There are certain parts of home construction that are tedious and time consuming and can take days or weeks of work with little to show for the hours of labor. On the flip side of that, there are parts that …

Step 27 – Flooring Read more »

Once the DWV has been planned out, installing the plumbing is a relatively simple process that involves drilling holes in studs and joists, cutting the pipe to fit, and cementing the fittings to the pipe.  The key is to always …

Step 13a – Install the Plumbing Read more »

Now that the frame of the house is complete and safe from the elements, there stops being a necessary order of doing things.  I could, for instance, decide to finish the exterior of the house, put the shingles on, run …

Step 13 – The DWV Read more »

I’m tantalizingly close to reaching that glorious step where rain will no longer be able to harm the OSB roof sheathing or subfloor but a few key steps remain.  Most importantly, there is currently no roof sheathing on the gable …

Step 11d – Inspection, Bargeboard, and Gable Overhangs Read more »

I had been waiting for today for almost a month!  It has been so frustrating to watch the second story OSB subfloor get wet day after day, but today I took a big step towards getting a roof over it …

Step 11c – Install Roof Sheathing Read more »

Before the subfloor can be nailed onto the joists, small sections of 2×12 called “blocking” must be installed.  Together with the rim joists they ensure that the floor joists won’t roll onto their flat sides where they can easily bend.  …

Step 9a – Install Blocking and Plumbing Read more »

Flooring is pretty basic, and if you’ve ever noticed how a deck is built then you have the gist of it.  Long boards called joists are laid out parallel with each other and on their sides so they won’t bend …

Step 9 – Frame the Floor Read more »

With all of the 1st floor walls complete, it was neat to be able to navigate the rooms and get an idea of the feel of the dimensions of the house.   Before moving on to the 2nd floor I needed …

Step 8c – Plumb and Line Read more »