This is Simpson CS16 steel coil strap. It’s used here for shear transfer, and it’s surprisingly difficult to cut.

Shear transfer strap on blocking

I have gone to great trouble to install it directly on the framing instead of over the plywood sheathing because that’s the way the engineer drew it on the plans. You can just see the plywood in the lower left corner of the image; it’s already nailed onto the lower three feet or so of the wall to help keep it square. I had to sort of bend the ply outward and brace it there to get enough space to fit my nail gun in the gap and nail the strap onto the blocking. It was a hellofa job on top of a 12-foot ladder. It would be much less difficult to install it over the sheathing, but I figured that it would be easier to get it past the building inspector if it looks just like the plans.

This morning I called the building department to see whether they needed to come out and inspect the straps before I button up the sheathing, and they told me to just take some pictures for them. They also said that most people install the straps over the sheathing and they are fine with it that way.

Well I’ll be damned!  Next time I’m just going to do it the easy way.

The careful observer might point out that it would have been much easier to nail the straps on before raising the wall, and that’s absolutely true. But being kind of an amateur, I didn’t do it that way (see previous post).  Live and learn.