Driver Comfort

Building Your Dream Home - Part 3

Exterior Framing Continues

With the home's sub-floor down and the exterior walls framed and
up, the framing crew was on to the roof. Though the roof was
rather simple in structure with just a 12/12 pitch and no
valleys it was a significant framing undertaking due to just the
size and height of it. The house was 32 feet wide by 44 feet in
length, and the exterior side walls stood 11 feet tall in the
great room. This exterior wall height of 11 feet translated into
a roof ridge that was 27 feet off the floor of the great room.
Consequently staging was required to install the ridge pole and
roof rafters. In addition, since the span from the top of the
walls to the ridge was so long, heavy 2x12s were required for
the roof rafters. Within a week, however, the team had completed
the installation of the roof rafters and the house began to take
on real shape.

I should comment briefly about the sub-floor and exterior walls
before I move on.

I decided on using ¾" tongue and groove plywood for the
sub-flooring rather than OSB/particle board as I was concerned
that the OSB was too sensitive to moisture. I was concerned
about this, both from the construction phase and from normal
home use. I was concerned that during the construction phase
that snow and ice could potentially lead to damage such as
warping. I have seen this before when OSB was used on
sub-flooring. I was also concerned that during the life of the
home, that there could be water incidents, e.g. a leaking
dishwasher or washer machine that also could also lead to water
damage to the floor. I also believe that plywood is stronger and
that it would provide for a more solid and rigid floor.

Regarding the exterior wall framing I used 2x6 construction.
This is typical in New England as the additional wall depth
allows for higher insulation factors; a must in colder climates.

Sheathing the Outside of the Home

In order to get plumbing and electric contractors onto a site
typically they want the home "buttoned up". This includes the
roof shingled and the doors and windows on. Thus my framing crew
moved onto the exterior sheathing once the walls and roof
framing were complete.

As with the sub-floor, I again chose plywood for the exterior
sheathing for the same reasons mentioned earlier. On the
exterior walls ½" exterior grade plywood was used. On the roof
5/8" exterior grade plywood was used. I know many builders today
use OSB for both the walls and roof, however, I still believe
for stronger construction plywood is the way to go.

The sheathing effort took about a week to complete. During this
time exterior doors and windows showed up on the site. Staging
the delivery of material reduces theft and insurance risk as
well as keeps a less cluttered construction site. However, as I
have indicated earlier, communication is critical when you are
doing "Just-in-Time" material delivery.

Installing Exterior Doors and Windows

The installation of the doors and windows was a major
undertaking for this project as the lake side view of the home
was literally a wall of windows; 32 feet in width and 27 feet in
height. A great deal of engineering had gone into the window
design so that the 10 large custom windows would fit together
like a jig saw puzzle. This said, when the windows arrived on
site and were inspected, it was determined that some of them
were not built correctly to the dimensions specified. After much
debate with the framing crew, the window vendor and me we
reached a compromise on sharing the cost of fixing the windows.
The window vendor took back the improperly sized windows and the
framing crew began the installation of the doors and what
windows they could install. Fortunately the window vendor was
able to return to the site with the properly sized windows
within a few days and the construction phase did not miss a beat.

Completing the Interior Framing

With the doors and windows installed, the framing crew proceeded
to complete the Interior Framing. This was an exciting time, as
the rooms began to take real shape. You could now walk down
hallways and into bedrooms and closet areas. Within just a few
days the interior walls were complete and the framing crew
proceeded onto the roof for the shingling.

I should note that 2x4 construction was used on the interior
walls as insulation was not required on the interior walls.

Shingling the Roof

The last task to complete before the house could be classified
as "Buttoned Up" was to install the shingles on the roof.
Fortunately my framing crew was also able to do this task, thus
eliminating the need for yet another subcontractor.

I chose a 30 year architectural shingle due to the quality and
look I was trying to achieve on the home.

Though relatively a simple roof, it was quite large and the
weather was less than hospitable. Consequently it took nearly 2
weeks to complete this task. However, with the roof complete, my
electric and plumbing contractors were now able to begin their
work.

Also, with the main house now structurally complete, the framing
crew moved onto the garage framing and construction phase. As a
result of staging the garage behind the main home construction
phase, I was able to have subcontractors work in parallel
without getting in each others way.

