PROJECT SUPPORT

Concrete Masonry Home Model Design Guidelines

v1.0

Building a home with concrete masonry construction makes sense. Concrete masonry is attractive, strong, and long-lasting. In this Guide and the accompanying design drawings, the concrete masonry industry supports development of design options to promote concrete masonry unit (CMU) growth in residential markets and also provides homeowners and builders with quality information to assist them in choosing the premier wall system for their residence. The Guidelines also serve to familiarize designers with a typical concrete masonry home design, optimized to meet code requirements while being as cost effective as possible. 

Masonry walls fulfill multiple purposes, contributing to overall efficiency and construction cost-effectiveness. These walls deliver structural stability, serve as external weather barriers, offer thermal insulation, and possess a high fire rating that promotes safety and comfort within residential environments. The primary advantages of masonry walls are outlined below. 

  • Attractive. Smooth-faced blocks deliver a modern, aesthetically pleasing appearance desired for contemporary homes. Concrete masonry units (CMUs) are available in a variety of colors and surface textures, enabling bespoke architectural designs to suit any preference. 
  • Strong. Reinforced masonry construction offers robust strength and ductility to withstand everyday loads as well as high winds and earthquake forces. 
  • Durable. Masonry walls have excellent resistance to environmental factors including moisture, freezing temperatures, and thermal extremes, ensuring longevity without frequent repair or replacement. Routine use does not compromise their integrity. 
  • Sustainable. Concrete masonry units are sourced locally across the United States and composed of natural materials. Their internal pore structure and large surface-area-to-mass ratio facilitate rapid sequestration of atmospheric carbon dioxide compared to other cement-based products. 
  • Fire resistant. Masonry materials are non-combustible and achieve fire ratings that exceed building code requirements. 
  • Thermally efficient. CMU construction featuring integral insulation effectively moderates interior temperatures for comfortable living. The high thermal mass of CMU walls stores heat and releases it gradually, reducing heating and cooling demands and increasing energy efficiency. 
  • Sound minimizing. Concrete masonry walls provide superior sound insulation, exceeding building code requirements for sound transmission and resulting in quieter indoor environments. 
  • Insect proof. Masonry materials do not provide a food source for termites, ants, or other insect life. 
  • Mold resistant. Concrete masonry is inorganic and therefore does not support the growth of mold and mildew. 

These Guidelines accompany a separate set of design details and serve as a commentary to the model CMU home design, providing background to the design process and information on design alternatives. The base home design is intended to be applicable to design requirements throughout the majority of North Carolina and South Carolina. Design options are provided that consider areas with high design wind speeds, increased seismic demand, and cold climates.  

