Anybody know about Georgia construcion code? (house, buyer, new construction)

[LoeCraw]

Let me just preface my post by saying I don't know anything about construction, so if my terms aren't quite right, you'll have to excuse me.

With that said, I'm under contract for a new construction home near Augusta, GA. After talking with my realtor, I was informed that the wall framing in the house would be 24'' on center. I've heard of roof trusses and some interior walls being 24'' on center, but I thought that all external, load bearing walls had to be 16'' on center.

Anyone know about Georgia construction code? Is 24'' on center a big deal?

The house will be located in Columbia county, and will be one story if that helps.

Thanks in advance.

[BobKovacs]

The code allows 24" o.c. framing, so it shouldn't be an issue. For a single-story house, the loads from the roof are fairly minimal, and the fact that there's less wood in the wall actually allows for a higher percentage of the wall to be insulation, which raises the effective R-value of the wall assembly.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by BobKovacs

The code allows 24" o.c. framing, so it shouldn't be an issue. For a single-story house, the loads from the roof are fairly minimal, and the fact that there's less wood in the wall actually allows for a higher percentage of the wall to be insulation, which raises the effective R-value of the wall assembly.

I suspect the lack of snow accumulation in GA makes for much less stringent codes when it comes to roofs.

[LoeCraw]

Thanks guys for the replies.

I called up the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, and talked to one of their construction code "reps". I asked him about the issue, and he said it was well within code to build a house with 24'' centers. Like you guys, he also said that the house would be more energy efficient by replacing some of the wood studs with insulation. He said 15-20% more energy efficient, but that seems optimistic.

Do you guys see any potential problems with a 24'' OC house?

I have a meeting with the builder tomorrow...Is there anything I should ask?

[BobKovacs]

Well, if the typical wall is 15% wood and 85% insulation, theoretically, the 24" vs 16" spacing would change that to 10%/90%/ In reality, it'll probably be more like a 3-4% change, since you'll still have dobled studs at windows, etc. I'd have to calc the difference based in the differing R values of the wood and the insulation, but I'd say you're probably looking at more like a 5-7% energy savings.

I don't see any problems with the 24" centers- I'm actually planning on doing 24" centers on my next house.

[Ollie1946]

i'm not in construction so there's my full disclosure.

but why 24" and not 16? who is benefiting here? clearly the 16" will be more sturdy unless i'm missing something. it sounds to me there is cost cutting which might be fine as long as YOU are the one who saves a buck. i'd be asking around more on this.

and u are already under a contract? you might want to put on your game face here and avoid being ramrodded. what next? outhouse?

[BobKovacs]

Originally Posted by Ollie1946

i'm not in construction so there's my full disclosure.

but why 24" and not 16? who is benefiting here? clearly the 16" will be more sturdy unless i'm missing something. it sounds to me there is cost cutting which might be fine as long as YOU are the one who saves a buck. i'd be asking around more on this.

and u are already under a contract? you might want to put on your game face here and avoid being ramrodded. what next? outhouse?

Sure- and 12" would be even sturdier- maybe go to 8" o.c. "just to be sure". It's a matter of what's actually necessary- you can keep adding wood to the house to make it "more sturdy", but you're diminishing the insulation at the same time. A 24" o.c. frame is more than adequate to withstand the loads it's required to withstand- 16" centers was arrived at many years ago with little engineering theory, and just stuck- it's a convenient measurement, since 8' sheets of plywood, drywall, etc., divide evenly into 16" spaces.

[Ollie1946]

seems to me when you are looking for that stud on the inside to hang a tv, heavy shelving or some other item where you have to have a stud, then 16" makes things more flexible than 24". and again, who is saving money here? the buyer or the builder. hmmmm....

[BobKovacs]

Originally Posted by Ollie1946

seems to me when you are looking for that stud on the inside to hang a tv, heavy shelving or some other item where you have to have a stud, then 16" makes things more flexible than 24". and again, who is saving money here? the buyer or the builder. hmmmm....

So lets load up the walls with unnecessary wood just to make it easier to hang your 62" TV......lol.

They're both saving money- the builder is saving $$ on material, and the buyer will be saving on heating/cooling costs due to a more efficient envelope.