Joist and Blocking Placement


Doug_N
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When I use the manual joist tool on a deck project, the manually placed joists and blocking always end up as ceiling joists and ceiling blocking.  I just know I am missing something simple, but I can't for the life of me figure out what that is.

 

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It is easy enough to adjust the heights, but then they are on the wrong layers and in the wrong groups.  What am I doing wrong?

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a quick guess would be you are drawing them on level 1 not level 0  so it thinks it is a Ceiling joist for level 1 , ie any framing below 0" is displayed on the Foundation level so you need to do the Blocking there too

 

At least that is the one that gets me with the way Chief Works :)

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2 minutes ago, Doug_N said:

No I did the deck on Level 1

 

Yes but the house must still be sitting on a foundation of some kind right? even if only 1-2ft high. or a Slab?

 

you haven't built one yet , so in essence the House is Floating....

 

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Are the Decks auto built/framed?  or did you draw the decks all manually? and then lower all the Framing?  that would change things....as they are actually seen as Ceiling members or General Framing on the 1st Floor then I think.

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I had to do most of that manually.  The blocking was copied from an original block placed automatically.  I couldn't add any blocking manually using 5bccd533d3e3d_JoistTool.thumb.jpg.3c06dd06a3b1d69f63c7a734be7fddfa.jpg

Anything added was at the ceiling level, and even when lowered to the floor level would not trim properly.   That was the issue.  Since we have been talking I added a blank foundation and now I can see the deck framing in level zero.  The blocking tool works fine.  The beam tool does not work at all, it just doesn't do anything.  The joist tool works but not for deck defaults, for floor defaults.  I was hoping for a manual deck editing tool for framing.

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13 minutes ago, Doug_N said:

Yeah, I said that later in our back and forth.  I did the blank foundation like you said, and then it worked for the blocking.  Thanks for that. 

 

Okay , I wasn't quite sure where we got to :)

 

Do you normally frame your deck edge with a Single rim-joist?  I think you Contractor will hate you for all that blocking :) 

 

It is usually stronger, faster and cheaper to build if you use a triple rim-joist and perhaps a Fascia (cedar?)

to make up the width at the edge to catch the Border and plank ends.

 

M.

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I will be adding a fascia for sure.  The blocking isn't for the border planks, it is for the biased planks to land on near the border planks.   I don't see any way around it.  The client loves the border planks, so they are here to stay.  As for the deck framing contractor, he will see the design before quoting, so if he has any ideas as to how it can be done better, I will be all ears.  I think that perhaps the center blocking is probably not needed in the narrower decks. 

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3 minutes ago, Doug_N said:

I will be adding a fascia for sure.  The blocking isn't for the border planks, it is for the biased planks to land on near the border planks.   I don't see any way around it.  The client loves the border planks, so they are here to stay.  As for the deck framing contractor, he will see the design before quoting, so if he has any ideas as to how it can be done better, I will be all ears.  I think that perhaps the center blocking is probably not needed in the narrower decks. 

 

I normally use 2x4 Decking and Borders as it lasts better , and the Triple and Fascia works then , but for 2X6 you could do a double then blocking then another double (Including Fascia piece) perhaps? blocking takes forever , especially when every cut is on a 45° so the extra wood is easily paid for by the reduced labour.

 

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***Looks like a number of your Rim-joists are using LVL at 1 1/8" not 2x10 etc...

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