DOWNLOAD PDF
RELATED RESOURCES
Concrete Masonry Lintel Design Manual
This guide provides an overview of the design and construction of reinforced concrete masonry lintels used to span openings in masonry walls. Lintels, sometimes referred to as beams, are structural members designed to support the wall above openings along with any additional imposed loads. The manual focuses on reinforced concrete masonry lintels and explains the two design approaches permitted by TMS 402/602: allowable stress design and strength design. It also covers commonly used materials, design loads, load distribution theory, code requirements, practical design examples, and pre-engineered design tables for common construction conditions. Reference formulas for shear, moment, and deflection are included to support the analysis and design process.
,
VIEW RESOURCE
Design and Detailing Guide for Nonloadbearing Concrete Masonry Partition Walls
This guide provides a comprehensive resource for the design and detailing of interior nonloadbearing concrete masonry partition walls, outlining key considerations that influence performance, constructability, and efficiency. It brings together best practices related to fire resistance, sound control, structural behavior, crack control, and connection detailing, while also emphasizing strategies that improve cost-effectiveness and reduce material use. Through a combination of explanatory content and pre-engineered solutions, the guide is intended to support designers in making informed decisions and efficiently incorporating concrete masonry partitions into project documents.
,
VIEW RESOURCE
Concrete Masonry Elevator and Stairwell Building Core Design Guide
Elevator and stairwell building cores are often used to provide structural stability to buildings and to transfer load from upper stories to the foundations. Such building cores are often constructed using reinforced concrete masonry. Concrete masonry construction is ideal in this function as it is durable, has a high fire resistance, excellent sound resistance, rapid construction, and is easily reinforceable.
VIEW RESOURCE
Designer Checklist for Unreinforced Loadbearing Concrete Masonry Walls Based on TMS 402/602-22
One of the many intrinsic characteristics of concrete masonry construction is its ability to resist large axial loads with or without concurrently applied in-plane or out-of-plane loads. This Checklist covers the general and prescriptive design and detailing requirements for unreinforced, single wythe loadbearing masonry walls subjected to axial or out-of-plane loads. While unreinforced wall systems may contain reinforcing steel, the presence of any reinforcement is not taken into consideration when determining the strength of these assemblies. For information covering the design of reinforced loadbearing concrete masonry walls see: • DC-9-22, Designer Checklist for Reinforced Loadbearing Concrete Masonry Walls The following Checklists review additional information related to the design and detailing of concrete masonry shear walls systems: • DC-4-22, Designer Checklist for Ordinary Reinforced Concrete Masonry Shear Walls • DC-5-22, Designer Checklist for Ordinary Reinforced Concrete Masonry Shear Walls • DC-6-22, Designer Checklist for Intermediate Reinforced Concrete Masonry Shear Walls • DC-7-22, Designer Checklist for Special Reinforced Concrete Masonry Shear Walls TMS 402 contains design modeling options for both allowable stress design (ASD) and strength design (SD). Where design checks differ between these two modeling approaches, they are addressed separately in this Checklist. CHECK REQUIREMENT REFERENCE DESIGNER NOTE
,
,
VIEW RESOURCE
Designer Checklist for Ordinary Plain and Detailed Plain Unreinforced Shear Concrete Masonry Shear Walls Based on TMS 402/602-22
The lateral force-resisting system of most masonry structures is typically provided by masonry shear walls. This Checklist specifically covers the general and prescriptive design and detailing requirements for ordinary plain and detailed plain unreinforced masonry shear walls. While these shear wall systems may contain reinforcing steel, the presence of any reinforcement is not taken into consideration when determining the strength of these assemblies. Ordinary plain and detailed plain unreinforced concrete masonry shear walls are permitted to be used as part of the lateral force-resisting system in structures assigned to Seismic Design Category (SDC) A and B as well as for all wind speed zones, provided design loads can be safely resisted discounting the presence of any reinforcement. Ordinary plain unreinforced masonry shear walls require no minimum prescriptive seismic reinforcing while detailed plain unreinforced masonry shear walls are prescriptively reinforced in the vertical direction with conventional mild reinforcement and in the horizontal direction using reinforced bond beams or joint reinforcement. Bond beams are horizontal, sloped, or stepped structural elements within masonry walls used to distribute lateral and gravity loads, provide continuity, and resist bending, shear, and torsional forces. They are particularly critical at floor and roof levels and at the tops of walls. Bond beams may also coincide with the top of openings, in which case they may also provide the dual function of a lintel. See separate Checklist DC-2-22, Designer Checklist for Concrete Masonry Lintels, for information specific to masonry lintels (beams) over openings. Additional Checklists related to the design and detailing of concrete masonry shear walls systems include: • DC-5-22, Designer Checklist for Ordinary Reinforced Concrete Masonry Shear Walls • DC-6-22, Designer Checklist for Intermediate Reinforced Concrete Masonry Shear Walls • DC-7-22, Designer Checklist for Special Reinforced Concrete Masonry Shear Walls TMS 402 contains design modeling options for both allowable stress design (ASD) and strength design (SD). Where design checks differ between these two modeling approaches, they are addressed separately in this Checklist.
,
,
VIEW RESOURCE
Designer Checklist for Special Reinforced Concrete Masonry Shear Walls Based on TMS 402/602-22
