Open-Built® — Second Floor System
In 2001, Bensonwood developed the Open-Built® second floor system. This system has a sub-floor platform raised above the timber floor joists by threaded rods and anti-vibration pads (called standoffs) fastened to the floor joists above and the timbers below. The standoffs raise the floor 13 in. off the timbers, to create a nearly unobstructed space ideal for wiring, ducts, and pipes. Maintenance and modifications are much easier to accomplish.
Because there is so much unobstructed room between the ceiling and floor, subcontractors are finding that this system helps make our houses much easier and less expensive to work with. Instead of the usual crisscrossing disarray of mechanical systems, the systems are assigned to specific locations for simplicity and clarity.
The anti-vibration pad on each standoff has the added benefit of reducing noise transmission from people walking on the floor above.
The second floor of Bensonwood homes are built on large steel squaring jigs in the factory. The floor joists are made from extremely straight and strong laminated veneer lumber to which 1-1/8 in. thick Advantech subflooring is glued and screwed into place. The result is an incredibly strong, straight, square, and stable structure that is shipped to the site in large sections--often 8 ft. wide by 28 ft. long. Bensonwood is able to "fly" these sections into place with a crane during the frame raising, saving time and labor.