Carpentry/Framing

Framing walls begins with cutting the top and bottom plates to the desired lengths. If the wall is to be sheathed, the plates should be cut on 16" intervals, for example, the total length of the wall will be 26', the first plates should be cut at 16' and then the second set at 10', attached together at the ends. This ensures that once the stud spacing is laid out for the wall (every 16" on center in our example) a stud will land on the joint in our plates therefore supporting the joint. Having the plates together on edge and ensuring they are flush at one end, we hook our tape measure on to that end of our 16' set of plates and begin placing a mark every 16". This mark represents the center of our studs when we secure them.

Secure the studs to the one plate (perpendicularly) and then secure the other plate to the other end of the studs. A second top plate is often required. This second top plate will strengthen the joint in our original top plate and aid in securing our wall to other walls by overlapping as well as ensuring a proper load distribution from the trusses or joists above them to the studs of the wall being framed.

If sheathing or diagonally bracing the wall prior to raising, you must "square" the wall first. Secure the bottom of the wall(permanently or temporarily). Given that the length of the wall is the same at the top and bottom, and that the height is the same at both ends, a diagonal measurement is taken from one corner to the other, switch corners, shift the top of the wall side to side until both corner to corner measurements are equal. Secure top of wall temporarily to keep it square.

Begin sheathing from the same end you started laying out your studs so that the sheets break on the studs, or if the wall does not require sheathing, brace diagonally. Unsecure top of wall and raise wall until vertical.

Stair Framing

Tread - The horizontal portion of a stair

Total Rise - the distance from top of finished floors that stairs span

Max and Minimums of Rise and Run

Alberta/Canada Building Code

Stair Type	Rise, mm		Run, mm		Tread Depth
	max	min	max	min	max	min
Service	No limit	125	355	No limit	355	No limit
Private	200	125	355	210	355	235
Public	200	125	355	230	355	250