Home wall advice--- any climbing-builder- structural engineers out there?

We built a home wall in our garage during the covid lockdown---- then, many months later, we decided to pop the top on our garage for an office (and I cried real tears when we had to take the wall down). Our contractor suggested putting straps up in the new ceiling (now second level floor) as supports for the wall when we re-build it. The beams now go the opposite direction from how they're pictured below, and the ceiling is now drywalled with the straps hanging for attachment... unfortunately, the inspector won't pass the project now that he's seen the straps, without an engineer signing off on the whole thing. We'd otherwise just have to cut the straps and re-mud the ceiling to pass inspection. Either way-- I'd really love to have someone who's had experience building walls come out and take a look at it -- and preferably an engineer who can give us some guidance about how to best support it from a structural perspective so the floor above won't sag (which is what we're being told could potentially happen). Please help! (we're in Lafayette)

Call JVA, they engineer Eldorados climbing walls. I've worked with them professionally in the past. No idea what they charge. 

Contact Kevin Stricker for the wall  

Are the trusses/beams floor joist rated? Were they selected to carry the load you would have on it from the wall? The force on the wall is fairly static in terms of engineering. 

An obvious workaround and why: You sort of state this but I agree you would probably be fine if you threw some 4x4 supports to make it freestanding for inspection, then excavate the straps and set it back up. The fact that the inspector cares how your non-dynamically loaded wall attaches to a ceiling joist since it is not a structural element and cannot be heavy enough to change impacts to code is wild to me. I have heard horror stories about inspectors in Denver specifically. We had one come out to inspect a foundation for a new garage and he told them it was .5 inches too close to the alley with a stick and a measuring tape. Our builder had to send his surveyors out AGAIN and measure from the pin survey we paid for and document it photographically to show that the inspector had been wrong by over an inch and that we were well within spec and code. Thanks for delaying our garage by another 3 weeks City of Denver. Other neighbors have told me that inspectors have denied aspects of builds in process just because they didn't like it and it has nothing to do with code or safety. 

Hope your build goes great! Your wall looks awesome!

Thanks Nolan!  And Jay, I'm not sure about the trusses/beams being floor joist rated. I would have to ask our contractor. While we did (many times) tell our builder we planned to re-build the climbing wall in the same place, they never mentioned selecting beams to carry the load from the wall. --- The picture above is actually from prior to the build, and we were able to wedge it against a beam and reinforce that beam, so it felt pretty solid. The new beams go the opposite direction with a strap on each beam, with the intention of attaching it somehow to each strap/beam at the same 45 degree angle---  so maybe it's the angle of the wall that's the concern from a weight bearing/structural perspective? Definitely sounds like inspectors can be sticklers about some pretty unreasonable things---this project has taken long enough and I just want my wall back!  Your idea for the 4x4 supports would be great if we had the wall put back together, but at this point the issue is just the straps hanging from the newly drywalled ceiling.  we'll find a way to hide the straps to pass inspection and then we'll sort it out-- my main concern is making sure the floor doesn't collapse. 

Jen, Do you know if the new floor joists are TJI joists (wood I-shaped beams)? If your new floor joists are TJI, the Weyerhauser engineers (manufacturer) are helpful and provide some free support for their product. They are relatively easy to talk with, but you will want to collect all of the permit/design info before you or your contractor call them. Here are some diagrams and basic information about attaching excercise equipment to the bottom of TJI joists.  https://www.techsupport.weyerhaeuser.com/hc/en-us/articles/204996370-Attachment-Connections-to-TJI-Joist-Bottom-Flange

Having the new floor joists run the same direction as the climbing wall studs will allow the weight to be spread out better than the old setup supported by only two roof trusses. Making attachments to modern TJI floor joists can be a little tricky and it sounds like your contractor is using metal strapping somehow attached to the floor joists. Using metal strapping to support the climbing wall seems strange and leaves a lot of unknowns on how the straps are connected to the floor joists, especially once they are hidden behind drywall. I would get a copy of the permitted design your contractor submitted to the Building Department to see if they accounted for the weight of the climbing wall or provided a connection detail of the straps. Climbing walls located at the edge of the room add very minimal weight and shouldn't affect the floor design unless your contractor was really skimping on the sizing of the floor joists. You informed your contractor of the intended use and they should have incorporated that into the design/permit.

If your contractor leaves you hanging, definitely reach out to Kevin or JVA.

Hi Jen,

Did you get your problem sorted?

Ryan.. thanks for the info! I reached out to Kevin and will likely follow up with him again when we rebuild the wall.  Victor-- we sort of got it sorted. We ended up covering the straps for our inspection and passed.... now it's just a matter of getting the wall back up in a way that it won't cause any future issues with the floor above. 

Jen, I live in Lafayette also. Do you have any interest in making your wall cantilevered (post less) and free standing?