Advanced Framing

Not illustrative of the subject - just a shot I liked

We have designed this house to utilize a technique called "Advanced Framing", aka Optimum Value Engineering (OVE).

These fancy names just refer to a few framing techniques that:
1. reduce the amount of lumber in your walls, and
2. increase the amount of insulation in your walls.

(Which really are the same thing due to cause and effect.)

Here are a few of the principles we are employing:

Overheard on the Jobsite

Whooo! It's like an amusement park ride!

(i think someone slipped on a board or something?)

Floor Trusses & 2nd Floor Deck

Looking West - faint line of West Hills in the distance.

All the floor trusses have been installed, and covered with the subfloor plywood.

We are using a nice sturdy 1 1/8" thick subfloor, for a good solid feel underfoot, and no deflection to worry the tilesetter.

Subfloor is glued and nailed with ringshank nails per APA recommendations.  Just because I can't help myself, I'm adding screws as well.  This floor will not squeak if I can help it.

View from the front door, down toward the Living Room

Standing on the first floor now is a different experience; the floor above really defines the volume of the rooms.  (And provides some much-appreciated shady places on the site.)

View from kitchen toward outside of Living Room.  Big windows!

Soon the bracing can come down in the Living & Dining

Soon stairs will go in, making the trip up to frame the second floor a little easier.

Overheard on the Jobsite

"I have a lot of feelings.  And you've managed to hurt almost every one of them."

Misc Framing Pictures

Overheard on the Jobsite

"Nope, send all these beams back to the lumberyard and send us good ones. FOHC only."

FOHC = Free Of Heart Center; meaning the beams should not contain the very center of the tree, because this will likely cause a lot of twisting wood movement with time and changes in moisture.

First Walls

Living & Dining Room North Walls

The first walls on the house have gone up.

Started with the tallest balloon-framed walls beside the stair, otherwise there would be no place to build them on the ground once the other walls are in place.

'Balloon framing' refers to walls that are built using continuous studs that span more than one floor. 

Since the stair is right up against this wall, almost the full height of the two-story wall is visible on the interior.  Framing this way avoids a joint at the floor line, and makes a stronger wall.

Here is the garage, which has the main framing in place:

Garage Framing

You'll notice that there is plywood attached to the upper part of the wall.  This is because it is easier to put the plywood in place when the wall is laying flat on the ground, than it is to carry sheets of plywood up a ladder.

The plywood is only attached at the top, and when the wall is stood up and plumbed square, they nail it off.

Floor Trusses

Truss on truss on truss action.

The floor trusses have arrived. 

We don't quite have walls in place to put them on yet, but here they are. 

Mock-up: Window Opening

Window Mock-up - we decided to increase the steel fin projection 1" more than what is shown here.

Sometimes we test our design assumptions by making mock-ups.

If necessary, we might build a mockup as accurately as possible, using the actual materials and assembly.
Often, however, just a bit of cardboard and tape is sufficient to show you what you need to see.

This is a mockup of a window opening detail.  The cardboard is being held up against a window on our existing house, to help simulate the effect.

Rain Delays and Competing Projects

No one here today.

A few days of rain - strong enough to chase the guys off site - and a concurrent project means that the schedule is slipping. 

Framing is supposed to be ready for the first floor trusses tomorrow, but so far no walls are standing on the house.

First Wall Goes Up!

Going Vertical

The very first wood framed wall on the project has been stood into place. 

It is the east wall of the Garage.  The plywood sheathing was attached to the upper part of the wall so that they won't need to lift it into place on ladders later.

Framing for the main house is set to begin - the layout is complete and double-checked.

Framing is Underway

Stacks of beautiful material.

The lumber has arrived, and framing is underway.