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.