How to Build Safe Frame Wood Homes

Planning

• 1

  Contact local authorities to determine what building permits are needed for your structure. Contact local utility companies to learn the location of underground cables or pipes that could cause problems. Include local regulations for sanitation arrangements while checking permits. Obtain all needed permits.

• 2

  Draw a plan that takes local building codes and location of utilities into consideration. Window-shop building materials. Determine whether it is more cost- and time-efficient to use standard utilities or alternative utilities.

• 3

  Make a model of your home. This does not need to be fancy -- empty cereal boxes work well -- but a model can catch problems with your design before you begin construction with expensive materials.

Leveling and Foundations

• 4

  Using earth-moving equipment or a shovel, level the area where the building will stand. If you plan to pour a concrete slab, you can have a load of white chat delivered to go under the foundation. If you are planning a footing and foundation type of support, you will need to at least clear the area and remove any large irregularities.

• 5

  Mark off the area for the building using string and batten boards. A batten board is a board nailed across two stakes. The stakes are driven into the ground at the corners of your future home. Place two batten boards at each corner area about three feet from where you plan to have the wall. The boards should run parallel to the planned wall, with one on either side of each corner.

• 6

  Tie a stake to one end of a piece of string and place it outside the batten board in line with your planned foundation edge. Pull the string over the batten board that runs crosswise to the wall edge you are going to mark with the string, down the length of the wall edge you plan to mark and across the opposite batten. Do this for all four walls.

• 7

  Check your marked walls for squareness. The strings should make 90-degree angles at all corners. Measure from opposite corner to opposite corner for both pairs of corners. The two measurements should be the same. Move the strings until you achieve the correct measurements, then mark correct location on the top of the batten boards using nails or screws, and secure the string so it will not move during the next phase of construction.

• 8

  Dig the foundation. Whether you are pouring a slab or putting in wood floors, you must make a foundation. The foundation will hold up your load-bearing walls and protect your building from shifts in the ground. This is one place where obtaining your local building codes will come in handy. The correct specifications for foundations should be listed. Considerations when making the foundations include digging the foundation deep enough that it will not be subject to frost heave and whether you have to build an earthquake-resistant building. Foundation needs will vary from location to location.

• 9

  Fill the completed foundation trench with large chunks of aggregate. This can be rocks, chunks of concrete rubble or any other inorganic material. Place cross members of rebar or heavy wire to add cohesiveness and flex to the foundation. Insert needed conduit for plumbing, wiring or ventilation. If at all possible, order your concrete premixed from a concrete mixing company. This eliminates a lot of the heavy work of mixing and hauling the concrete, and ensures a consistent ratio of ingredients in the concrete mixture.

• 10

  Allow the concrete to partially set, then place the heads of carriage bolts into the top of the concrete, with the threaded ends pointing up. These bolts will be used to fasten down the wooden plate that will be used to attach the framed walls to the foundation.

• 11

  Allow the concrete to dry completely. If you are pouring a slab floor, place a layer of chat or river gravel inside the poured foundation. Level it, then pour the cement slab over it. When the cement is partially dried, use a concrete float -- a flat board on a long stick, essentially -- to smooth the surface of the cement. If you are planning to install wood floors, skip this step.

Adding Floor Joists and Making the Walls

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  Attach the face plates to the top of the foundation walls. Drill holes in 2-by-6-inch boards that correspond to the placement of the bolts embedded in the concrete. If making a wood floor, place floor joists made of 2-by-6-inch boards, 2-inch edge up, on the foundation plates. Toenail them -- drive a nail at an angle through the bottom edge -- onto the foundation plates, leaving a 3/4-inch lip of foundation board uncovered at the ends. Nail a 2-by-4-inch board to the ends of the joists. Place exterior-grade 3/4-inch plywood on top of the joists, and nail firmly in place.

• 13

  Lay out the exterior walls one by one on the floor surface. Wall studs -- which can be purchased pre-measured as econo-studs, 2-by-4-inch boards, 7 feet long -- should be 24 inches apart, unless you need to set them closer to allow for doors or windows.

