How to Lay a Frame for a House

Walls

• 1

  Lay out your top and bottom sill boards from 2-by-4 lumber, horizontally, and space your studs between them every 16 inches from center to center. Skip over areas that will contain doors, windows or other openings, maintaining the 16-inch spacing pattern. Cut pieces to length as needed with a circular saw and rafter square.

• 2

  Nail through the top of the top plate and bottom of the bottom plate into the ends of the studs with two 16d nails in each stud, using a framing hammer or a framing nail gun powered by air, which is much faster. Measure and drill holes through the bottom sill for the sill bolts, spacing them from the placement of the bolts in the concrete foundation.

• 3

  Stand your walls up as one piece, fitting the holes in the sill over the bolts, and nail them together where they meet. Nail a second top plate on the top of each wall, staggering the end joints so that the top piece overlaps any breaks in the top plate.

Doors and Windows

• 4

  Add door and window framing either on the ground, before the wall is stood upright, or after. Start with a double stud on each side, one full length, known as the king stud, and one short one that fits under the door header, or the sill for windows. These are known as jack studs, since they support the headers and sills. Nail these in place.

• 5

  Cut a windowsill board from 2-by-4 lumber and set it on top of the jack studs, wide face up. Cut two more pieces for the sides of the window, to fit from the top of the sill to the bottom of the header, and nail them to the inside faces of the king studs.

• 6

  Build headers from two pieces of 2-by-6 lumber, cut to fit between the king studs. Cut a piece of 1/2-inch plywood to the same width and length as the 2-by-6s and nail it between them. Fit the header on edge, between the king studs at the proper height, leveling it with a level. Nail through the king studs into the header ends to secure them.

Roof Trusses

• 7

  Position roof trusses starting at one end, every 24 inches. These include a horizontal bottom joist and two upper rafters in a prefab frame. Nail through the bottom joist into the top cap of the wall on an angle to secure it temporarily.

• 8

  Nail a board to the inside of the peak of the first truss, extending in the direction you intend to install the rest of your trusses. Nail it to the inside of the peak of each truss in turn to secure it.

• 9

  Use hurricane tie brackets to anchor the trusses to the wall caps, using a level to adjust the truss until it is perfectly vertical. Nail the brackets to the trusses and the wall caps.