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Have you ever looked at a house during the construction process and wondered why it is constructed the way it is? Residential construction requires skill and craftsmanship that must be maintained to ensure a sound building. The building must pass all of the current building codes in order to allow anyone to live in the premises. If this is not the case the building must be fixed or re-engineered to pass code. After the excavation (leveling of the lot) is completed the foundation is then poured. The foundation consists of the footings and the stem walls (typically 8 inches wide) poured and cured to a compression strength of about 3000 PSI. This is where the framing, which is commonly called rough carpentry, starts from. This is the most complicated construction phase, which requires the most skill and concentration. Framing requires the use of many dangerous tools; one lapse of attention and limbs or body parts can be severed. Many of the tasks involved are extremely dangerous so care must taken at all times. This makes framing one of the most exciting jobs around! There are three major tasks required in order to completely frame the house, which are the floor, the walls and the roof.

The floor is the most essential part of the construction in which any mistakes must be corrected to ensure a square frame. The first step in constructing the floor is to make sure the foundation is square and level. This can be done by using the Pythagorean theorem or by measuring the diagonals of the square. A builders level or transit can be used to check various elevations and any adjustments must be made here to ensure a sound floor. With this being done the girders can be set up accordingly. The girders are beams that run perpendicular to the joists and are spaced about every 6 to 8 feet through out the foundation. They are typically 6 by 8 inches in dimensions and made out of laminated veneer. The girders are built up to the same height as the foundation walls by running string across the foundation. Next the joists must be run; these are members that run perpendicular to the girders. Joists come in many different forms and sizes but I joists are the most common in use. The joists are then spaced every 16 inches and then nailed down to the girders and into the rim with 16-penny nails. The rim is the outside piece of material installed flush to the building line and hold the joists up vertically acting as the frame. After the floor has been joisted the sheeting can then be applied. The sheeting is usually OSB and ranges from 3/4 to 1 inch thick, and the dimensions are 4 by 8 feet. The sheeting is then glued and laid onto the joists making sure the butting edges hit in the center of the joists. The sheets are then nailed down every 6 inches on the outside and 10 inches in the center. This completes the floor construction and gives a stout structure in which the walls can be built.

Before any wall construction can begin the blue prints must be studied carefully to ensure proper location of doors and windows. The first step involves snapping the wall locations on the floor with a chalked string line. The measurements are taken off the prints and then transferred to the floor. Next the walls must be plated which consists of laying 2x6 or 2x4 where the walls will go on the floor. Because some walls can reach lengths of 100 feet or more, the longer length plates are better. Next, the windows and doors are then marked for the locations of the studs. The studs are placed every 16 inches and beams called headers are used across windows and doors. Wall heights can vary but the most common height is a 9-foot wall. The walls are then built lying down on the floor by putting three 16-penny nails into each stud. After the wall sections are nailed together, making the corner-to-corner diagonals equal makes them perfectly square. Half-inch plywood is then nailed onto the walls in the same manner as the floor. Next, the walls are lifted up vertically into position by several men and then braced off so the wind doesn’t blow them over. After all the walls have been built, they are checked for square and made straight by bracing. This is important because the roof will be built on top of the walls, which must support the entire roof system.

The roof is the most complicated part of the building and requires the most skill to construct. The rafters are usually made of 2x6 and spaced every 16 inches, but are more commonly being replaced with trusses. Trusses are engineered rafters completely assembled and much faster to install. The trusses are set on top of the walls with a crane and then moved into position one at a time. After the trusses are set every 24 inches the fascia board can then be put on. The fascia board is the very outside board nailed onto the outside of the trusses that give the roof its visual appearance. The plywood is then cut to fit the valleys and hips on the roof. Valleys are the diagonal lines on the roof that allow the water to drain properly. In simple terms, the hips are the diagonal lines that give the amazing look to the roof and give it strength. After the last sheet of plywood is nailed on, the framing of the house is complete. Great accomplishment is felt at this point because putting a house together requires a great deal of physical labor.

Framing a house is a complicated process, which must be broke down into different phases. For whichever phase of construction that is currently being assembled, mistakes must be minimized in order to ensure that the next step is also done correctly. Most people hire licensed contractors when the framing needs to be done. This is most commonly because of the misconception that it’s too complicated for inexperienced individuals to take part in. This is not the case though. Anyone can assemble a house just by following the steps laid out in this paper along with some self-confidence. A strong building always starts with a sound floor, followed with the walls, and last of course being the roof.