Pruett Residence: Western Framing

There are many different ways to frame a home, however one of the more common techniques is western framing.  That is especially true here on the Central Coast of California.  Often times a builder will lay out the house according not only to the plans but how he wants to stand the walls and maximize efficiency.  In western framing the walls are spread on the foundation and detailed with doors, windows, hold downs and such, and then built while still on the ground.  They are then stood one after another and tacked together.  Plum and line is done once all the walls are stood and the bottom plate is secured to the foundation and tie plates have been nailed on top of the wall yet not fastened at adjoining wall connections.  This process for an average sized home, about 2,500 square feet, is completed in about a week.  Following is a short example of how walls are stood and tacked together awaiting plum and line.

Pruett Siding

 An update for the Pruett Residence in Arroyo Grande, Ca.  We ended up sub contracting out the roof so that we could gain some headway on Phil and Anne's new home.  Now the roof is on, fascia is up, and it is time to start siding the home and close it off from the elements.  This in my opinion is a pivotal moment in the building process because it signals the beginning of the end.  The job fills up with other contractors, electrical, plumbing, door and window people, HVAC, and many others.  It is crowded but alive with the sound of progress.  The opportunity to do some facets of finish carpentry is not only a fun change of pace but also an opportunity to become a better carpenter.  This home especially because it is a craftsman style home which emphasizes the details of the home.  The following photos show some before and after as well a "how to" sense of the siding process.  The siding material is Hardy Board, and the shingle material is from LP Building Products and is called SmartSide with a cedar shake pattern.

Here is a link to learn more about their product- 

http://www.lpcorp.com/products/siding/lp-smartside-trim-siding

 

What is seen here is a few steps before siding can occur and is more or less to show the progress of the residence and as a reference as to what siding can do to the aesthetics of a home.

The photo above is a good example of what the steps are for siding.  Sheer goes on first, although only on "sheer walls" then building paper.  In this case a DuPont product called Tyvek, or as I call it, "Thunder Paper," because when the wind blows it sounds like thunder.

Siding with a trimmed window and a 1/8" space between boards.  The spacing helps because over the years siding tends to warp, with a small gap it will ensure that the product will still look good years into the future.

2x4 pre-primed Hem-fur trim.  It is much easier to cut the siding to the trim than the other way around and looks much better too.  Therefore we trim the doors and windows first then run the siding.

The deck off the family room with large glass sliding door.

Dewalt chop saw with a 12" Diablo finish blade.

Many pieces must be custom fit therefore our ancient table saw gets a lot of use.  Honestly though, they just don't make tools like they used to.  Chad has a 1950's era table saw that is pulley driven, and it works wonderful, and not to mention is really cool looking.

Phil setting a finish nail on the pine tongue and groove (T&G) porch ceiling.

Chad using his Dewalt jig saw to notch a trim piece for the porch beams.

Chad with his Dewalt 15 gauge finish gun.   

Hardy board used for the gable end roof vents.

Arroyo Grande High School architecture class taught by Mr. Fiser.  They have been out the the job on a weekly basis learning and seeing first hand how a home comes together.  Chad and Coby are both AGHS alumni.

The following photos are to shed light on how we installed the Shingle lap siding.  We measured about a 1/4 inch off the water table and snapped a line to mark out our first row.

Then nailed 16 inches on center on the top portion of the shingle so that the next row covers the nails.

Set the nails flush with a finish hammer.

Then hook the bottom and measure the desired lap distance, in our case it was 10 inches.

Snap another line for the next row.

Then line up the next row on that line and check it for level.  Then repeat until the gable end is completed.

This is what it looks like before paint.  It is a really sharp and classic look to a craftsman style home.

Huasna

The next chapter for Phil and Anne is their recently permitted house in the Huansa Valley.  Permits were acquired and now within two weeks the foundation is in.  It was a long process to gain approval for their home as the San Luis Obispo County plan check process is seemingly endless.  However, the plans were approved and now its full speed ahead to build a new home, one that they hope will entertain the next generation of the growing family. 

His hammer is so fast it's just a blur.

The septic tank

One of the few spots on the ranch that you can get cell service.

Ormonde excavating bringing out the big ugly to grade the pad for the slab on grade home.

