This website was created to provide resources for homeowners, contractors, and those designing their own building plans.

This page is to only provide resources for structural elements.

Please see the Required Documents for ePASS page for a complete list of what to provide with your permit applications.

Prescriptive Wall Bracing

When designing plans, the first step should be to determine the design criteria for the project.

Oregon Building Codes Divisions provides a design criteria hub that is an interactive mapping tool that provides site-specific climatic and geographic design criteria for construction projects governed by the Oregon Residential Specialty Code (ORSC) and the Oregon Structural Specialty Code (OSSC).

Oregon Design Criteria Hub

If this is your first time using this tool, please be sure to watch the video link towards the bottom of the page.

Once the design criteria has been determined for the project site, the prescriptive wall bracing should be designed.

APA provides a free wall bracing calculator that can be used to design walls.

APA Wall Bracing Calculator

After the wall bracing calculations have been determined, that information can be used to draw a shear wall plan that includes sheathing material, blocking requirements, nail size, and spacing as well as any holdowns (holdown hardware along with anchor size and type must be included).

Header, Joist, and Beam Sizes

When calculating header, joists, and beam sizes, make sure they can accommodate the loads being imposed on them.

Weyerhaesuser provides free software that will calculate joists, beams, posts, and studs.

Weyerhaesuser ForteWeb Software

PLEASE NOTE:

• An account will have to be created.
• The software only works for Weyerhaeuser’s engineered products and common lumber.
  • If you are using engineered products from another company, such as Roseburg Forest Products, you will need to contact them for similar software to design using their engineered wood products.

After verifying what joists, beams, and headers that will be used, clearly identify all framing members on the plans.