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Articles by Roe Osborn
Framing Rough Openings
In simplest terms, a rough opening (RO) is a hole in a framed wall for a door or a window. Most door and window manufacturers provide RO dimensions and we build ROs to those sizes. But rough openings are a lot more than that. Whenever wall framing is interrupted for an opening, the structural functions of the wall frame must be accomplished by the RO framing. The wall framing transfers the weight of the house down through the frame.
Structural Insulated Panels
JLC subscribers have access to the Jan-Feb 2024 print edition at this time. Articles will be published online soon. In the meantime, you may browse the digital edition.
Alternative Materials
Posted on June 30, 2023 The Perfect Choice for a Contemporary Woodgrain Aesthetic in 2023 Take exteriors in an exciting direction with aluminum siding. More Posted on March 09, 2023 East Palestine Disaster Raises New Questions About Reliance on Toxic Materials Do hazardous chemicals like vinyl chloride belong in our building products?
Fitting a Countertop to an Irregular Wall
Q: What is the quickest and most accurate way to template a countertop in an old house with wavy walls and odd projections? A: Roe Osborn, former senior editor at JLC, and author of Finishing a House, responds: I spent quite a few years working as a joiner in a boatyard. For that job, most of the templating we were asked to do involved curves and irregular surfaces.
Installing Interior Stair Framing
How-To On this stair, the tops of the stringers attach to a plywood hanger nailed to the stair-chase framing. There are several ways we could have attached the top of each flight to the platform or the floor framing. For example, stringers can be notched to hang on a 2× cleat or can fit into a metal stair bracket. We chose to use a ½-in.-thick plywood hanger instead. The hanger is as wide as the stairs and tall enough to capture the plumb cuts at the tops of the stringers.
Calculating Stairs
How-To Overall rise and run, riser height, and headroom are just some of the factors to work out for a safe and comfortable stair. Humans seem to have a built-in “stair-ometer” that tells us when stairs are comfortable to climb or when they’re uncomfortable or even unsafe. It’s the same instinct that tells us when we’re on a ladder or climbing a hill that’s too steep.
How To Cut Stair Stringers
Armed with the unit rise and unit run dimensions, you can make the stair stringers. Stringers can be open or closed, as shown in “Types of Stringers.” With closed stringers, the treads and risers fit into slots cut into the inside face of the stringer stock. Closed stringers are usually made from finish-grade lumber and are meant to be left exposed.
Calculating Stairs
How-To Overall rise and run, riser height, and headroom are just some of the factors to work out for a safe and comfortable stair. Humans seem to have a built-in “stair-ometer” that tells us when stairs are comfortable to climb or when they’re uncomfortable or even unsafe. It’s the same instinct that tells us when we’re on a ladder or climbing a hill that’s too steep.
Installing Interior Stair Framing
How-To On this stair, the tops of the stringers attach to a plywood hanger nailed to the stair-chase framing. There are several ways we could have attached the top of each flight to the platform or the floor framing. For example, stringers can be notched to hang on a 2× cleat or can fit into a metal stair bracket. We chose to use a ½-in.-thick plywood hanger instead. The hanger is as wide as the stairs and tall enough to capture the plumb cuts at the tops of the stringers.
How To Cut Stair Stringers
Armed with the unit rise and unit run dimensions, you can make the stair stringers. Stringers can be open or closed, as shown in “Types of Stringers.” With closed stringers, the treads and risers fit into slots cut into the inside face of the stringer stock. Closed stringers are usually made from finish-grade lumber and are meant to be left exposed.
Sheathing the Walls
How-To Most framers prefer to sheathe the walls before raising them, and cut the openings in place. There are a lot of advantages to sheathing a wall while it’s still flat on the deck. Gravity will be your friend, and you’ll find it easier to align the sheathing to the framing. The technique also prevents the wall from racking as it goes up, which can weaken the joints.
