"Curious if anyone's tried combining plywood shear walls with selective steel framing...would that even be feasible?"
I did exactly that on a small extension a couple years ago—mostly plywood shear walls with steel framing around some larger openings for windows. Worked great structurally, and honestly didn't cost as much extra as I expected. Pretty doable combo imo.
Did something similar on a reno last year—plywood shear walls handled most of the lateral loads, but we had to drop in some steel around a big sliding door. Honestly, I was skeptical at first, but it turned out pretty straightforward structurally and passed inspection without a hitch. Sounds like you're on the right track...definitely worth exploring if you've got larger openings or tricky spans.
Nice to hear someone else had success with plywood shear walls. I tackled a similar challenge recently—had a huge set of French doors that threw off my entire lateral load plan. Ended up adding steel moment frames, and honestly, it wasn't nearly as intimidating as I'd expected. Once you break it down step-by-step, it's pretty manageable...and inspectors seemed impressed too. Sounds like your build went smoothly, always satisfying when theory actually works out in practice.
"Ended up adding steel moment frames, and honestly, it wasn't nearly as intimidating as I'd expected."
Glad to hear that worked out for you. I've considered steel moment frames myself, but always ended up sticking with plywood shear walls because they're straightforward and budget-friendly. Curious though—did you find the cost difference significant when you switched to steel? I've heard mixed things about pricing lately, especially with material fluctuations.
Also, how was the lead time on getting the frames fabricated? Last time I checked locally, the wait was pretty long...ended up being a dealbreaker for me.
I've gone both ways—steel moment frames and plywood shear walls—and honestly, the cost difference wasn't as huge as I'd expected. The steel ended up pricier overall, but not astronomically so. The big thing was the labor savings; steel frames went up quicker once they arrived, which offset some of the upfront material cost.
Lead time was a headache though...took about two months from ordering to delivery, which definitely slowed down my schedule. But if you plan ahead enough, it's manageable.
One thing I wondered about afterward was the environmental impact. Steel production isn't exactly eco-friendly, but plywood has its own issues with adhesives and sourcing sustainably. Anyone else looked into this or found good sources for sustainably-produced structural plywood that won't break the bank?
