Framing
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During the framing stage, the skeleton of the house is constructed.
The framing is typically based on a grid-work of 2x4s. Each wall or subsection is pre-assembled, and then raised into place. Thus each wall sub-assembly typically consists of a horizontal plate on both top and bottom, and a series of studs running vertically.
The 2x4s are placed 16" on center.
Framing in openings for doors and walls is accomplished using what are called headers. Headers may either be 2x10s or several 2x6s nailed together. They are necessary to support the load that would otherwise be supported by the 2x6s that were removed to create the window or door opening. The headers are especially important for wide windows or doors; the space such windows or doors would take up will displace several 2x6s and would therefore, without the headers, result in a weakened wall. After the skeleton of the house is framed, the house still, surprisingly, has relatively little lateral (side-to-side) strength. Its lateral rigidity comes mostly from the sheathing that is nailed to the framing skeleton. The corners of the house are by far the most important for achieving this stability; that is why you may see the sheathing go up first in the corners, followed by the rest of the house. Given how important the sheathing is, the type of material used for this sheathing is paramount. Oriented Strand Board--sometimes just called OSB is typically used for sheathing today. It resists moisture because it is sprayed with a wax coating on 1 side. Once the 4 walls are tied together, the building acts as a single integral unit, and can therefore withstand the loads it was designed for--such as people and furniture; the roof can resist snow and rain, and the building itself can resist wind. |
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At the left we see a house at the end of the framing stage. Note that at Ashley Homes, we use OSB walls, not styrofoam. |
| Click here for a short description of post & beam construction. | |
| For a detailed cross-section of one of our houses, click here. | |