Learning how to frame a house may not be in the stars for most DIYers—we'll leave that to the local home builders, thank you very much. However, taking a hard look at the step-by-step home framing process can help you understand how long it takes to build a house and how each stud, rafter, and joist plays a crucial role in keeping your home together. Framing a home doesn't have to be a mystery—let's walk through it.
Prepping to Frame a House
As your contractor prepares to frame your house, they'll leave no stone unturned. They'll choose the right type of framing, the best materials, and the right amount of materials.
The right team will go beyond framing your house and look at the larger picture—they'll also need the right permits, a strong understanding of local building codes, and a survey of the plot of land. The early stages of framing a house are all about collaborating with a team of professionals. An architect, draftspeople, general contractor, and construction manager may work together. You may also need to hire a structural engineer to sign off the blueprints before starting.
Here's what to expect from the process of framing a house once it gets rolling.
Don’t go for low-grade materials just to save on price. Oftentimes mid-grade options start at only 10% more and last much longer than economy-grade materials typically found at the big box stores.
Dave Grulke
Owner, Big Dave’s Services - Remodeling and Home Improvement
Select Your Framing Materials
Begin by choosing your home framing materials. The selection comes down to your home's design, your budget, and the local climate. For example, those close to a fault line may choose to build an earthquake-proof for their safety and a lower insurance rate. Here is what to know about each type of foundation material.
The most common method of framing is platform framing. This type of framing is the go-to for standard wooden houses in new construction. Platform framing works for single- and two-story homes of all kinds of designs.
Steel Framing
As one of the most durable options, steel framing can cost up to 20% more than wood frames. It also requires more materials like fasteners. This type of framing is best left for professionals due to its complexity and high cost.
Structural Insulated Panel Framing
One of the most energy-efficient and durable materials is structural insulated panel (SIP) framing. This option is air-tight and quick to manufacture, making it easy to transport and install. These frames are the fastest option because the material serves as the framework, sheathing, and insulation—saving you the trouble of installing insulation after the framework like you would for platform or metal framing.
Concrete Framing
There are two types of concrete framing: insulated concrete forms (ICFs) and concrete masonry units (CMUs). Which one you choose depends on your climate. ICFs are one of the most durable framing materials for the price. These forms use polystyrene foam blocks and concrete to create a strong wall structure that frames your home and adds to the R-value. This framing type is ideal for homes in colder climates.
Concrete masonry units, or CMUs, are standard-sized cast concrete blocks—cement, aggregates, and finely crushed sand or gravel. This type of framing best suits homes in warmer climates, as concrete blocks have a lower thermal resistance than ICFs.
Build the Foundation
Before you can build the frame for your house, you’ll need a solid foundation. There are various foundation types to choose from for your home, from slab-on-grade to basement foundations. If you’re building a wooden or metal frame, ensure the foundation is fully cured before you begin framing your home.
Frame the Floor
For the sake of our instructions, let's assume you're building the traditional platform framing with pressure-treated wood. Contractors will start with the floor's frame after the foundation is set and after checking local building codes. Floor framing materials are often pressure-treated to stand up against moisture, pests, and warping over time. Here are the basic stages of framing the floor of a house to consider.
Attach the Sill Plates
Lay the sill plate—also known as a mudsill—square with the set foundation. Use anchor bolts to fasten the sill plate to the foundation. Next, lay the rim joists on top of the sill plate and fasten the rim joints into the sill plate to hold them in place.
Attach the Floor Joists
Lay the floor joists perpendicular to the rim plates 16 inches apart and mark their placement. One by one, align them with your markings and nail them into place. Be sure to check that it is square, and therefore perpendicular, with the sill plate before securing.
Install the Subfloor
Measure and cut your subfloor panels, typically made from plywood or oriented strand board (OSB). Apply wood glue to the joists as you lay the subflooring to prevent squeaking. Use wood screws to secure the subfloor to the joists.
Build Your Walls
Again, assuming that we're working with wood platform framing, move on to building the exterior and interior walls of your home. Your contractors will construct the walls individually before raising them one by one onto your home's flooring.
