July 22, 2012 editor1 Construction, Framing

Hoisting the First Wall

Since we decided to do as much of the framing as we can ourselves, the question about how to lift those heavy wall sections came into play. We decided to try out the use of our engine hoist with an extension to see if we can get some mechanical help. Thinking that we’d like to try it out on a small section of framing first, we used it very successfully on a small section of wall on the front of the house. After preassembling the wall section on the concrete pad, we were able to lift it into place using our engine hoist, positioning the wall onto the foundation bolts and then securing it with braces.

Before lifting the wall into place, we put down a bit of caulk and foam sill sealer.

Then, using our engine hoist, we lifted the wall section into place…

For a larger wall section, however, additional support must be made to the frame so that the top plate does not come apart due to the weight of window headers, etc.

(hmmm, do you think this is the sad voice of experience?)

July 20, 2012 editor1 Construction, Framing, Uncategorized

Framing the First Wall

With quotes as high as $14,500 to frame the house (excluding lumber and material and we already have the roof trusses orderd and paid for) we decided to frame the first floor ourselves. Depending on how it goes we are looking at using a sub-contractor to set the trusses, frame out the room above the garage and add roof sheathing. Rather than using hammer and nails we decided to purchase a framing gun. I purchased a low-end Porter and Cable 30degree framing nail gun. The old compressor I had just was not up to the task so I also purchased a 10 gal. compressor. Granted, these are costs for things I may not use often, but with the massive savings from DYI, we will be well under budget.

We spent the better part of the morning poring over different framing books again to get it right. I drafted a diagram for laying out the different types of windows and doors with measurements for all the studs, jack studs, cripple studs and sill plates. Since the types of windows are few, most of the rough openings will be similar. We are following standard convention for laying out the top and bottom plates, and marking openings and stud positions. By laying out the top and bottom plates at the same time, we will make fewer mistakes. We are using 116 5/8″ wall studs to frame a 10′ ceiling height. These arrived pre-cut and will save much time for us. All we have to do is layout the plates,cut jack and cripple studs, cut headers and nail it all together. Once we got our stuff all in one bag and actually started the layout, it went rather quickly, except for the “new” compressor which does not work automatically. When the pressure drops below the dialed setting, it is supposed to kick on and bring the pressure back up. It would not do so, so I have to take it back. It slowed our progress so we did not actually finish the first wall. The enclosed images show our progress. Once we have our equipment working, we should be able to make rapid progress.

July 20, 2012 editor1 Construction

Framing Lumber Delivered

This week we checked everyone’s prices for framing lumber and materials and evaluated services, lumber return policy and service. We selected a local company, Roswell Do it Center, to provide our lumber and framing materials. We set up a draw account to obtain contractor discount on materials and scheduled our first lumber delivery for Friday. We will frame the exterior walls first, then the interior partitions. THis way we will only have the minimum of lumber required on site. More lumber clogs up the site and the longer it sits, the more prone it is to warping and damage.

We prepared the back porch by aligning the 2×6’s from the form boards. The lumber arrived on a large truck and the driver used the fork lift to position it on our scrap wood. This way the wood will sit on a level surface, off the ground and will not sit in pooling water (like it ever rains here :-)), and it will not warp as much as sitting on the uneven ground.