Carpentry & Framing

I'm setting floor joists and some of them have a visible bow along the edge. Which way do I put them in, and does it actually matter?

Gable roof, 6/12 pitch, building is 24 feet wide outside to outside, ridge is a 2x (1-1/2 in. thick). How long is my common rafter from the birdsmouth heel to the plumb cut at the ridge, and how do I get there with a framing square?

Laying out a wall plate for studs at 16 on center. Where do I put my first mark so the 4x8 sheathing breaks on a stud?

Homeowner wants a 6-foot slider in an exterior bearing wall of a one-story ranch with trusses. What do I need to know to size the header without calling an engineer, and how do I support it?

What's the right way to nail off a face-mount joist hanger like a Simpson LUS210? I've got a guy who fills the ones he feels like and skips the rest.

How do I toe-nail a stud to a plate so it actually holds and doesn't split or kick out of position?

I'm laying out batter boards and strings for a 24 by 40 addition foundation. How do I make sure it's square before we dig?

The plumber needs to run a 2-inch drain through a row of 2x10 floor joists. What are the rules on where and how big I can let him drill?

Laying 3/4 T&G subfloor over 2x10s at 16 on center. Walk me through doing it so it doesn't squeak or hump later.

What's the standard nail schedule for 7/16 OSB wall sheathing, and when do I need to block the horizontal panel edges?

Total rise from finished floor to finished floor is 108 inches, straight run, 2x12 stringers, 1-inch treads. Lay out the stringer for me: how many risers, what rise, what run, and what do I have to watch at the bottom and the throat?

How deep can I cut the birdsmouth on a 2x8 rafter sitting on a 2x4 wall, and how do I lay out the seat and heel?

I'm building up a three-ply 2x12 girder from 16-foot stock for a 32-foot floor beam over posts. How do I nail it and where do the joints go?

What order do I flash a flanged window in a house-wrapped wall so water can't get behind it?

First time framing a floor with TJI I-joists instead of sawn lumber. What do I have to do differently?

Cutting hip rafters for a 6/12 hip roof with the commons already up. How do I get the hip length and cuts, and what's this about dropping the hip?

Inspector told me my collar ties don't count as rafter ties. I thought they were the same thing. What's the difference and where does each one go?

The grade stamp on the 2x10s says SPF, No.2, S-DRY, with a mill number and an agency logo. What does each of those tell me and why would the inspector care?

Building a ground-level deck with 4x4 posts in the dirt and joists a few inches off grade. What treated lumber and hardware do I spec so it doesn't rot or corrode?

Plans call for a 3-foot cantilever off the second floor for a bump-out that carries the exterior wall and roof above. Floor joists are 2x10 at 16. What are the rules for that cantilever?

Plumber wants to bore a 3-inch hole through the 2x6 studs of an exterior bearing wall for a shower drain. What does the code let him do?

The HVAC guy cut a 3-inch-wide notch across the double top plate of a 2x4 bearing wall for a duct. The framing inspector flagged it. What's the fix he's expecting?

Setting a treated sill plate on a new stem wall. What size anchor bolts, how far apart, and how deep do they have to be?

New 30 by 50 house with a vented attic, soffit vents and a ridge vent. How much net free vent area does the code want, and can I use the smaller 1/300 number?

I frame in Ohio and just took a job in Jacksonville. My roofer says I can't do rafter tie-downs the way I'm used to, using the IRC Table R802.11 uplift numbers. What's different in Florida?

Building a house in a wind-borne debris region on the Florida coast. The owner doesn't want to pay for impact windows and asks if plywood shutters are legal. What does the code say?

Basement stairs in a new house: what are the code limits on riser height, tread depth, headroom, and how consistent the steps have to be?

Framing inspector wants me to re-do some of my double top plates. What are the rules on where the splices go and the corners?

Crew is hanging a 12 by 16 deck off a two-story brick house. They set the 2x10 ledger tight against the brick, ran 3/8 by 4-inch lags every 24 inches through the brick into whatever's behind, no flashing, and are ready to hang joists. What's wrong?

Remodel on a 1960s ranch, 2x6 rafters at 24 with a 2x8 ridge board, 24-foot span, 6/12. Owner wants a vaulted living room, so the crew pulled the ceiling joists out of that 16-foot section and is drywalling the rafters. Walls look fine so far. What's coming?

HVAC contractor needs to get an air handler into the attic of a truss-framed house. His guys cut out the bottom chord and one web of two adjacent trusses to widen the hatch to 30 by 48, and the framer says he'll sister 2x6s alongside the cut chords and call it good. Inspection is tomorrow. What do you tell them?

Walking a deck rough-in: 2x10 joists in LUS28 hangers, the hangers are nailed with 1-1/2 inch galvanized roofing nails in the face holes and the diagonal joist holes are empty, and the joists are sitting about 3/4 inch above the hanger seat because the hanger was nailed up first. Owner says it feels solid. Is it?

The plumber ran a 3-inch drain along the bottom of a 2x10 floor joist and cut a 3-inch-deep notch across the bottom edge right in the middle of a 14-foot span, then screwed a steel strap across the notch. He says the strap makes it stronger than before. Does it?

New crew sheathed a 40-foot wall with 7/16 OSB. They started layout from the corner with the first stud at 16 (not 15-1/4), butted every panel tight with no gap, and the gun was set so the nail heads are buried about 1/8 inch into the face. It looks clean. What are you going to make them fix?

Framer put a double 2x10 header over a 6-foot patio door in a bearing wall, but instead of jack studs he end-nailed the header through the king studs with four 16d each side and ran cripples up to the top plate. He says the nails and the cripples carry it. Does that pass?

Truss roof on a new house in Clay County, Florida, 130 mph wind zone. The framer nailed the 7/16 OSB roof deck with 8d smooth-shank gun nails at 6 on the edges and 12 in the field, used H2.5 clips on every other truss with three nails each because that's how he did it up north, and wants to call for the dry-in inspection. What's going to happen?

The concrete crew wet-set J-bolts in the stem wall at 8 feet on center and the closest bolt to each corner is about 30 inches from the end of where the sill plate will stop. Framer says he'll just add a few Tapcons where he needs them. Good enough?

Finishing a deck that sits 4 feet above grade. The rail is 34 inches tall, 2x2 pickets are spaced 5 inches clear, and there's an 8-inch gap between the deck boards and the bottom rail. What's the inspector going to flag?

Deck guard posts: the crew notched 4x4 posts halfway through to sit flush on the outside of the rim, ran two 1/2-inch carriage bolts through the notched part into the 2x10 rim, no blocking behind the rim, and then hung the guard rails. Bolts are tight and the posts feel okay. Why is the inspector or anyone with experience going to make them redo it?

Apprentice cut all 26 common rafters for an 8/12 gable off a pattern he laid out with the line length measured to the center of the ridge, using a 2x ridge. He also set the birdsmouth so the seat cut runs out 1/2 inch past the outside face of the 2x4 plate. First pair went up and the ridge won't sit right. What did he do and what does it mean for the rest of the stack?