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Wood Structural Panels Enable Flexible Design Options

Your modern home designs feature such design elements as high ceilings, sunrooms, window walls and second story bonus rooms, as well as numerous window and door openings. But did you know the code requires wall bracing segments to be 4 feet wide at corners and intermediate points throughout the house? This can wreak havoc on your designs by reducing the area available for window and door openings. But by specifying full wood structural panel sheathing on the home, the code permits narrower bracing segments, giving you design flexibility that pleases your customer.

Resources for You

Understand Code. Just what design elements can you include while still meeting code bracing requirements? APA's bracing experts explain the complicated code requirements in Introduction to Wall Bracing, Form F430.

Specify Structural Wood Panels. Learn about the APA Narrow Wall Bracing Method, which allows braced wall segments as narrow as 16 inches, and the continuous wood structural panel sheathing method (IRC R602.10.5). The full details are in APA publication, Whole House Wall Bracing, Form G440.

Get the Details in CAD. APA offers all of the figures from Narrow Walls That Work in CAD so you can drop them into the plans for your next house. Visit www.apacad.org to download the details in .DWG, .DXF or .DWF format.

Take APA Course for AIA or AIBD Credit. AIA or AIBD member? Get continuing education credit by taking APA's online course on wall bracing. Visit Wood University, our online education portal, and take Course 220: Introduction to Wall Bracing. Wall bracing is also covered in regional APA seminars or contact your local APA Engineered Wood Specialist for additional continuing education opportunities.

Also of Interest

Learn more about the benefits of wood structural panel sheathing. Wood Sheathing Builds Business, Form F125, highlights three residential builders across the country who have cut callbacks, improved customer relations and met code requirements using wood structural panels for all their homes. Other benefits of wood sheathing include:

• Adds shear and racking strength that helps tie the building together to resist nature's forces
• Adds stiffness and reduces flexing that can cause drywall problems, thus reducing callbacks
• Helps prevent racking caused by high winds or earthquake forces
• Helps protect the structure against airborne debris in high winds
• Provides an excellent noise barrier when used in combination with insulated wood-framed walls and exterior siding products
• Provides a solid nail base and continuous coverage between framing elements for common siding products which results in a smooth, even appearance of the finished siding