Home framing or house framing is a method of construction used by builders of 90% of residential and most light commercial projects to form the shape and support the structure of a house, made of wooden or steel frames of vertical components (studs) and horizontal components (plates, joists, headers) supporting the building’s walls, roof, floor and cladding (drywall, insulation). The most common method in platform framing, involves constructing each floor on top of the other. Building something from the ground up can elevate your confidence to the whole new level. Build well everyone 😊
How to Frame a House: Step-by-Step
Framing is the most basic part within a house and is the basis of the strength, durability and longevity of the house throughout its life. The entire structure has integrity if the framing is high quality or the owner pays to repair the mistakes.
The concrete foundation must fully cure before workers frame the structure because framing on a weak or green foundation can lead to uneven settling, walls cracking and structures failing.
This guide leads readers as they frame a house from foundation to roof, with expert advice on how to do it.
Floor Framing: Building a Strong Base
Residential framing always starts with the floor system for distribution of the load evenly to the foundation.
Contact the local building department to find out if you must have a permit. Building codes differ but usually control joist spacing, lumber size, fastener types and moisture protection.
After approving the final floor plan, measure in the foundation and snap chalk lines to mark the sill plates’ location to ensure they will be square and the building will be square.
To preserve the integrity of the sill plate over time, it is fastened directly onto the foundation walls with anchor bolts. Any wood in contact with concrete must be protected from rot. People commonly install sill seal foam between the concrete and plate to limit air and minor water infiltration, though they often neglect to do so.
Floor joists have a common spacing of 16 in (410 mm) on center engineered floor systems sometimes specify 12 in (300 mm) or 19.2 in (490 mm) instead. Rim joists attach to sill plates before floor joists are set perpendicular to rim boards using joist hangers or framing nails where permitted.
After the joists get installed, a subfloor gets laid. The subfloor consists of either ¾-inch or ⅝-inch plywood sheets or oriented strand board (OSB) sheets. The sheets are laid on the joists and attached with wood screws.
Exterior Wall Framing: Shaping the Structure
After workers complete the floor system, they next frame the exterior walls of the house, usually framing them flat on the subfloor.
Walls are framed in 2×4 lumber or 2×6 lumber. 2×4 frames happen often, but a 2×6 wall gives some advantages to homes by creating a thicker cavity and improving insulation, soundproofing and efficient energy use.
Begin by measuring the lengths of the walls, placing their marks on the subfloor, as well as opening the door and possibly window.
Lay out the top and bottom plate, then mark off stud locations at 16-inch centers apart from each other. Use the straightest, flattest studs possible since warped boards will make drywalling and finishing difficult.
Nail in the end studs first, then nail the other studs. Frame around any door or window openings as required. These corner assemblies should have space for insulation and backing for the drywall.
For a wall frame, sheathing may be nailed to the frame before the wall is raised or after other walls and roof are framed. Pre-sheathing adds strength and speeds construction, but may make lifting of the wall more difficult.
With the wall framed, lift it into position with help and keep it braced until it can be nailed to the sill plate or anchored as specified by code.
Frame exterior walls until finished then frame interior partitions.
A second top plate has been added by then. It overlaps the intersections of the walls, ties the entire structure together and distributes the loads.
Ceiling and Roof Framing: Completing the Shell
The last framing stage is the ceiling and roof system.
Ceiling joists, usually 2×10 lumber, run between opposing walls at 16 inches on center and help carry ceiling loads as well as resist outward pressure on walls.
Next, the dimensions of the rafters and the pitch of the roof are determined according to the architectural design and the snow or wind loading in the area. The rafters are then installed diagonally to meet at the ridge board.
To prevent the roof’s thrust from spreading the walls, it is common for rafter ties to be used, near the bottom third of the rafters or collar ties or engineered trusses.
Once the frame is finished, for instance, install sheathing mainly over the exterior walls and roof. This gives the home shear strength very much and prepares it usually for weatherproofing.
Consider attaching fascia boards at the rafter ends to hold gutters and effectively enclose the roof edge to finish.
Framing Doors and Windows Correctly
You must measure exactly in order to install framing properly around all doors and windows.
Openings efficiently require full-length studs, called king studs, which provide structural support at the sides of the opening, jack studs that support the header over the opening and a correctly sized header.
Headers are typically made with a spacer cut from ½-inch plywood sandwiched between two dimensional boards. The width is determined by the width of the opening and load above.
Install cripple studs above the header to maintain the stud spacing. For windows install a sill plate at the bottom of the window opening and additional cripple studs below.
Once the framing is built, the sole plate can be cut out to create the door opening.
Common Types of House Framing
- Platform framing (or stick framing) is now the most common method, with each level built in a separate story, which makes it safer, faster and cheaper.
- Balloon framing used vertical studs from the foundation to the rafters. While structurally viable, it was not widely used after the 20th century due to expense and its greater fire risk.
- Timber framing and post-and-beam construction have large dimensions, elaborate detail and customary joinery. They need much labor and cost a lot of money compared to modern construction methods.
- Douglas fir sees the most use as framing material because of its strength and cost. Use of pressure-treated lumber in exterior and wet areas is recommended.
- Light-gauge steel framing resists fire, insects and warping. It is becoming a more popular alternative but it is mostly expensive and often has insulation issues.
How Much Does It Cost to Frame a House?
- The average cost for house framing is $7 to $16 per square foot.
- Labor costs from $4 to $10 per square foot, depending upon the complexity of design, local material and labor rates.
- Material costs average between $3 and $6 per square foot depending upon lumber costs.
- For a house of 2,000 square feet (190 m2), total costs range from $15,000 to up to $30,000.
Proper framing helps you build homes faster, stronger, longer-lasting and better performing year after year, decade after decade.