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After the wall is framed and before
any wall sheathing is nailed to it, the edge of the bottom plate is brought to
the line.
The end of
the wall is brought to the edge of the deck. Once the frame is put in place, it
is toe nailed with 8d nails on the inside of the bottom plate. Not only do these
hold the wall in place when squaring up the wall, but also keep the wall on the
line when raising it.
Once the wall is sheathed with plywood, insulation board, foam board and
covered with house wrap you are ready to raise it. In preparation to lift the
wall one must be able to get their hands under the top plate. Using a straight
claw hammer or a prybar under the top plate, lift the wall high enough to slip a
2x4 flat under it. This inch and a half space gives you enough room for your
hands.
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If your raising a second story wall it is a good idea to nail stopping blocks
to the rim joists. One of the last things you want is the wall being pushed off
the edge of the deck. These are scrap pieces of lumber nailed the rim joist with
16d nails. Ideally these should be 16 to 18 inches long and nailed the full
width of the joist with 4 16d nails. The balance of the board will stick up
above the deck. Put these blocks at each end of the wall. On longer walls you
may want to add one to the middle. |
Before raising the wall, have all of your bracing material on hand. On a
windy day you will want to brace the wall in place as soon as possible. Have
enough braces (2x4's) to have them nailed on about every 10 feet. You will need
blocks to nail to the deck to anchor the braces. These need to be about 20" long
and get nailed to the deck through the plywood and into the floor joists with
16d nails. The nails need to go into the joists or there is the risk of the
bracing failing in the case of high winds.
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Bracing on the ends of the walls can be nailed on before it is raised. Nail
one end of a 2x4 (wall stud) about one third of the way down from the top plate,
again using 16d nails. Start a nail at the other end of the 2x4 so when the wall
is stood up, all one has to do is drive the nail into the rim joist to brace the
end of the wall.
With all materials and safeguards in place you can now raise the wall. A good
rule of thumb for raising a wall is a set of hands every 8 to 10 feet. This
gives everyone a comfortable weight to lift. To save your back, use your legs in
the lifting process as much as possible.
Once the wall is raised, nail off the end braces to the rim joists. Next,
nail the braces to a stud or window opening about a third of the way down from
the top plate, about every 8 to 10 feet apart. Next, nail the blocks to the deck
alongside the braces that were just nailed the the wall, being sure to catch the
floor joists with the nails. With the wall as close to plumb as possible, nail
off the anchor end of the brace to the block on the deck. It is important to use
16d nails for all of these steps.
After the wall is raised and braced, the final step is to nail the bottom
plate of the wall to the deck. Push or pull the wall to the chalk line that was
snapped on the deck. The 8d toe nails and the stopping blocks should have kept
the wall very close to this line. Once the plate is brought to the line, nail it
off with 16d nails, being sure to hit either the rim joist or a floor joist. You
can now walk away and start another wall.
Remember, homebuilding can be a dangerous and risky occupation or activity.
Always exercise caution and safety in all aspects of the construction process.
About the Author: Mike Merisko has been a carpenter for 27
years. Most of those years were spent in the homebuilding and remodeling
industries. He was also in business as a carpentry and general contractor. While
that is his forte, he also has experience in bridge building, commercial
construction, and exhibit building which is how he earns his living these days.
You can browse through articles by him and others at his website
http://www.sawkerfs.com or visit his blog at
http://www.sawkerfs.blogspot.com
Mike Merisko (c) 2006
How to Finance your Home Project -
can help provide funds for your new home improvement project if financing is
required.
Additional Framing and Carpentry Resources
Framing and Carpentry Tools from Amazon.com
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