The Barn Raising

Now the real fun begins....framing. All the exterior and a few interior walls... all of which are bearing loads (where weight comes down from the roof and upper floor through a wall to the foundation) are constructed and raised into place. The exterior walls first have a foam gasket placed under the bottom "plate" or sill plate. All of the wood that is in contact with the concrete is "treated" as it needs to resist water absorption. The locations of all windows and doors are determine where the structural 2x10 or equivalent headers are placed. The lower sill plate is drilled to fit over the anchor bolts that have been placed in the concrete. This secures the wall in place. The walls are squared and leveled and plumbed. The corners are framed to accept maximum insulation. Insulation board is placed between the two ply headers to act as a thermal break. Studs are placed 16" on center. A second top plate is nailed down to bring the wall height up to it's target (9' 1.5") and also serves to tie all the walls together. The walls are braced and then sheathed with 7/16" osb. The roof trusses are ordered, engineered and factory built. That's next!