Rough Electric and Plumbing

With the house "Buttoned-Up", my Electric and Plumber
subcontractors showed up to begin the roughing in phase of their
respective tasks.

Rough Electric

I had met a few days before on site with the Electric
subcontractor to discuss the placement of all the wall outlets
and switches, as well as where the light fixtures would be
situated. During our discussion he marked the wall studs for the
placements of the electric wiring boxes so that we could
visualize the entire electric wiring scheme. We also marked
where the telephone and cable boxes would reside.

During the electrical rough in wiring phase, the electrician
installed all the wiring boxes and ran wire from the boxes to
where the main circuit panel box would reside.

Rough Plumbing

As with the Electrical Subcontractor, I had met several weeks
earlier with the Plumbing Contractor. During this meeting we
discussed the form of heat for the home, as well as where the
bathrooms and kitchen were to reside in the home. We also
discussed types of bathroom fixtures including tubs, sinks and
toilets. Consequently, when he showed up on site he new exactly
where to run main drain and supply pipes and vent stacks. He
also roughed in all of the plumbing for each bathroom and
kitchen plumbing fixture.

Within a week both the Electrical and Rough Plumbing contractors
had completed their tasks and had successfully passed their
respective inspections.

To Be Continued ....

In Part 4 of "Building Your Dream House", Electric and Plumbing
continue and the Kitchen Design is explained. Stay tuned...............

About the Author

Me_Donovan@comcast.net http://www.homeadditionplus.com

http://www.homeaddition.blogspot.com

Over the past 20+ years Mr. Donovan has been involved with
building homes and additions to homes. His projects have
included: building a vacation home, building additions and
garages on to existing homes, and finishing unfinished homes.
Mr. Donovan's formal education and profession have been as an
Electrical Engineer and Marketing Manager.

Building Your Dream Home - Part 3

Exterior Framing Continues

With the home's sub-floor down and the exterior walls framed and
up, the framing crew was on to the roof. Though the roof was
rather simple in structure with just a 12/12 pitch and no
valleys it was a significant framing undertaking due to just the
size and height of it. The house was 32 feet wide by 44 feet in
length, and the exterior side walls stood 11 feet tall in the
great room. This exterior wall height of 11 feet translated into
a roof ridge that was 27 feet off the floor of the great room.
Consequently staging was required to install the ridge pole and
roof rafters. In addition, since the span from the top of the
walls to the ridge was so long, heavy 2x12s were required for
the roof rafters. Within a week, however, the team had completed
the installation of the roof rafters and the house began to take
on real shape.

I should comment briefly about the sub-floor and exterior walls
before I move on.

I decided on using ¾" tongue and groove plywood for the
sub-flooring rather than OSB/particle board as I was concerned
that the OSB was too sensitive to moisture. I was concerned
about this, both from the construction phase and from normal
home use. I was concerned that during the construction phase
that snow and ice could potentially lead to damage such as
warping. I have seen this before when OSB was used on
sub-flooring. I was also concerned that during the life of the
home, that there could be water incidents, e.g. a leaking
dishwasher or washer machine that also could also lead to water
damage to the floor. I also believe that plywood is stronger and
that it would provide for a more solid and rigid floor.

Regarding the exterior wall framing I used 2x6 construction.
This is typical in New England as the additional wall depth
allows for higher insulation factors; a must in colder climates.

Sheathing the Outside of the Home

In order to get plumbing and electric contractors onto a site
typically they want the home "buttoned up". This includes the
roof shingled and the doors and windows on. Thus my framing crew
moved onto the exterior sheathing once the walls and roof
framing were complete.

As with the sub-floor, I again chose plywood for the exterior
sheathing for the same reasons mentioned earlier. On the
exterior walls ½" exterior grade plywood was used. On the roof
5/8" exterior grade plywood was used. I know many builders today
use OSB for both the walls and roof, however, I still believe
for stronger construction plywood is the way to go.

The sheathing effort took about a week to complete. During this
time exterior doors and windows showed up on the site. Staging
the delivery of material reduces theft and insurance risk as
well as keeps a less cluttered construction site. However, as I
have indicated earlier, communication is critical when you are
doing "Just-in-Time" material delivery.

