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Andreja772 Nov 2015 13:24Hello everyone,
I have been a silent reader for some time and really find this forum fantastic! For people like us, who have no experience in construction, this is pure gold!
I have a quick question:
We plan to start building next February. It will be a single-family house. Three floors are planned: the ground floor will include the garages and basement, and the first and second floors will contain the living areas. (There are 3 garages and one basement room side by side, and the rest of the house will be built above them. I wanted to upload the design, but somehow it’s not working, sorry.)
The architect initially planned to build the garages with masonry, and the first and second floors with timber frame construction.
Now the structural engineer has said that this is not allowed! The current plan is to build the garages and the first floor with masonry, and the second floor with timber framing.
I am a bit confused now. Have you heard of this before? Is this common practice? Are there any advantages that I might be missing?
Our architect has a meeting on Wednesday to explain everything, but before that I wanted to get some input from you.
Note: The house is being built in a second row, so we have to build upwards and couldn’t expand much sideways.
Thank you very much and best regards,
Andreja
I have been a silent reader for some time and really find this forum fantastic! For people like us, who have no experience in construction, this is pure gold!
I have a quick question:
We plan to start building next February. It will be a single-family house. Three floors are planned: the ground floor will include the garages and basement, and the first and second floors will contain the living areas. (There are 3 garages and one basement room side by side, and the rest of the house will be built above them. I wanted to upload the design, but somehow it’s not working, sorry.)
The architect initially planned to build the garages with masonry, and the first and second floors with timber frame construction.
Now the structural engineer has said that this is not allowed! The current plan is to build the garages and the first floor with masonry, and the second floor with timber framing.
I am a bit confused now. Have you heard of this before? Is this common practice? Are there any advantages that I might be missing?
Our architect has a meeting on Wednesday to explain everything, but before that I wanted to get some input from you.
Note: The house is being built in a second row, so we have to build upwards and couldn’t expand much sideways.
Thank you very much and best regards,
Andreja
Hello everyone,
I have heard about this construction method before and can imagine how it works.
I have also seen it once, although the situation was not comparable to yours. When we were still looking for an existing property, we viewed a house from the 1950s. It had a stone foundation and first floor, with the second floor built from wood. Originally, all the houses on that street were built this way.
At the time, this house was not an option for us, but this construction method was only one of many reasons (overall condition, price, etc.).
However, it is only partly comparable now since the construction method you are considering must comply with current regulations regarding thermal insulation, and so on. BUT – even in the past, mixed materials were already used.
By the way, in my opinion, if someone builds a prefabricated house (timber frame house) on top of a basement, they also have such a combination of materials (from a "non-prefab house owner’s" perspective).
I have heard about this construction method before and can imagine how it works.
I have also seen it once, although the situation was not comparable to yours. When we were still looking for an existing property, we viewed a house from the 1950s. It had a stone foundation and first floor, with the second floor built from wood. Originally, all the houses on that street were built this way.
At the time, this house was not an option for us, but this construction method was only one of many reasons (overall condition, price, etc.).
However, it is only partly comparable now since the construction method you are considering must comply with current regulations regarding thermal insulation, and so on. BUT – even in the past, mixed materials were already used.
By the way, in my opinion, if someone builds a prefabricated house (timber frame house) on top of a basement, they also have such a combination of materials (from a "non-prefab house owner’s" perspective).
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Doc.Schnaggls2 Nov 2015 15:13Hello,
yes, we also looked at this construction method with a supplier (company Keilhofer - Zwiesel). They offer this principle under the name "hybrid construction" – ground floor made of masonry and upper floor in timber framing.
However, @f-pNo is also correct with his statement (concrete basement and timber frame house) – this is also a similar mix of materials.
What I don’t understand, though, is what problem the structural engineer has with this mix. Our house manufacturer now even builds timber-framed apartment buildings up to five stories high – so with proper execution, it probably isn’t a stability issue...
Regards,
Dirk
yes, we also looked at this construction method with a supplier (company Keilhofer - Zwiesel). They offer this principle under the name "hybrid construction" – ground floor made of masonry and upper floor in timber framing.
However, @f-pNo is also correct with his statement (concrete basement and timber frame house) – this is also a similar mix of materials.
What I don’t understand, though, is what problem the structural engineer has with this mix. Our house manufacturer now even builds timber-framed apartment buildings up to five stories high – so with proper execution, it probably isn’t a stability issue...
Regards,
Dirk
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Bauexperte2 Nov 2015 16:51Hello Dirk,
Regards, Bauexperte
Doc.Schnaggls schrieb:Soil conditions... seismic zone... there are several reasons why the structural engineer might advise against the planned construction method.
However, I don’t understand what problem the structural engineer has with this mix.
Regards, Bauexperte
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Bauexperte2 Nov 2015 17:21Hello Dirk,
I am currently experiencing the opposite – the plan is for a solidly built two-story semi-detached house with a recessed top floor and a flat roof in M'gladbach. According to the structural engineer, due to seismic requirements, we have to design the ceiling above the upper floor as a wooden beam ceiling.
Best regards, Bauexperte
Doc.Schnaggls schrieb:Why would he? This method is used in everyday construction.
I understood that the structural engineer generally rejects this mix. ops:
I am currently experiencing the opposite – the plan is for a solidly built two-story semi-detached house with a recessed top floor and a flat roof in M'gladbach. According to the structural engineer, due to seismic requirements, we have to design the ceiling above the upper floor as a wooden beam ceiling.
Best regards, Bauexperte
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Andreja772 Nov 2015 17:30Wow... thank you so much for the quick responses.
You are right, it would basically have been a mix, but I was confused because now one floor must be solid/masonry after all. The structural engineer says otherwise it would be "too light"... I have to get all of this explained on Wednesday, somehow it just feels strange to me... it was really new to me that this is how it’s done.
I will report back on Wednesday with exactly what the architect says... he only spoke briefly on the phone with my husband today.
Many warm regards
Andreja77
You are right, it would basically have been a mix, but I was confused because now one floor must be solid/masonry after all. The structural engineer says otherwise it would be "too light"... I have to get all of this explained on Wednesday, somehow it just feels strange to me... it was really new to me that this is how it’s done.
I will report back on Wednesday with exactly what the architect says... he only spoke briefly on the phone with my husband today.
Many warm regards
Andreja77
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