The lateral force-resisting system of most masonry structures is typically provided by masonry shear walls. This Checklist specifically covers the general and prescriptive design and detailing requirements for special reinforced masonry shear walls. Special reinforced concrete masonry shear walls are permitted to be used as part of the lateral force-resisting system in structures assigned to any Seismic Design Category (SDC) as well as for all wind speed zones. Special reinforced masonry shear walls are reinforced in the vertical direction with conventional mild reinforcement and in the horizontal direction typically using reinforced bond beams. Bond beams are horizontal, sloped, or stepped structural elements within masonry walls used to distribute lateral and gravity loads, provide continuity, and resist bending, shear, and torsional forces. They are particularly critical at floor and roof levels and at the tops of walls. Bond beams may also coincide with the top of openings, in which case they may also provide the dual function of a lintel. See separate Checklist DC-2-22, Designer Checklist for Concrete Masonry Lintels, for information specific to masonry lintels (beams) over openings. Additional Checklists related to the design and detailing of concrete masonry shear walls systems include: • DC-4-22, Designer Checklist for Detailed Plain Concrete Masonry Shear Walls • DC-5-22, Designer Checklist for Special Reinforced Concrete Masonry Shear Walls • DC-6-22, Designer Checklist for Intermediate Reinforced Concrete Masonry Shear Walls TMS 402 contains design modeling options for both allowable stress design (ASD) and strength design (SD). Where design checks differ between these two modeling approaches, they are addressed separately in this Checklist.
,
,
VIEW RESOURCE
Designer Checklist for Intermediate Reinforced Concrete Masonry Shear Walls Based on TMS 402/602-22
The lateral force-resisting system of most masonry structures is typically provided by masonry shear walls. This Checklist specifically covers the general and prescriptive design and detailing requirements for intermediate reinforced masonry shear walls. Intermediate reinforced concrete masonry shear walls are permitted to be used as part of the lateral force-resisting system in structures assigned to Seismic Design Category (SDC) A, B, and C as well as for all wind speed zones. Intermediate reinforced masonry shear walls are reinforced in the vertical direction with conventional mild reinforcement and in the horizontal direction using reinforced bond beams or joint reinforcement. Bond beams are horizontal, sloped, or stepped structural elements within masonry walls used to distribute lateral and gravity loads, provide continuity, and resist bending, shear, and torsional forces. They are particularly critical at floor and roof levels and at the tops of walls. Bond beams may also coincide with the top of openings, in which case they may also provide the dual function of a lintel. See separate Checklist DC-2-22, Designer Checklist for Concrete Masonry Lintels, for information specific to masonry lintels (beams) over openings. Additional Checklists related to the design and detailing of concrete masonry shear walls systems include: • DC-4-22, Designer Checklist for Detailed Plain Concrete Masonry Shear Walls • DC-5-22, Designer Checklist for Ordinary Reinforced Concrete Masonry Shear Walls • DC-7-22, Designer Checklist for Special Reinforced Concrete Masonry Shear Walls TMS 402 contains design modeling options for both allowable stress design (ASD) and strength design (SD). Where design checks differ between these two modeling approaches, they are addressed separately in this Checklist.
,
,
VIEW RESOURCE
Designer Checklist for Ordinary Reinforced Concrete Masonry Shear Walls Based on TMS 402/602-22
The lateral force-resisting system of most masonry structures is typically provided by masonry shear walls. This Checklist specifically covers the general and prescriptive design and detailing requirements for ordinary reinforced masonry shear walls. Ordinary reinforced concrete masonry shear walls are permitted to be used as part of the lateral force-resisting system in structures assigned to Seismic Design Category (SDC) A, B, and C as well as for all wind speed zones. Ordinary reinforced masonry shear walls are reinforced in the vertical direction with conventional mild reinforcement and in the horizontal direction using reinforced bond beams or joint reinforcement. Bond beams are horizontal, sloped, or stepped structural elements within masonry walls used to distribute lateral and gravity loads, provide continuity, and resist bending, shear, and torsional forces. They are particularly critical at floor and roof levels and at the tops of walls. Bond beams may also coincide with the top of openings, in which case they may also provide the dual function of a lintel. See separate Checklist DC-2-22, Designer Checklist for Concrete Masonry Lintels, for information specific to masonry lintels (beams) over openings. Additional Checklists related to the design and detailing of concrete masonry shear walls systems include: • DC-4-22, Designer Checklist for Detailed Plain Concrete Masonry Shear Walls • DC-6-22, Designer Checklist for Intermediate Reinforced Concrete Masonry Shear Walls • DC-7-22, Designer Checklist for Special Reinforced Concrete Masonry Shear Walls TMS 402 contains design modeling options for both allowable stress design (ASD) and strength design (SD). Where design checks differ between these two modeling approaches, they are addressed separately in this Checklist.
,
,
VIEW RESOURCE
Guide for Delegated Design of Concrete Masonry
This Guide outlines Delegated Design as an integrated delivery method for components or entire projects using concrete masonry construction, the roles and responsibilities of each entity involved in the design and construction process, items to consider or account for when considering engaging a Delegate Engineer, and best practices and industry recommendations to review when Delegated Design is an appropriate fit for an upcoming project.
,
VIEW RESOURCE

We value your privacy

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However you may visit Cookie Settings to provide a controlled consent.

Reject All
Accept All
Design Assistance