It's a simple plan, but it will be cozy and functional.

Chad's dog Skip, simply one of the best jobsite dogs you will find.

Skip and Nattie just hanging out.

Hanson supplied the concrete for this particular job.

Hanson's breast cancer awareness truck with the crew about screed the last bit of concrete on the slab.

After a few hours this is what's left, a slab that is level all around within 3/16 of an inch.

Cutting the slab the day after it was pored to provide relief joints as the concrete expands and cures. 

Rancho Construction: Pruett Residence

This house is in Arroyo Grande, Ca in a new development called Cherry Creek.  It's one of the few new developments in the area and is shaping up to be a charming group of new homes.  PCW built a house for Rancho Construction two years ago in the same development and now is building another for one of the creators of the development.  The fun thing about working on this house is that it rests behind a house that the Whitakers used to live in.  Chad, Coby and their older brother used to play in what it once was, a walnut orchard and the walnut trees pictured once had forts in them built by the three boys.

PCW was contracted to do the concrete, framing, roof, siding and the flat work for the house.  It is a raised foundation which the owners wanted for the fact that it provides a softer floor and offers a bit more flood protection, as the area has flooded historically.

The residence boasts porches on nearly a third of the house that will be covered and offer additional outdoor living space.

Phil with his supervisor keeping a close eye on what he is doing.  Phil usually lays out his crew with door and window openings and then turns them loose to frame the walls and roof.

The garage was stick framed by Chad and David while Coby and Phil prepared "packages."  Packages refer to doors and windows, their headers and cripples, which are framed first when one wants to imploy the western framing technique.  Western framing means that the walls are framed on the ground then stood and tacked together.  After all the walls are stood the crew goes back through and plums each wall and corner and then lines them, making sure they are straight and braced before the roof system is set.

Packages being laid out in front of the crew.

Western framing.

Of course music is nice to have while working and Chad is especially adamant about what station is played.

The Winter Months

During the winter is seems that construction tends to slow down in San Luis Obispo County, partly due to weather, partly due to the holidays, and partly due to the timing of other jobs starting later in the year.  For us we usually find some time to take a vacation or work on projects of our own as well as fill in work with jobs that are small enough to complete within a few days to weeks.  In short this is what we have been up to.

Late last year the patriarch and matriarch of the Whitaker family sold their home in Arroyo Grande and were able to purchase a piece of property in the Huasna Valley, a place that they have many friends and have been visiting for nearly thirty years.  In celebration they decided to have the Whitaker family Thanksgiving gathering at their new property.  However there was next to nothing to provide shade or shelter for the gang.  So the idea was born to build a trellis from old form boards and other left over materials from other jobs.  It was a blast building with no plans other than it needed to be done within a few days, and this is what was created...

Left over TJI were used to build columns and 2x12, 2x10, and 2x6 were used to build the rafters and other details.

Chad's outlooker design.

Sometimes work can be fun, Coby swears there was a fly on Chad's head.

The trellis turned out pretty good and only took about a day or two.

Our friend John Gutierrez need a roof system to be put on the shop he was building himself so we took a few weeks to install the trusses and sheet it for him so he could finish the project.  Of course we like to use Louis' Crane when we lift things because he is simply the best and we have done work with him for many years.

Chad knows how to run the ridge blocks like a champ, he is pretty much fearless.

Phil has earned his place working on the ground,  walking plate is a young mans job.

We placed the last truss as the sun set, the short days of winter make you appreciate the long, lingering days of summer.

No shave November is a common act of defiance and as the month ends wild facial hair becomes sculpted masterpieces.

This is how to cut rafter-tails.

We were fortunate enough to return to the Van Buerden residence to install HAT channels for Soenke Construction.  These were meant to hang the ceiling material from to form the illusion that the ceiling was floating. 

Vacation!! Coby with his girlfriend Melanie visited the Eastern Sierra in December.  Note that the beard continued past November.

Another day of R and R.  Coby was invited to join his girlfriend's father at Tejon Ranch to "hunt" pheasant.  It was a blast!

The PC Whitaker Construction christmas parade float in the village of Arroyo Grande, Chad's father-in-law provided the vintager tractor and trailer.  He drove it from San Luis Obispo to Arroyo Grande, nearly twenty miles.