Framing Walls and Roof

So, I have fallen way behind in blogging.  We are actually nearing completion of the home, and with working over 60 hours a week for the past few months between this project and my normal job, I have had little time for blogging.  I will try to get caught up this week.

We finally got to the framing phase, which is our favorite trade to do.  Our #1 competitive advantage with framing is our use of 3D computer modeling to create detailed and accurate plans that reduce reliance on field measurements and job-site errors.  With our plans, almost all the framing components can be pre-cut from plans without taking any field measurements first.  This is especially useful with large, difficult to access framing members like floor joists and roof rafters.  We are able to cut all joists and rafters according to plan, then lift them up and fit them into place the first time.  Besides the savings in time and waste, another benefit is that having components pre-cut according to plan provides an invaluable check to ensure the structure is framed correctly.  If components are not fitting together properly, then the framer knows that something is wrong and can make corrections.  If everything fits together correctly, then he knows that it was done right and everything is where it is supposed to be.  If framers are building based on field measurements and just "making it work," then errors like walls in the wrong place or out of square are often not caught until it is too late.  

We framed all the walls lying on the floor, as is usually done.  Here you see that the bay window was framed into the wall on the floor as well.

We framed all the walls lying on the floor, which is common.  Here you can see that the bay window was framed right into the wall while it was on the floor.  This extra feature which usually requires some figuring out on site was made simple by our 3D model

As can be seen in this photo and the previous one, we rolled the house wrap out and stapled it down to the wall before standing  them as well.  This makes installation much easier than trying to install a 9 ft. roll of wrap on an upright wall in the Wyoming wind.  Ends are left long and wrapped around the corners after the wall is stood. Note also the blocking for roof rafters which is installed at this point as well.  Again, thanks to modeling, we knew the exact dimensions and location of this blocking and were able to install it when it was on the ground. The function of the blocking will be explained later.

End of the first partial day of framing.  I think we had a couple walls up at this point.

After a full day Saturday, we had the roof rafters all up and all the full sheets of sheathing installed.  This is a view from the kitchen where the ceiling is vaulted looking back into the bedrooms which have flat-ceilings.

Header over the dining room bay window.  The hangers were nailed in the correct place to the beam while on the floor thanks again to modeling 

View showing how the diagonal blocks shown above were used to lift the 2 x 6 joists up to the level of the 2 x 12s  and provide an "energy heel" that provides for a full 10" of insulation over the top of the exterior wall, where a standard trussed roof would have only 4" where the end of the truss bears on the wall.  This is one of the many energy efficient features that we will be building into all our homes.

Ceiling rafter support beam in the bedroom side of the home.  We will have to come in later and add purlins and bracing to support the 2 x 6 roof rafters.

Patching concrete, Framing floor

This blog post documents the repairs we made to the foundation and the beginning of framing the new floor.  We had two large openings in the foundation we needed to repair: one was where the old doorway was and the other was an existing window that will be obstructed by the heating trunk line.  I missed getting a good picture of the forming process, but what we did is fasten plywood to both sides of the holes to form it.  We then drilled holes in the sides and bottom in which to insert short pieces of rebar and then we tied it all together.  Before pouring, we applied bonding adhesive (moose-milk) to the existing surface.  We used 11 bags of concrete and mixed it in a wheelbarrow.  When we pulled the forms there was a lot of "honey-combing," or voids on the surface.  This is undesirable not only for aesthetic reasons, but because water can get in these holes and freeze, causing the surface to spauld and deteriorate.  To correct this issue, we used a bag of foundation plaster and skimmed the surface of the patch, overlapping the cold-joint to further seal moisture out of the joint  

Exterior of abandoned window

Interior of abandoned window

Interior of abandoned door

Another step that I want to make brief mention of here is the waterproofing we applied to the interior of the foundation.  Concrete is very porous, and wicks ground water into the interior of the basement quite easily.  There were no signs of significant moisture in the existing home, which would have been seen as water stains inside the basement walls, mildew spots, mold, crumbling drywall, etc.  However, just to be on the safe side, we wanted to take every precaution we could to reduce the possibility of future moisture problems.  Water tables can change over time and basements that have never had any water intrusion in the past can develop problems down the road.  This process is fairly simple and cheap to do now (I think we spent about $160 on asphalt waterproofing product and one evening applying the product)  If this step prevents the home from developing problems down the road then it will have been worth it,



Once we finished the foundation repairs and modifications, we were finally able to begin framing.  We reused most of the old floor joists, replacing ones that were broken, excessively warped, or otherwise unusable.

Future dining room includes a cantilevered bay window to add space and  street appeal

Beam and temporary supports placed to allow us to set floor joists

An increasingly annoying reality is that we are running out of light every evening before we are ready to be done.   We are pushing hard to get the exterior finished before the time change when we will have no light at all in the evening.