Permanent Wood Foundations 2016

Pwfs are suitable for crawlspace split entry or full.

Permanent wood foundations 2016. A wood foundation isn t strong enough to hold up my two story house a foundation is designed to support the vertical load of the house above it and the horizontal load of the soil pushing against it. While traditional basement walls are made from masonry materials such as concrete or stone inspectors should be prepared to encounter permanent wood foundations pwfs. Design flexibility permanent wood foundations can be used in a variety of building types and sizes including both single and multi story houses condo miniums and apartments and for both. Pwf is a catch word of the treated wood industry.

I don t think that in reality there is any such thing as a permanent wood foundation because of the large number of variables encountered with the manufacturing of the wood the fasteners used to assemble the construction techniques and soil and water conditions at the site. When pressure treated wood was developed in the 1960s it became possible for wood to be used in foundation walls without being prohibitively vulnerable to damage from insects. Permanent wood foundations wood foundation systems are foundations using cca chromated copper arsenate pressure treated lumber and plywood for below grade walls and slab floors. A pwf system consists of load bearing wall systems framed with pressure treated lumber and sheathed with pressure treated plywood.

Where continuous wood foundations in accordance with section r404 2 are used the force transfer shall have a capacity equal to or greater than the connections required by section r602 11 1 or the braced wall panel shall be connected to the wood foundations in accordance with the braced wall panel to floor fastening requirements of table r602 3 1. The 2016 edition has been updated to conform to the requirements of csa s406 16 csa o86 14 and nbc 2015. Hence the name permanent wood foundation. Wood foundation a disaster waiting to happen.

Choosing the permanent wood foundation and for many good reasons. Generally the soil pushing against it is a much bigger concern. Not because it s terribly unsound because it s not. Not because it s known to settle or have chronic moisture problems because that s not true either.

Here are just a few of the fea tures that are making pwfs increasingly popular. Permanent wood foundations pwf brings together all of the standards and building practices used to build these types of foundations. The 2016 edition has been updated to conform to the requirements of csa s406 16 csa o86 14 and nbc 2015. The permanent wood foundation pwf is an innovative building system that saves builders time and creates comfortable living areas that enhance a home s value.

They offer lower energy and labor costs greater comfort and ease of maintenance over. Posted september 7 2016 by lars knobloch filed under home inspection.