Installing T&G Floor Sheathing
When floor sheathing is glued and nailed to the joists, the result is a strong, flat, and stiff structural system. Sheathing also provides a base for the wall framing and the finish flooring. In most cases, carpet and wood strip flooring can be installed directly over the sheathing without additional underlayment. Deck sheathing is typically plywood or, as it was in this case, ¾-in.-thick tongue-and-groove (T&G) OSB.
Installing Support Beams
Lay out a slightly oversize notch in the plate to allow for fitting the support beam, then cut out the notch. The mudsills support the ends of the floor framing, but most houses require support for the middle of the floor framing as well. Support beams or girders provide that support. A support beam can be made of various materials, including steel, LVL, and glue-laminated 2× stock. Most often, though, it is made from built-up layers of dimensional lumber such as 2×10s or 2×12s.
Floor Framing Starts with the Mudsills
Once the foundation is complete, framing starts with the mudsills, sometimes called sills or sill plates. The most important part of a house frame is the first-floor deck: the mudsills, the beams that support the floor framing, and the floor frame itself, including the joists and sheathing. If you want the rest of the house to be level, square, and plumb, you’d better start with a square and level platform.
Installing Floor Joists
Once you’ve installed the mudsills and support beams, it’s time to frame the first-floor deck. Take another look at the framing plan and note any special materials and details. This house, for example, has a large framed opening to accommodate the stair chase. The floor framing features dimensional lumber, but LVLs were specified to strengthen the framing in certain areas. Floor joist layout The most common spacing for floor, wall, and roof framing is 16 in.
Basic Saw Techniques
The easiest and most efficient way to cut stock is when it’s still in the stack. The stack then becomes your workbench. A circular saw might seem intimidating the first time you pick one up. That’s understandable, but with continued use you’ll come to see it as an essential framing tool. Don’t ever treat it casually or use it carelessly, because a circular saw injury is rarely insignificant.
Choosing and Adjusting a Circular Saw
A circular saw is a framer’s workhorse. It is lightweight, easy to use, and can be locked at an angle for bevel cuts. My earliest recollection of carpentry is of my dad finishing the attic in our rambling Rhode Island ranch house. He used only hand tools and was a sucker for unfinished lauan mahogany paneling. No drywall for him, no sirree. Looking back, I can remember him sweating as he sawed 2×s by hand.
Fine Homebuilding
Understanding the forces at work in a house frame is a prerequisite for framing the building. You can spend years in school to become a structural engineer, but you don’t need that kind of training to build a house. Still, a general working knowledge of the forces at work in a house frame and on a frame can be very helpful.
Components of a House Frame
The stud and joist bays of a platform frame provide mounting locations for the house’s vital systems, such as plumbing, electrical, and heating. Before you frame a house, you need to know the parts of the frame and how they work. The following discussion roughly reflects the order in which the parts are built in the framing process.
Evolution of the House Frame
Design We can trace the history of framing from timber frames through balloon frames and platform frames. Platform-framed houses use the same lightweight wall framing as balloon frames, but the lumber is only a single story tall. The wall members are capped with a platform, or floor, to create a sturdy boxlike structure. In North America, homes made of brick, concrete blocks, stone, and stacked logs can be found in almost every region.
Framing Workbook
2018 Digital Edition Installing Batts — Practical Air-Sealing — Frost-Protected Foundation Subscribe
From Spec to Spectacular
At one point or another in their careers, most builders and remodelers are tempted by the prospect of building a spec house. But there’s more to being a successful spec-house builder than just having a background in construction. To be a worthwhile venture, a spec house needs to sell in a timely fashion, which means it needs to create a great first impression that elicits a positive gut feeling in a prospective buyer.
The 7-Minute House
Time lapse photos: Roe Osborn; Sound track: "Tangerine" by the Bert Jackson Quartet. [Editor's note: JLC Sr. Ed. Roe Osborn plays bass for the BJQ. If you're short on time, please consider advancing to 4:33 for Roe's bass solo, which comes at a particularly sweet and serendipitous moment in the completion of the exterior, and just before the drum solo that underlies the dedication of this heartfelt project exemplifying the giving spirit of those in the building trades.
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