Engineered Floor System | Why It Matters

There are two different engineered floor systems used in Addison Healthy HighPerformance Homes with numerous advantages over conventional flooring systems.
#HealthyHighPerformanceHomes #DwellWell
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[@annabananna44]

Thank yu for posting this! You made my day. Now I can see how my contractor from 17 years ago screwed up my home he built for me.

[@AddisonHomes]

So glad it was helpful!

[@Zorlig]

I like the comparison of when you'd use one over the other

[@AddisonHomes]

Thanks Ben!

[@lewisticknor]

What happens when the dishwasher leaks? Serious question. I am asking because I want to know, but when I see homes like this, I wonder if the piano just winds up in the basement?

[@AddisonHomes]

Good question. And one that I have experience with in my personal home. Short answer - nothing happens to the engineered i-joists. My dishwasher had a leaky door seal and water ran out all over the hardwood floors. The hardwoods buckled and needed refinishing, but no water made it through the subfloor. If it had, it would have drained to the crawlspace through the gaps in the subfloor and dripped down from the top flange of the i-joists. In reality, it is highly unlikely that bulk water from a leak above is going to completely soak the engineered components of an i-joist long enough to cause any failure that hasn't already ruined the upper level finishes of the building - flooring, subfloor, etc. Engineered components such as i-joists will not suddenly "fail" when they get wet as you elude to with the piano falling through to the basement. You would literally have to soak them submerged for weeks for them to fail in this way.

[@lewisticknor]

@@AddisonHomes Thank you for taking the time to answer this question, very nice of you.

[@davidcrowe3070]

Thanks for the video, can you cut a section out of these engineered beams and use a double trimmer and header like dimensional lumber?

[@AddisonHomes]

Not easily and not unless engineered by the manufacturer.

[@kevins2033]

There is nothing wrong with framing your floor with dimensional lumber. Don’t be mislead

[@AddisonHomes]

You’re correct! Absolutely nothing wrong with dimensional lumber. Your floor joist spans will be shorter, meaning more piers in your Crawlspace and smaller rooms or engineered lumber and/or steel beams in your basements, but absolutely nothing wrong with it. There’s also floor squeaks which are more common in dimensional lumber with seasonal changes.

[@bxblack]

Great Video, Thanks

[@AddisonHomes]

You're welcome!

[@jamesoncross7494]

Will it last hundreds of years like wood? Glue has a shelf life. Wood if taken care of and kept dry will last.

[@AddisonHomes]

Absolutely - if kept dry like wood. This is a wood composite after all. In an encapsulated crawl, no worries. The adhesives are not "glue" per se, but resins that once reacted, do not break down over time.

[@jamesoncross7494]

@@AddisonHomes that is yet to be seen in real world conditions. I foresee long-term problems like any other man-made product.

[@AddisonHomes]

@@jamesoncross7494 Not sure what you mean in "yet to be seen" - i-joists were introduced in 1969 and have had no major issues related to their "man-madeness" to this point. While this is only 52 years of real world application, I think its a pretty strong indication that the product is robust. Do all man-made products have long term problems?

[@jamesoncross7494]

@@AddisonHomes it is not the same I-joist as was in 1969. Today man made products are not made to last so you have to buy more. Over-engineering is not cost-effective for maximum profit margins. I am skeptical about most products but hopeful these I-joists will hold to the test of time. I know wood will last thousands of years taken care of properly and wont harm the environment.

[@crosisofborg5524]

@@jamesoncross7494so in other words your mind is made up and facts won’t change it. So why comment at all?

[@emperorsanders5744]

I have a1 inch gap between them do you think it is too much gap between joists. I also have realized that I have some cracks in subfloor not sure if the installation of tiles above them is too heavy or the tile installer cur it by mistake

[@AddisonHomes]

Is this between the joists where they butt together? What is the spacing of your i-joists? What is the thickness and type of your subfloor?

[@emperorsanders5744]

@@AddisonHomes thickness of subfloor is .75 inch I have I ( engineered joist ) joist and the gap is 18 inch. I have poured concrete basement with 3 iron joist holding the wait of the house with 5 iron post. Cracks are in the middle not close to the joist.

[@UteTrac]

Wow! that crawl space almost isn't !

[@AddisonHomes]

Yes - very true! We actually incorporated a "basement" storage room into this crawlspace due to the topography of the lot and the owners desire to have some storage space under the house. This space is right over my shoulder in the intro video.

[@UteTrac]

@@AddisonHomes why not go full depth?

[@AddisonHomes]

@@UteTrac This client did not want to spend the extra $$ that would have been incurred for a full basement and they did not need the additional space. Despite the fact that basement space on a sloping lot like this one is the least expensive space that we can build, it still adds some cost. This site was perfect for a walkout basement!

[@UteTrac]

@@AddisonHomes I love Walk Out basements so cool, and open but it usually means no back yard, I also like large back yards :)

[@AddisonHomes]

@@UteTrac If I was building a new home for myself it would be a walk out basement! The precast basement systems (future video) that we use are awesome and we typically finish 10 ft ceilings in the basement to provide an light-filled, open space in the basement. You can't even tell you're in a basement!!!

[@kenweis2291]

What happens when the gang nails fail in time

[@AddisonHomes]

Not sure I understand the question, but following the recommended nailing pattern is important, since all testing and certifications are based upon the specified nailing pattern. The research and performance testing does not produce a nailing pattern that will result in failure over time.......

[@aionthanks]

lol

[@rustybeatty6567]

This house is a firefighter killer and if I was a firefighter I would just let it burn to the ground and not let any other firefighters enter that hose.

[@AddisonHomes]

That's a great point. Some engineered floor systems can burn through faster than others, which is why the latest international code requires a fire barrier on the underside of engineered floor systems over basements (typically 1/2" gypsum or rockwool insulation). The fire barrier slows the penetration of any fire from below providing more time to fight the fire.

[@rustybeatty6567]

@@AddisonHomes what about a two story house or a one story with a attic space also why not go back to solid wood beams instead that didn't require extra steps or materials to protect it from fire and would hold up for longer lifespan.

[@chromasux2]

As a firefighter, I loathe the engineered I joists. Requiring the extra insulation and fire barrier increases the cost as well. When those are included, I can see it costing more than dimensional lumber's extra supports. The floor trusses seem like a better compromise and I like being able to run ductwork, plumbing and electrical through them for a cleaner section. As for sprinklers, they don't do anything for fire in the walls and floor already. They help but don't always make a difference. And most states don't require those either.

[@alexeysmirnov5481]

these beams is a total disaster

[@zacharyrichter7725]

But you still get shifting plus its over triple the cost

[@AddisonHomes]

I’ve never had “shifting” of engineered floor joists after using them for the past 23 years and when the extra foundation cost is factored for dimensional lumber floors, the costs are competitive.