Library builder

2. Then nail on a 1×2 fence. 1. Mark cut lines with a small rafter square.   lx stock, the same width as rafters   If you need to make a series of plumb cuts to match and align rafter tails along an eave, make a jig like the one shown here. Use a rafter […]

CODE REQUIRES AN ACCESS HOLE for the attic. This allows workers to get into the attic to install insulation and wiring. You may also want to get up there some day to check on a roof leak or just to see how the spi­ders are doing. The standard attic access hole has a rough 2x […]

On small houses, trusses are generally engi­neered to obtain their support from exterior walls without needing further support from interior walls. Still, its not uncommon for trusses to cross over and bear on interior walls. Inmost regions, these trusses can usually be nailed directly to the interior wall with two 16d toenails on one side […]

A hurricane can tear a roof completely off a house. Hurricane clips, which are designed to prevent this, are required by code in some parts of the country. After the trusses are nailed in position, hurricane clips are easy to install from inside or outside the house. Drive nails into the trusses and the top […]

The first truss to be installed is the gable truss (also called an end truss or a rake truss) that rests on the top plate of an end wall. This truss is usually built differently from regular trusses. Instead of having angled web pieces, these end trusses often have vertical webbing spaced 16 in. or […]

Before trusses arrive on the job site, take some time to lay out their locations on the top of the wall plates. Hook a long tape on the end of the exterior walls and mark the entire length of the building at 2 ft., 4 ft., 6 ft., and so on, putting an "X" on […]

THE MOST DEVASTATING natural dis­aster in the history of the United / States began to take shape off the west coast of Africa on August 14, 1992. Gathering strength as it made its way across the Atlantic Ocean, the storm that came to be known as Hurricane Andrew finally made land — fall at Homestead, […]

METAL ROOFS HAVE been around for a long time. One of the outbuildings at our prairie home had a corrugated metal roof. It was rusty and rattled in the wind, but it shed water. Today, you can buy metal roofs in a variety of colors and styles. They are lightweight and fireproof and don’t hold […]

THE WALLS FOR OUR HOUSE ARE UP and we now have something to show for our work. At this stage, we can walk through the structure; admire the view through rough window openings; and imagine how the finished siding, painted drywall, and floor­ing will look. But first, we need to raise the roof. Before we […]

WHEN ALL THE walls have been raised, braced, and lined, it’s time to attach the sheathing. On this house, two types of sheathing are used. 1. To provide shear bracing, OSB panels are installed on all corners and every 25 ft. along exterior walls. 2• Foam board sheathing is nailed to the framing between wood […]