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<br /> <br />Chapter VI: General Design Practices <br />Elevation <br /> <br />- - --~- <br /> <br />If the upper-level walls are determined to be unable to <br />withstand the increased loadings, the designer is faced with <br />the difficult task of strengthening what amounts to the entire <br />house. In some situations this may be cost prohibitive, and <br />the homeowner should look for another retrofitting method, <br />such as relocation, Measures the designer could utilize to <br />strengthen the upper-level walls include: <br /> <br />. adding steel strapping (cross bracing) to interior or <br />exterior wall faces; <br /> <br />. adding a new wall adjacent to the exterior or interior of <br />the existing wall; <br /> <br />. bolstering the interior walls in a similar fashion; and/or <br /> <br />. increasing the number and sizes of connections. <br /> <br />Floor Diaphragm: The floor diaphragm and connections <br />are subject to increased loading due to flood, wind, and <br />seismic forces. The existing floor diaphragm and connec- <br />tions should be checked to ensure that they can withstand <br />the increased forces that might result from the elevation, <br /> <br />The American Plywood Association has published several <br />references that are useful in this calculation. These include: <br /> <br />. Residential and Commercial, and <br /> <br />. Diaphragms, <br /> <br />These reference materials or the local building codes will <br />give the designer the necessary floor size and configuration <br />and connection specifications to resist the expected load- <br />ings, and/or will provide loading ratings for specific floor <br />types, sizes, and connection schemes, <br /> <br />VI - E.40 <br /> <br />Engineering Principles and Practices of Retrofitting Flood-Prone Residential Structures <br />January 1995 <br />