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Structural Design Criteria for
Permanent Wood Foundations
Tomas Orihuela, P.E.
Overview
A Permanent Wood Foundation (PWF) is an innovative
building system that saves on home construction costs, provides for warm living
areas, and adds to the home’s marketability. A PWF is an engineered foundation
construction system that is a load-bearing, lumber-framed foundation wall
sheathed with plywood that can resist and distribute earth, wind, and seismic
loads and stresses that may crack other types of foundations. All lumber and
plywood used in the construction is pressure-treated with preservatives to
withstand decay from moisture and insect damage.
Use of PWF construction is accepted by major
building codes, federal agencies, as well as lending, home warranty, and
insurance institutions. Its acceptability comes from years of use in more than
300,000 homes and other structures throughout the United States. The
construction system is very durable as demonstrated by long-term in-ground tests
conducted by the U.S. Forest Service where the PWF withstood severe decay and
termite conditions.
In this course, the student will review the
Southern Pine Council’s publication “Permanent Wood Foundations – Design &
Construction Guide” (2000). The referenced document is reproduced by permission
of the Southern Pine Council.
The
student must take a multiple-choice quiz consisting of twenty-five (25) questions at the end of this course
to earn PDH credits.
Specific Knowledge or Skill Attained
This course teaches the following specific knowledge and
skills:
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Advantages of using
permanent wood foundations
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Agencies and
regulatory bodies that accept permanent wood foundations
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Site considerations
use in the design and construction of PWFs.
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Material and design requirements, installation procedures, and foundation type
required for the construction system
Course
Click on the following PDF
attachment and review "Permanent Wood Foundations – Design & Construction
Guide" published by the Southern Pine
Council prior to taking a quiz for credit. You will be quizzed on the document
on its entirety.
"Permanent
Wood Foundations" (2.7 MB)
Having Trouble Downloading the PDF File?
Right click on the link. Select "Save Target As..."
Then save on your desktop. To view the file, double click the icon on your
desktop and return to this page to take the quiz.
You may need Acrobat Reader to view this document.
Click on the link below to download a free copy of Acrobat Reader.
To obtain PDH credits for this course, you will need to take a quiz for
credit. Click on the link below.
(To take the quiz,
your web browser must be set to accept cookies. See how to
check your cookie settings.)
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