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University of Maryland 2005 Solar Decatholon
Testing the Joist Fit
 

Floor Joist Construction and Installation

June 16, 2005

To support the subfloor, the 2005 Maryland Solar Decathlon home uses 40 floor joists, each of which was individually installed on June 6.  Each floor joist is spaced evenly inside the glulam beams that support the house, with two extra joists on the cantilevered ends of the house.

First, team members installed wood blocking at the ends of each joist at the team's warehouse facility.  This blocking allowed nails to be driven into the joists through the joist hangers, attaching the joists to the glulam beams.

Next, the Simpson Strong Tie joist hangers were nailed into place on the glulams at the construction site.  The joists were then placed into the hangers and nailed in place.  "Each joist required about 20 nails per side, so that's 1600 nails we had to drive in place," said Assistant Project Manager Dan Vlacich.  "A good part of the team came out to help, so it went by fast."


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