Patent ID: 7810290

Claim:
A shear wall mountable on a structural support, the shear wall having a first end, a second end, a bottom and a top, the shear wall comprising: a mudsill at the bottom of the shear wall; a double top plate at the top of the shear wall; a plurality of studs positioned between the mudsill and the double top plate; a first end post at the first end of the shear wall, the first end post having a lower end; a second end post at the second end of the shear wall, the second end post having a lower end; a structural sheet mounted to the mudsill, the double top plate, the studs, the first end post and the second end post to form a rigid structure; and a first compression post positioned at the lower end of the first end post and a second compression post positioned at the lower end of the second end post, each compression post comprising: a plate mounted to the respective lower end of the respective end post, the plate having dimensions selected to conform to the lower end of the end post; and an extended portion positioned perpendicularly to the plate, the extended portion having at least one dimension selected to fit through a hole in the mudsill and having a length selected to conform to a thickness of the mudsill such that when the shear wall is mounted on the structural support, forces applied to the end post are communicated via the plate and the extended portion to the structural support.