Construct Individual Walls
After consulting the blueprint, collect the necessary two-by-four or two-by-six planks and trim them to account for the windows and doors in each wall. Working intricately to measure and mark each placement, fix your top plates, bottom plates, and studs into location. Fasten the plates to the studs with framing nails and a nail gun. Finish the wall by attaching the corner studs.
Attach the Wall Sheathing
You can choose to attach the wall sheathing—again, this is either plywood or OSB—before or after raising the exterior walls into place. If you choose to attach it at this phase, do so with framing nails every several feet along each corner stud and plate.
Raise and Secure Exterior Walls
One at a time, raise your walls, and brace them into your sill plates. Use a temporary support post to keep the walls in place as you secure the bottom wall plate to the sill plate. Intricately measure the placement of your wall and whether they are square with the sill plates and the adjoining wall.
Be sure to fully secure the bottom plates to the sill plates with framing nails along the bottom plate of each wall. Continue this process until all exterior walls are complete, and attach the top of the walls with a second top plate.
Frame and Secure Interior Walls
Repeat the process for the interior walls by building each panel off-site and raising it into place. Secure the top of the walls with an extra top plate for extra security between the set of walls.
Frame the Doors and Windows
Since you left space in your walls for the doors and windows, it's time to return and complete the framing process. The parts of a door rough opening include the top plate, sole plate, king studs, jack studs, header, and cripple studs. Measure and cut each of these according to the blueprint and attach them to the rough opening of your framed wall. The basic parts of a window frame, on the other hand, include the head, sill, rails, and apron. Exterior walls will consist of specialized additions such as weep holes.
Frame the Ceiling and Roof
The type of roof and ceiling you choose determines your exact steps. It's important to know the parts of a roof and the specific terminology, including the horizontal ceiling joists, angle trusses or rafters that connect the exterior walls to the ridge, and collar beams that support the top of the ridge.
Frame the Joists and Rafters
Always begin by measuring and securing the ceiling joists to the exterior walls. Attach them to the rim joists in 16-inch intervals. You will then brace and attach the rafters that angle off the joists at the exact angle of your roof. Again, this will depend on the type of roof in the design. Install collar ties—also called rafter ties—between the two sides of the rafters for stability.
Install the Sheathing
If you haven't done so already, be sure that all sheathing for the exterior walls is secure. Install the exterior sheathing using framing nails and secure fascia boards to cap the rafters off.
Avoiding Common Mistakes While Framing a House
It’s important to frame your house correctly, so, as a reminder, this is not a job for an untrained professional. In either case, mistakes can be made along the way. One common error that could compromise the integrity of your structure or result in a failed inspection and a huge do-over—all of which costs time and money. To ensure you don’t make any big mistakes, here are some of the most common pitfalls and how to avoid them.
Make sure your foundation is entirely level. An unlevel foundation will cause all kinds of issues to your frame.
Secure top and bottom plates to the floor joists or roof trusses for extra security and to allow installers to cut out room for plumbing, HVAC, and electrical systems.
Use alkaline copper quaternary (ACQ) nails on treated lumber to avoid corrosion to standard nails.
Apply wood glue between the joists and subflooring to avoid squeaky floors.
Ensure you leave space for larger plumbing fixtures and mechanical systems by correctly spacing floor joists and trusses away from toilets.
Make sure you install reinforcement while framing doorway walls and load-bearing beams.
Protect your materials from rain and hot conditions to prevent warpage by covering them with a tarp or storing materials in a storage unit.
Don’t take on more than you can handle within your skill level.
DIY vs. Hiring a Pro to Frame Your House
Framing a house yourself is not advisable unless you have ample carpentry and construction experience. Not only is the process complex and potentially dangerous, but there is a much higher chance of not meeting the proper building codes and, therefore, never passing inspection.
That being said, you can technically save a good deal of money on the cost of building a house by framing it yourself. Framing accounts for about eight percent of the total housing costs. If you build the entire house yourself, you can cut up to 40 percent on labor. Yet again, the process will take much longer, and you may not get the green light from your local building office.
