Framing a Home

How to Build a Home, Step 33

Framing a home is step 33 in our blog series on how to build a home from start to finish.  The framing activity, also called rough carpentry, is extremely important to the success of your project.  A properly framed new home creates the foundation for the rest of the trades to perform a quality job.  Here we discuss the key things to consider when overseeing the framing process for your new home as an owner builder.

Rough Carpenter Contractor

Very few owner builders choose to tackle the framing activity themselves for their home.  Not only is this a complicated activity, but it also requires special equipment and help.  Most site built homes today are built with what is called platform construction.  So each floor deck is built and then the walls are built on top of the platform created by the floor deck.  The walls are built on the deck and then raised into position.  This requires a team of workers to accomplish the work safely.

As with all your contractors, but especially with your rough carpenter, make sure they have the proper experience to handle the job.  Check to make sure they have built homes similar to yours recently and ask for the names and phone numbers of their last three customers.  For more information about hiring good contractors, check out our video…Finding Quality Contractors.

The Schedule for Framing a Home

On a site built home, the framing activity will take approximately two weeks for the average American home.  This takes into consideration the typical components used to save time including manufactured stairs and trusses.  Here’s the typical schedule for framing a home with two stories…

1. Deliver Lumber and Floor Joists – This should be done the day prior to the start of framing.   We don’t want the lumber sitting in the weather any longer than necessary.
2. Frame 1st Floor Deck & Basement Stairs – Two Days
3. Frame 1st Floor Walls – Two Days
4. Frame 2nd Floor Deck & Stairs – Two Days
5. Frame 2nd Floor Walls & Deliver Roof Trusses – Two Days
6. Set Roof Trusses – One Day
7. Frame Roof & Deliver Windows/Doors – Two Days
8. Set Windows & Doors – One Day
9. Install Exterior Trim – One Day

Lumber Delivery

It’s imp0rtant for the person managing the job site, which is typically either you or your builder consultant, to communicate closely with the carpenter and the lumber supplier when framing a home.  The lumber supplier will need to deliver the lumber as needed in order to prevent too much congestion on the site.  In other words, don’t just have all the lumber delivered all at once.  We want to keep the congestion to a minimum and we also don’t want material sitting out in the elements until the carpenter needs them.  And by delivering material just before using, you can help prevent theft…and save money on interest carry (i.e. just-in-time delivery).

Be sure to include a note in the lumber supplier’s scopes of work and specifications to set all material off the ground on blocks of scrap material in a dry location.  It’s also a good idea to cover the lumber until it is ready to be used.  Check to see if your supplier can provide a breathable material that will keep moisture out.  The more moisture that gets into the wood, the higher your chances of having settlement issues.  Have your carpenter recover the pile of material at the end of each day.

Important Quality Checks…

• Look for grey material – this is lumber that has been sitting out in the weather…send it back to the supplier
• Count – Be sure to check the delivery tickets with the actual lumber sent.  Take the time to check everything…lumber is very expensive, you don’t want to get billed for something you never got.
• Small Items – You may want to pickup small items like fasteners and glue and hand them to the carpenter when they show up.  These have a tendency to grow legs…and walk away.
• Layouts – If you are using manufactured floor joists when framing a home, be sure to collect the layouts and give them to the rough carpenter.  These will tell him/her how the floor is to be laid out.

Quality Checks

It’s extremely important to perform daily quality checks while framing a home.  As an owner builder, you don’t want poor quality to get covered up.  We have included the daily quality checks for framing as well as an extremely detailed Frame Quality Checklist in The Builder’s Daily Construction Guide.  There are some extremely important quality checks to do while framing a house, too many to list here, so here are a few you may not have thought of…

• Drywall Stock Window – A drywall stock window is one that comes apart to allow for sheets of drywall to be boomed up to the second floor.  Make sure this window is installed on the front of the home in the proper location for easy loading of drywall board.
• Header and Beam Sizes – Check all headers and beams to make sure they are sized per plan.  If the plan calls for 3, 2×12 beams, then two won’t cut it.
• Bearing Points – Check all bearing points to make sure all loads stack from the roof on down to the foundation.  Long nails can be driven down through the floor at bearing points to see if everything stacks properly.
• Critical Cabinet Dimensions – Make sure cabinet walls are exactly per plan.  If a wall is off just one inch, it can throw off your cabinet layout.
• Backings – Check that solid wood backing is provided where needed at cabinets, grab bars and handrail-to-wall connections.
• Girders – Make sure the carpenter has nailed these per the engineer/designer recommendations.  If the truss layout calls for lag bolts staggered every six inches…it better be so.
• Connectors – Check to make sure all connectors are in place as shown on the plans and specifications (see photo above)

Be sure to do your due diligence when framing a home.  You don’t want to deal with issues at the inspection or worse, after moving in.  Stop by our ESTORE for some resources to help you ensure the highest quality when framing a home.

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