"mansion" floor construction

[sm_jamieson]

Just reading a news article about the Gatsby mansion being torn down in the states. Which lead me to thinking. These old timber houses did not use steel, just very big timber joists etc, but sometimes the spans are huge. I believe one technique was to use the walls above as a very tall box joist to hold up the ceiling / floors. Cutting new doorways in such walls can be perilous ! Maybe the used iron in places as in some of the old stately homes here. Thoughts / knowledge from others interested in such matters ? Simon.

[Matty F]

My house is 50 years older than the Gatsby mansion and was entirely wood, even the roof was wooden shingles. All the studs/plates are mortise and tenoned together. I imagine it would be very strong in an earthquake, which happen every five or so years, not that I have ever felt one.

The main roof which I replaced is like an upside down W. I was required to have the beam in the middle for deflection, and the engineer said to me "You know that you don't need a beam there at all if you put a few diagonal braces in the roof." Now he tells me! I made the laminated beam myself, which was 6 metres by 300x50mm.