Some walls will have studs of different lengths. Examples are rake walls or walls where the concrete is not level, and the studs are cut to compensate.
In such cases, you will want to write the stud lengths on the plate next to the studs.
The cripples to be framed over and under the windows and doors will be laid out on the same layout as the studs. You will mark them with a line and a "C," and indicate their lengths on the plates— for example, C-25V21′. Mark the cripple height for the cripples that go below the window on the bottom plate, and the cripple height for the cripples that go above the window or door on the top plate.
Many kinds of blocks are installed in walls. Some common blocks are fire blocks, medicine cabinet blocks, cabinet blocks, stair rail blocking, curtain rod blocking, and wainscot blocking. The hardest part of laying out for these blocks is getting the right information so you can figure out their location.
You might as well find this information before you build the wall, since it is easier and more efficient to install the blocks as you build the walls than afterwards.
Hold-down as pattern
Two basic types of blocks are installed in walls. One is a horizontal block that fills the whole stud space as a fire block does. The other is a vertical block that is flush with one side of the wall. (See “Vertical and Horizontal Blocks" illustration.)
The vertical block is more often used for backing to provide a greater area for attaching fixtures. To position a block in the wall, you need to know if the block is vertical or horizontal, the height of the block, and the size. This information is written with a “B" first, indicating blocking, and then either a “V" or an “H," indicating a vertical or horizontal position. The height is then written following the
V or H, indicating the center height of the block from the subfloor sheathing or the concrete. If the block is vertical you will need to write “U" or “D" indicating up or down, showing which side of the wall the block will be on. If the block is the same width as the studs in the wall, then that is all the information that is necessary. However, if the block is a different width than the wall, then the size of the block should be written before the “B."
If there are a number of blocks in a row, as is the case with fire blocking, you can just mark one stud space and (with a carpenter crayon) draw a line in both directions to indicate the extent of the blocking.
Bearing plate
Studs
Solid blocking —Floor joist