Installing Exterior Doors and Windows

The installation of the doors and windows was a major
undertaking for this project as the lake side view of the home
was literally a wall of windows; 32 feet in width and 27 feet in
height. A great deal of engineering had gone into the window
design so that the 10 large custom windows would fit together
like a jig saw puzzle. This said, when the windows arrived on
site and were inspected, it was determined that some of them
were not built correctly to the dimensions specified. After much
debate with the framing crew, the window vendor and me we
reached a compromise on sharing the cost of fixing the windows.
The window vendor took back the improperly sized windows and the
framing crew began the installation of the doors and what
windows they could install. Fortunately the window vendor was
able to return to the site with the properly sized windows
within a few days and the construction phase did not miss a beat.

Completing the Interior Framing

With the doors and windows installed, the framing crew proceeded
to complete the Interior Framing. This was an exciting time, as
the rooms began to take real shape. You could now walk down
hallways and into bedrooms and closet areas. Within just a few
days the interior walls were complete and the framing crew
proceeded onto the roof for the shingling.

I should note that 2x4 construction was used on the interior
walls as insulation was not required on the interior walls.

Shingling the Roof

The last task to complete before the house could be classified
as "Buttoned Up" was to install the shingles on the roof.
Fortunately my framing crew was also able to do this task, thus
eliminating the need for yet another subcontractor.

I chose a 30 year architectural shingle due to the quality and
look I was trying to achieve on the home.

Though relatively a simple roof, it was quite large and the
weather was less than hospitable. Consequently it took nearly 2
weeks to complete this task. However, with the roof complete, my
electric and plumbing contractors were now able to begin their
work.

Also, with the main house now structurally complete, the framing
crew moved onto the garage framing and construction phase. As a
result of staging the garage behind the main home construction
phase, I was able to have subcontractors work in parallel
without getting in each others way.

Rough Electric and Plumbing

With the house "Buttoned-Up", my Electric and Plumber
subcontractors showed up to begin the roughing in phase of their
respective tasks.

Rough Electric

I had met a few days before on site with the Electric
subcontractor to discuss the placement of all the wall outlets
and switches, as well as where the light fixtures would be
situated. During our discussion he marked the wall studs for the
placements of the electric wiring boxes so that we could
visualize the entire electric wiring scheme. We also marked
where the telephone and cable boxes would reside.

During the electrical rough in wiring phase, the electrician
installed all the wiring boxes and ran wire from the boxes to
where the main circuit panel box would reside.

Rough Plumbing

As with the Electrical Subcontractor, I had met several weeks
earlier with the Plumbing Contractor. During this meeting we
discussed the form of heat for the home, as well as where the
bathrooms and kitchen were to reside in the home. We also
discussed types of bathroom fixtures including tubs, sinks and
toilets. Consequently, when he showed up on site he new exactly
where to run main drain and supply pipes and vent stacks. He
also roughed in all of the plumbing for each bathroom and
kitchen plumbing fixture.

Within a week both the Electrical and Rough Plumbing contractors
had completed their tasks and had successfully passed their
respective inspections.

To Be Continued ....

In Part 4 of "Building Your Dream House", Electric and Plumbing
continue and the Kitchen Design is explained. Stay tuned...............

About the Author

Me_Donovan@comcast.net http://www.homeadditionplus.com

http://www.homeaddition.blogspot.com

Over the past 20+ years Mr. Donovan has been involved with
building homes and additions to homes. His projects have
included: building a vacation home, building additions and
garages on to existing homes, and finishing unfinished homes.
Mr. Donovan's formal education and profession have been as an
Electrical Engineer and Marketing Manager.

Sub Vent

Need help creating vented sub box.?

I have one 15" Kicker L5 series and i am building a box with these dimensions. 18"(H) X 23"(W) X 20"(D). i was wondering how to add a port or vent to the box. I would also like to know what type of port, what size. Basically what do i need to do to add a port.

Vents are by far the easiest to make in any box setup. but if you have the proper drill bits, I would prefer ports and for a box of those dimensions. I reccomend two 2 1/2" holes spaced about 5" apart on the board opposite of the cone.