the top and bottom top plate?

 

[wwhitney]

Yes, when strapping a top plate to maintain continuity, only one top plate requires strapping even when there is a double top plate.

As to the choice of strap, it looks like the copper pipe notches are les than 50% of the depth of the top plate, so you don't need a structural strap for them. In which case a single RPS22 over the DWV notch would suffice. But if that's not correct, or if you want to strap them all anyway, I'd suggest an appropriate length of a coil strap, like CS16. And 8 * 4 nails total would suffice, rather than 8 * 2 * 3 nails.

BTW, the unstrapped top plate should still get nail plates over the notches.

Cheers, Wayne

 

[Sheenbean]

Got it thanks!