• 14

  Place two studs together at ends of a run or beside doors or windows for added strength. Nail a longer 2-by-4-inch board to the bottom and top of the studs to hold them together. Stand the wall up, and nail through the bottom board, through the plywood, into the floor joists.

• 15

  Nail a 2-by-4-inch board flat on the top of the assembled walls. This adds strength to the top of the wall and makes a stronger platform for the rafters.

Making the Attic and Roof

• 16

  Place 2-by-6-inch boards across the wall tops, with the narrow edge up, to create the attic floor joists. Nail or screw in place from the top of the boards. Place 3/4-inch plywood on top of these boards and nail it into place. Make an access space between two of the floor joists by cutting a hole in the plywood and nailing a protective frame of 1-inch boards around it.

• 17

  Nail 2-by-6-inch boards together to create the ridge pole for your house. Lay one layer of board flat on your attic floor. Then lay a second set of boards on top of it, staggering them so that each join in the bottom board set will have a solid run of board over the top of it. Nail, then screw this assemblage together with wood screws. Make the ridge pole long enough to extend at least six inches beyond the building on both sides; 12 inches is better.

• 18

  Create a temporary support wall down the center of the attic floor. Stand the ridge pole up, edge on, upon it and toenail it in position using double-headed nails. Cut rafters from 2-by-6-inch boards with one end angled so that it will fit flat against the ridge pole, and the other with a "bird's mouth," a notch that will fit over the edge of the attic floor. Make at least a 6-inch overhang (12 inches is better) to shade the lower wall and to keep rain from splashing up on it.

• 19

  Nail or screw the rafters in place. Add studs to the gable ends of the house, and remove the temporary center wall, if desired. This wall can be left in for greater strength and later use as a partition. If you wish to leave it in place, apply fire-resistant sheet rock to both sides before finishing the roof. Also bring to the attic sheets of flame-resistant wall board if you plan to finish the inside.

• 20

  Sheath the roof -- regardless of the roofing planned -- with exterior-grade plywood. Add a layer of flame-resistant insulation board over the top of the wood. Cover with felt roofing paper.

• 21

  Roof with your preferred roofing material. This can be flame-resistant shingling, clay or slate tiles, or metal roofing. Clay, slate or metal provides good resistance to fire and requires minimal maintenance.

Exterior Finish

• 22

  Nail exterior sheathing to the outside of the stud walls. Sheathing can be 1-inch boards, plywood or even particle board. Plywood and particle board, however, contain glues and chemicals that may need time to outgas before occupancy. Add a flame-resistant insulation wall board to the outside of the building, then your desired siding material.

• 23

  Place air vents in the gable ends of the attic. This is an essential step for preventing moisture buildup under the roof. Insert pre-made windows and doors according to manufacturer's package instructions.

• 24

  Add frames to doors and windows. Frames not only provide a decorative touch to the exterior of your home, they also protect the edges of the doors and windows, protecting them from weather and sealing them from drafts.

Interior Finishing

• 25

  Frame up a non-load bearing wall to partition off the bathroom, and make any other divisions inside the house. Place the bathroom facilities according to package directions, connecting them to the plumbing lines you made earlier. These will probably include s toilet, a sink and a shower or bathtub.

• 26

  Add electrical wiring. Use a large breaker box, and place more outlets than you think you will need. Be sure to include a 220-volt wall socket for a clothes dryer. If you are not a licensed electrician, you may place the boxes and run the wires to them. But you need to have a licensed, bonded electrician inspect the installations and complete the connections. If in doubt, hire an expert.

• 27

  Fasten flame-retardant sheet rock to the interior walls, even if you plan to use wood paneling over it in some rooms. The sheet rock will act as a fire barrier, and can give you and your family time to get out of your home if a fire should start. Install some means of heating your home.

• 28

  Paint the interior of your home with a non-lead-based organic paint, such as milk paint. Latex was, until recently, the industry standard for interior paint. But recent studies indicate that it may be responsible for a higher incidence of allergies in infants. Add baseboards, interior door and window facings and other built-in trim as desired.