Library builder

The best way to obtain accurate lengths for cripples and trimmers is to make a story pole. As the name suggests, this straight length of wood (I use a 2×4) tells a story. In this case, it’s the description of a wall layout, with the locations of sills and headers for win­dows and doors providing […]

Framing lumber can be heavy. A 2×4 stud isn’t a big deal, but a wet, 16-ft. 2×12 sure is—and there are many boards of that heft even in a small house. Don’t carry lumber by holding the board at your waist; this puts undue strain on your elbows and lower back. Instead, grab a long, […]

This step involves laying out all of the lumber required for the top and bottom plates, cutting the plates to length, and temporarily tacking them on their layout lines so that matching marks can be made on both plates for the studs, doorways, windows, and intersecting walls. Don’t plate, mark, and build one wall at […]

If the deck perimeter isn’t parallel and square, the walls won’t be either. Take the time to check this now, following the procedure explained in Chapter 3 (see pp. 56—57). If necessary, fine-tune the exterior wall layout to correct for out-of- square corners or nonparallel walls. The lines you snap define the inside edge of […]

I’ve done plenty of house layouts on my own, but it’s better to tackle this job with a helper or two. The work goes faster when you have someone else to hold the other end of the tape or chalkline. More important, your chances of catching mistakes improve significantly. Read the building plan A building […]

Walls Create Space The wall-framing phase of a homebuilding project is an exciting one. Piles of lumber scattered around a flat platform are soon assembled into a complex skeleton that defines the shape and size of a home’s interior spaces. For the first time, it’s possible to experience the look and feel of a new […]

Sometimes a little extra persuasion is needed to unite tongue-and — groove sheathing panels. Have one person stand on the edge of the sheet and hold it flat and snug against the previous row of sheathing. Another person can lay a scrap of 2x (to protect the groove from dam­age) against the sheet and hit […]

on my lower legs from breaking through subfloors while working on job sites decades ago. The sheathing panels we use today are much better than 1×6 boards—yet another improvement over how houses were built in “the good old days.” Sheathing with 4×8 sheets of tongue-and — groove plywood or OSB is not difficult, though the […]

Many carpenters cut blocks with a chopsaw, which is fine if you have one. But there is another easy way to cut blocks. Try making a simple block-cutting tool to use with a circular saw. Once you have the guide, simply hook it on a 2x and make the cut along the edge. joists, bridging […]