How To Set Default Stem Wall Height?


HumbleChief
 Share

Recommended Posts

Apologies in advance for my continued ignorance and frustration with Chief's structure dbx but what should be the simplest 'structure' tasks have eluded me for almost 20 years. I am trying to set the default stem wall height for a crawl space and for some reason the foundation keeps changing from the 18" I would like to what seems like and arbitrary 30". Dumbfounded, but I attribute that to simply not being as smart as I thought I was, or least feeling stupid every time I try and figure Chief's structure paradigm out. The long time forum members know how inept I am with the structure dbx and ignoring this post would be quite understandable but any help from anyone would be greatly appreciated.


On a related note, within the foundation default dbx what is meant by Minimum Garage Height? Is that garage ceiling height? Just found it in help. It is the minimum garage stem wall height. Why can't the structure dbx simply state that? Sigh...

 

Does this setting have any bearing on the default stem wall height? I keep getting 30" and can't determine where that number is coming from...

 

Thank you

 

 

stem_wall_height.plan

min garage height.PNG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree that this is not good part of CA.  In fact, it may be the worst.  I think your default stem wall is set under defaults - foundation - Then it is the combination of Minimum height and basement ceiling height.  To the right of that area is a button called "edit default foundation wall".  As far as I can tell, that only concerns the footing size and ironically has nothing to do with the height.  I have no help for you about "minimum garage height"  I'm not sure I have ever even changed it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, solver said:

Here is a simple plan with 18" stem walls. Note in the defaults they are 19-1/2", because Chief includes the 1-1/2" top plate.

 

I set all the defaults prior to drawing anything. 

 

I'll take a look at your plan too.

 

lhf.zip

Thanks Eric. Might be a little easier to draw after setting defaults but I have a template plan that I use and would like to reset defaults from monoslab to stem walls. Can't seem to get it to work as expected.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 minutes ago, johnny said:

Hey Larry - I found the location of that default but as you will see in the video its still not 100% correct in the measurement.

 

http://somup.com/cb6YD4VYBY

 

Thanks Johnny. Yes indeed if I delete ALL of my template plan and build walls from scratch (blank plan) the 18" minimum in the foundation defaults creates an 18" stem wall. My plan defaults to 30" every time and not sure where that number is coming from....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

OK, this is blowing my mind a little bit but I THINK I figured it out. If you add the min stem wall height and the min garage height you get the overall stem wall height. But wait, that's not how Eric's plan is behaving??? Or a blank plan from my template. Very confusing.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 minutes ago, solver said:

Maybe it's time for a new template.

 

After using Edit Area (All Floors) to delete your structure, and then drawing in a single room.

 

ct1.thumb.jpg.57a484464b299d60a5b8afa94e5cd748.jpg

Perhaps you are right but doesn't it still beg the question as to how to set the default stem wall height? The dbx clearly states a minimum height for a stem wall but nothing specific, just a minimum. Isn't that just a bit bizarre? 

 

I just posted a video with really unexpected behavior or least nothing I would have ever guessed would happen. I added the 2 minimums together to get the desired result. Have you ever seen that happen or knew that it would?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 minutes ago, johnny said:

I dont know if this helps but its all starting to make sense on my end - but i think your template has an issue.

 

 

 

Thanks Johnny. Yes your video makes perfect sense but it doesn't explain the behavior of my plan. I have 12" somewhere that gets added to the minimum stem wall height.for some reason that I can't figure out. Might indeed be my template but shouldn't any plan be able to set the default stem wall height and rebuild the foundation? Where is that 12" coming from? Dunno but thanks again for your time...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Larry - I believe Perry has a good point. Have been playing with this. Not sure but what I have seen so far is that there appears to be a difference as to how CA treats the room defaults depending upon the rooms designation and whether you do a full foundation rebuild or whether you change the stem wall height via the rooms DBX. Though I would need to try a few more examples it looks like even if you have the garage defined as such CA only recognizes the stem wall default height as the one entered in the default DBX, Stem Walls, Minimum Height, even if you have set under garage options the height to be say greater.

 

Maybe this better explains what I'm try to say. When you do a complete new rebuild of the foundation CA for the garage is using the Foundation Default Stem Wall Height from the Garage Options  Minimum Height setting. But if you open the garage room DBX and check the stem wall default box it pulls the height from the foundation walls default stem wall entry, not the one under Garage options. It also seems that when you change the defaults they do not become valid unless you do a full foundation rebuild.

 

Still may not make sense, but I believe it has something to do with this.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Will try again. When the room is defined as "Garage" the CA should use the default settings under "Garage Options"  it seems to use these when a complete rebuild is done. But if you open the garages room DBX and click use default it will pull the stem wall height from the overall stem wall height instead of using the one under Garage Options.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, TheKitchenAbode said:

...It also seems that when you change the defaults they do not become valid unless you do a full foundation rebuild.

Which I have done over and over again with the same results, there's an added 12" to the stem wall minimum in the foundation defaults dbx. Coming from where? I do not know but it's repeatable. Never name rooms other than a garage so that seems like an unlikely culprit.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, HumbleChief said:

Which I have done over and over again with the same results, there's an added 12" to the stem wall minimum in the foundation defaults dbx. Coming from where? I do not know but it's repeatable. Never name rooms other than a garage so that seems like an unlikely culprit.

 

I'm still playing around with this. The model I'm using has just a garage attached to a single room house. The garage area is defined as a garage and the house portion is defined as living. I definitely believe you have uncovered a bug, just trying to figure out exactly where, when and why. Could you post the plan you are working with? That may make it easier to figure out the 12" mystery.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Larry,  I may be way off on this but are you using a plan that has been used many times or had excessive re-designs.  Chief has an annoying habit of remembering room definitions and settings even if you remove the walls that created them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share