We are planning to build a double storey house with my wife of 6 years and we have been wondering as to how the floor of the upper level is made and supported. will greatly appreciate any help in understanding how it is made. Is it not expensive?
I had a dog once, when i was very young. We would go out for walks in the park and in the summer, I would buy an ice cream and i would let the dog lick some of the ice cream and we always has really nice time and fun. He could catch a frizbee without jumping. He was a smart dog and knew if he was in the right spot all the time, every thing would always be fine. Then one day, he died. i miss that dog. Guess we all have to go some time and some way, and one day, we find out how we died. its a special gift, much like birth.
browse around at house building plans and you'll see that once the foundation is laid in place the the walls framed, the carpenters put load-bearing beams here and there which support not only the weight of the second floor, but the weight of the roof also. it's basic engineering. then the walls of the top level are framed in exactly like the lower level, the trusses laid across the skeleton, and construction of a roof begins. You will have so much fun watching the process.
The outside walls are on top of the lower outside walls. Joists are usually attached to exterior walls by joist hangers, they are metal brackets that hold the joist & you nail them into the wall then into the joist you set in them. The floor is supported by interior walls you put the joists on top of, on the lower floor or supporting beams that can span a distance you need to span & made just like the floor on the lower level. You have to get local codes to see how far you can span the joists (boards you install sideways to support the floor because they are strong & inflexible that way). An upper floor is pretty cost effective square feet because you don't need a foundation. Usually a basement cost 1/2 the cost of the main main floor & an upper floor cost 75% of what a main floor does. That depends on how much you put on that floor as in bathrooms & other facilities & fixtures. Another kitchen up there would be a heavy expense, but most of the time you don't do that.
