Not a very exciting topic for residential architects to be talking about is probably what you’re thinking.  We agree.  Only, we want our clients to never be excited about these things, because they keep the homes we design safe and sound.  The structural engineer, with whom we always coordinate, works together with us to determine the best locations for shear walls, the anchor bolt spacings and the shear wall hold downs.

What’s the difference between an anchor bolt and a hold down?  An anchor bolt, as defined by the International Residential Code: anchor bolts resist lateral forces that could cause a building to lift or slide off the foundation.  Anchor bolts must have sufficient embedment to resist pullout and must be spaced properly to secure the sill in place.  Washers must be capable of distributing a load across the sill without it cracking or splitting. (more…)