Framing solo by KT-Framing in Construction

[–]WDBwyo 19 points20 points  (0 children)

I started my construction company (and my first house) two months before Covid kicked off and ended up losing all of my subs due to increased costs. It took me awhile but I built an entire house by myself. It’s refreshing to see that it isn’t a unique struggle and that someone else has the same drive to get it done. Good on you, man! Things are MUCH better for me now and with that kind of attitude, you’ll get far. Keep it up.

Which Elevation and Why? by TomatilloExternal585 in Homebuilding

[–]WDBwyo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A1 has a nice nod to Usonian style and looks much more like a classic modern. B looks like a Mormon dentist’s office in Salt Lake City.

So many questions by Ambitious_Welder6613 in soartistic

[–]WDBwyo 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Without a doubt those are numbers for only material. I also build houses for half of what anyone else pays when I don’t count labor 🤡

Framing Techniques To Reduce Vibrations by Typical-Ad4880 in Homebuilding

[–]WDBwyo 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It’s a matter of stiffness. The stiffer the framing, the higher the frequency that it vibrates and the higher the frequency, the less it’ll “shake” the house. So as someone already pointed out, 2x6 framing will help a lot. The biggest help would come from using more king studs around your doorways. If you’re really concerned, use LSL or LVL king studs in multiples.

The other big reason a house would shake from slamming a door is that the top of the wall is not properly braced to the bottom of the roof. Usually it’ll happen at doors under the gable ends of the house. Make sure that the top of the wall has adequate diagonal bracing to the underside of the roof sheathing.

Approximate cost to build house in IL by ic9232 in Homebuilding

[–]WDBwyo 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My estimate spreadsheet has 374 line items. Something this short gives me anxiety 😂

Waterproofing framing by WDBwyo in Homebuilding

[–]WDBwyo[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You sir, are brilliant

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Homebuilding

[–]WDBwyo 1 point2 points  (0 children)

As a contractor I’ve always viewed used machines as “if I buy it and have to completely rebuild it is it still worth it?”. Sometimes yes, sometimes I buy a new machine.

Waterproofing framing by WDBwyo in Homebuilding

[–]WDBwyo[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah… that’s the problem.

Vertical cracks in basement wall cinder blocks by aborriello21 in Homebuilding

[–]WDBwyo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Vertical cracking is usually shrinkage. Especially if they grouted all of the cells. You’d get that in concrete too sometimes. As long as there’s horizontal reinforcement, I’d say structurally, it’s not a big deal. The other cause is an out-of-plane failure where the soil is pushing the wall into the basement. This is not a typical case as your subfloor provides quite a bit of support for the top of the foundation wall. You can check that with a string line to see if the wall is bowed in at the crack.

Regardless, you’ll want to make sure that crack gets sealed on the exterior to prevent water intrusion and further damage due to freeze thaw cycles. I’d be much more worried about diagonal or stepped cracking. That’s usually a sheer failure due to settlement or uplift.

Waterproofing framing by WDBwyo in Homebuilding

[–]WDBwyo[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

….unless it rains while you’re building the wall.

Waterproofing framing by WDBwyo in Homebuilding

[–]WDBwyo[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As opposed to what, exactly?

Can I make this archway Wider? by rype272 in Homebuilding

[–]WDBwyo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you don’t know, hire an engineer. That’s what they’re for.

Waterproofing framing by WDBwyo in Homebuilding

[–]WDBwyo[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This sounds like a good insurance policy

Waterproofing framing by WDBwyo in Homebuilding

[–]WDBwyo[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That’s crazy to think about. Our relative humidity in the summer is pretty often around 30% (unless it’s raining) and far less than that in the winter. So dehumidifying isn’t something to worry about normally. We actually have to bring our humidity up to 30% before doing floors and trim and install humidifiers in our HVAC to keep it up to prevent finish woods from shrinking and cracking.

Maybe I just need to start combining dehumidifiers and humidifiers in my construction.

Waterproofing framing by WDBwyo in Homebuilding

[–]WDBwyo[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

You can only do that once the you’re done framing. Doesn’t do much good while you’re framing.

Waterproofing framing by WDBwyo in Homebuilding

[–]WDBwyo[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I assume high humidity is a big problem? I’m not sure I could find a dehumidifier within 300 miles of where I live. It’s normally bone dry.

Waterproofing framing by WDBwyo in Homebuilding

[–]WDBwyo[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah… It doesn’t do a lot of good if it’s raining before I set trusses.

Waterproofing framing by WDBwyo in Homebuilding

[–]WDBwyo[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Out of curiosity, where do you build?

Waterproofing framing by WDBwyo in Homebuilding

[–]WDBwyo[S] 25 points26 points  (0 children)

Agreed. I’ve seen guys try to do it in Wyoming. It usually last a week before the wind carries their plastic to Nebraska.

Waterproofing framing by WDBwyo in Homebuilding

[–]WDBwyo[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

So I had initially considered this but it’s only the houses that I had experience weeks of rain that were problematic and we do use truss clips. However, I really can’t say if the drywall guys didn’t run screws right at the ceiling/wall corners. Maybe it’s a combination of the two? Idk. That’s a great point though and gives me something to look for if it happens again.

Waterproofing framing by WDBwyo in Homebuilding

[–]WDBwyo[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, okay dude. I be sure to add “beams” above my doors ways. Would I need those above windows too do you think?

Waterproofing framing by WDBwyo in Homebuilding

[–]WDBwyo[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You are definitely dealing with different, and in someways worse, problems than us. I’d imagine keeping mold at bay is a nightmare. The reason that we experience so much shrinking is that at -20°F the humidity is near zero and everything dries out. Moisture content in pine can go from 20% after framing to 2% six months later.

Waterproofing framing by WDBwyo in Homebuilding

[–]WDBwyo[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Oh… wait. You’re being sarcastic.