Framing a home or building can be described as the skeleton of the structure that sits on top of the foundation. (see picture to the left) Wood or metal studs are used to make the the structure of the frame. All interior walls, exterior walls, ceiling rafters, door and window openings are all cut at the framing stage of construction. Depending on where you live in the country, certain building codes are required to adhere to when framing a house. Here in San Antonio, Texas, exterior walls must be spaced at a minimum of 16″ on center. Skilled carpenters (often called “framers”) are needed when building the new home or room addition. Stick framing is a term used to describe a structure built from 2x lumber. Prefabricated wall panels or trusses can be used to frame a house and can save time, but can often be more expensive on the labor side. During the framing stage of home building, it is easy to see where the load bearing walls are. The load bearing walls are interior walls that carry the weight of the ceiling joists. House framing can take as little a few days to get all the walls, joist and rafters up (depending on the size of the home). Once the frame of the home is up, it is time to start enclosing the home with other building materials. The exterior sheathing (either osb/plywood or building sheathing) and roof decking are placed on the outside of the house frame. Sheetrock is placed on the inside of the house frame.
Construction Terminology can be a little tricky to pick up at the begininig, but give it some time and you will be talking like a pro in no time at all. Print out a cheat sheet of common construction terms and have them handy before you begin any type of home remodeling or home renovation project. Trust me, it will help!–Danny Garcia, owner of Rhino Design Build in San Antonio, Texas.