Auto Defining Attic Floor Properties..(No Decking)..a Material Take-Off Quesion

[VisualDandD]

Hi all.   As I mentioned in an earlier thread, I have been undertaking using chief to generate material take-offs.   At this point, it is baby steps to verify how it is calculating numbers.

 

I discovered something today I never much paid attention to.    When I draw a 2 story house (where some is finished and some is attic), I generally close the whole plan in with walls at the perimeter (this creates "rooms").   I define attic rooms as such and use the platform that is created as my bearing heights for rafters.   ( I often set ceiling ht in these rooms to very low numbers.... as low as 1/2" to 24-36" on elevated plate rooms.    

The fact that chief puts a "platform" under any room you enclose is OK.   My plans are generally steep roof pitches which have to have elevated plates anyway.  (for both insulation and eve clearance above windows).

 

OK...so that is the back story....

 

So when I was looking at material calcs, chief puts plywood subfloor in all my attics by default.   I realized this when my sheet count on the 2nd floor was WAY  off.   So I thought....no problem, I can just define it in default room types.  Problem....there is no "default" setting for "attic" rooms.  (or am I missing something?)

 

So besides going in and manually editing the floor finish (deleting subfloor) is there a way to have the attics automatically generate without the attached subfloor?.....if not there should be a "radio" button where you can uncheck subfloor in attic spaces. (instead of having to edit the "floor structure" tab)

 

Am I just missing something.....

Drawing in manual ceiling joists does not seem to change this.....

[Alaskan_Son]

In my humble opinion, I think you might want to rethink the way you are drawing your second floors.  I would suggest that you only draw walls where there will actually be walls and do the roof portions strictly with roof and ceiling planes. 

 

As many people here will tell you, if you want your material lists to be accurate, it is absolutely imperative that your model is accurate.  Unless you actually plan on building a floor and a very short wall to support your roof in the real world, you probably shouldn't model it that way either. 

[VisualDandD]

When doing several varying ceiling heights though out the plan as well as elevated plates above ceiling joists it really makes the process more straight-forward (and even possible in some instances where otherwise it wont cooperate).    If I dont put the walls there, chief will auto place them (if I select) but they have to go there.

 

My only option would be to change some of the wall definitions to not close in the rooms....but that would make the varying ceiling height issue more challenging as I discussed before.

 

I am just wanting to define an "attic" room as not having decking.   Dont think it is that nuts of an idea....  Just like when you have clear span joists over a garage and the attics created are not decked as standard (unless you are going to attempt to put storage in them).      Seems like we should have the option in an attic room to provide decking or not by default

[Alaskan_Son]

When doing several varying ceiling heights though out the plan as well as elevated plates above ceiling joists it really makes the process more straight-forward (and even possible in some instances where otherwise it wont cooperate).    If I dont put the walls there, chief will auto place them (if I select) but they have to go there.

 

My only option would be to change some of the wall definitions to not close in the rooms....but that would make the varying ceiling height issue more challenging as I discussed before.

 

I am just wanting to define an "attic" room as not having decking.   Dont think it is that nuts of an idea....  Just like when you have clear span joists over a garage and the attics created are not decked as standard (unless you are going to attempt to put storage in them).      Seems like we should have the option in an attic room to provide decking or not by default

I totally agree.  It would be nice to be able to adjust the default settings of each room type, I was just suggesting that perhaps you wouldn't have to do that it your method was adjusted. 

[VisualDandD]

I totally agree.  It would be nice to be able to adjust the default settings of each room type, I was just suggesting that perhaps you wouldn't have to do that it your method was adjusted. 

I get where you are coming from, but the model is correct.....it is just the fact that when I define a closed space as "attic" which I need to do especially when it is spanning across multiple ceiling heights below (you can break them up with invis walls and define correct ceiling and floor heights to cooperate with the steps in the ceilings below), it automatically "decks" attic floors. 

 

I have adopted drawing in my "attics" as I have elevated plates there anyway....(again...chief would auto frame the walls if I dont...they would just be undefined).    If I check "no room definition" I solve the desire of chief to build a platform under it....BUT it screws all the changes in elevation up that are happening below.   Make sense?....

 

If you get where I am coming from, how would you achieve these conditions?

[Alaskan_Son]

Actually, re-reading through your posts I'm not sure I originally understood what you were doing.  If I understand correctly now what you're talking about I still imagine I would use ceiling planes, roof planes, and adjust these settings appropriately...

 

Just my thoughts.  I don't do a lot of plans with varying ceiling heights, but when I have, I've never done it the way you are.  Maybe I'm doing it wrong though...

[VisualDandD]

Actually, re-reading through your posts I'm not sure I originally understood what you were doing.  If I understand correctly now what you're talking about I still imagine I would use ceiling planes, roof planes, and adjust these settings appropriately...Platform intersections.png

 

Just my thoughts.  I don't do a lot of plans with varying ceiling heights, but when I have, I've never done it the way you are.  Maybe I'm doing it wrong though...

Yes I am not sure you are understanding 100%.  I figured out that if I want to achieve what I am looking to do, I have to go back after and change attic walls definitions to "no room definition".....which then take away the "attic" definition.

 

OR

I can go in and edit each "room"  in the "structure>>>>floor structure" tab.

 

I am suggesting it would be nice to define a room defined as "attic" to not by default have the same size floor system as main floor and not have decking.   (it seems you are in agreement).   I never paid attention to the extra "platforms" as they were hidden in attic and I was not attempting to use the material take-off feature.

Thanks for your help!

[joey_martin]

I think by calling the space "attic" by default tells Chief you are going to use it for some sort of storage. Try leaving the space defined as "unspecified" and make sure the box is checked to leave those rooms out of the room schedule and see if that gives you what you are after. Attached is a detail of what I think is a similar situation. Notice to the right of my knee wall there is no decking. I did not label that area as attic, so there is no floor decking by default.