I live in the Southeastern United States and regularly build CBS structures. How do I model a CBS wall that is block on the bottom and has a tie beam on top?
ANSWER A CBS, or concrete, block and stucco wall is actually two wall types placed on top of one another. The bottom section typically has a stucco exterior, then a layer of eight inch concrete block, next a one-inch stud and finally a layer of half-inch sheetrock. Along the top of this block wall is tie beam composed of a continuous pour of concrete all the way around the top of the structure. A pony wall can be used to model both of these walls in the same wall section.
