How to Build a House

Footers What are footers? -Footers are essentially the foundation on the house. They serve as the base to lay the cinderblocks down which essentially attaches the house to the ground. -Without footers, the cinderblock will not be firmly in the ground which would cause the house to blow away

Lay Cinder Blocks Cinder blocks make the foundation of the house itself. Cinder blocks are laid on top of the footers and connected with mortar at the bottoms. For commercial construction, and on some residential construction depending on local codes, use rebar in the cinder blocks for stability.

Insulate Crawl Space Insulating the crawl space ensures that the area under the house is insulated. This reduces the cold and heat from coming up under the house and reduces the energy and power used to cool and heat the home. Less likely for pipes to freeze. Reduces the moisture under the house which reduces the chances of termites and other bugs and rodents. Foam board is glued to the block using liquid nails. All seems are taped with Tyvek tape to prevent drafts. Plastic or poly is laid on the ground as a moisture barrier.

Lay the Mudsill The mudsill attaches the house to the cinder blocks using anchor bolts. A layer of insulation is placed under the mudsill to reduce draft and prevent bugs from coming through. Is laid around the entire block, set back 1” so that the foam board used on the walls will set directly on the cinder blocks.

Lay Beam and Floor Joists for Subfloor Stand 2X10s, or 2X8s depending on size of the house and local codes, around the mudsill 1 ½” back. Lay floor joists every 16” Add an additional layer of 2X10s or 2X8s around the perimeter, ensure you put treated wood where the porches will be. Add bridging between the joists half way between each side. When done, use a sledge hammer on each end to bang everything tight together. In the next phase, plywood will be laid on top of these joists and this is the floor for the house.

Lay Plywood for Subfloor Begin by putting down liquid nails on the floor joists. This keeps the wood tight down and prevents the floor from squeaking. Can be done with tongue and grove plywood or regular plywood Cover the entire surface with plywood, ensuring it is flush along the ends and corners. Alternate the rows of the plywood so that you never have two seems lining up.

Build Walls Layout your top and bottom plates of walls, marking for studs every 16”. Mark Ts, Corners and Jacks for doors and windows.

Build Walls Continued

Stand Walls Measure 4” from the edge of the subfloor and pop a chalk like all the way around the floor on this mark. This will be the inside edge of the wall. When you stand the wall, this will tell you where it needs to set. Set most exterior walls, but leave a place to bring in the interior walls. Read the floor plans to determine what walls go where and the measurements for the distance between each wall. Ensure you have enough people to stand the wall. Add 2X4s to use as temporary bracing for the walls. These will stay up until all the walls are stood, sheathed, and trusses are added and sheathed.

Top Plates Top Plates are added to the top of the walls to tie in the walls. This adds stability to the walls. Top plates are added to alternate the connections of the walls.

Sheath Walls Add OSB to the exterior of the walls. Stand the OSB up so that it is 8’ tall and 4’ wide. This reduces the seems on the house and helps to eliminate draft. Ensure that the ends of the OSB stop half way on the studs. This allows you to nail in the next piece of OSB. Cut out around the doors and windows.

Set Trusses Trusses are the frame of the roof. They are stood up and nailed into the top plates. Begin by marking every 24” on the top plates. This lets you know where to set and nail each truss. Add truss stabilizers (spacers) half way up each truss. Nail a long 2X4 into the top of each truss as you go. This ensures that you have 24” between each truss all the way up each truss. When all trusses are stood, add a cat walk to the bottom of each truss to ensure you have 24” between each in the center. When complete, add hurricane clips to each truss. These add an extra connection to the walls and prevents the roof from blowing away when a hurricane comes.

Trusses Continued

Sheath Trusses After trusses are set and secure, add OSB to the trusses, similar to the walls. Lay so that they are 4’ up and 8’ across. Ensure the edge of the OSB sets half way on the truss. Add one plywood clip between each set of trusses. This helps align the plywood and prevents the roof from dipping in between the trusses.

Deadwood Deadwood is placed on all walls running parallel with the trusses. This ensures that when the drywall is hung there are boards for it to be screwed into. This is the deadwood

Foam Board and House Wrap Add 1” foam board and house wrap to the walls. This adds another layer of insulation preventing drafts and keeps moisture off the OSB on the walls. Stand up so they are 8’ tall and 4’ wide. Alternate them so that the seems do not line up with the seems from the OSB. This is another precaution to prevents drafts. Tape the seems with Tyvek tape. Yet another precaution to prevent drafts. After foam is up, wrap the house with house wrap. This serves as the moisture barrier.

Roofing Lay tar paper to prevent moisture from getting to the roof. Lay drip edge around the perimeter of the roof. This prevents rain and ice from coming in at the edges of the roof. Lay your starter shingles. These are placed upside down at the very edge of the roof all the way around the roof. Lay shingles. Alternate each row to ensure no seems are lining up. If not, this will cause the roof to leak. Add ridge vents on the top to allow air to come out of the top of the house.

Roofing Continues

Set Windows It is best to complete the entire roof before installing doors and windows. You do not want to take the chance of breaking a window. Put the window in the hole. Make sure it fits without having to force it in. If you need to force it in, as the house settles, it will not close and open properly. Pull the window back and add drip pan. This prevents water dripping down the sides of the window from coming in. Put caulk along the back edges of the window. This prevents drafts through the seems. Put it back in place and screw or nail it in through preset holes. Place peal and seal along the bottom, then the sides and finally the top. Make sure the peal and seal extends 4” past the edge of the window.

Windows Continued

Set Doors Just like with the windows, ensure it fits. Add drip pan to the bottom. Caulk the back edges around the door jam as well at the rough opening of the door. Set door back in place. Nail galvanized finish nails to set the door.

Vinyl Siding Start by setting corner pieces. Then put up the starter strip ensuring that it is straight and level all the way around the house. Start putting up the vinyl. Do not nail it tight. It needs room to expand and contract with the heat and cold. J Channel-used around doors and window for the ends of the vinyl to slide into. Put the vinyl half way into the J channel so that it has room to expand and contract. J channel is nailed in firm. Most windows on newer homes (built after about 2005) have the J channel built into the window. P Channel-similar to J Channel but thinner and used at the top so that the top piece sets into it.

Vinyl Continued

Fascia Metal Fascia metal is metal used to cover up exposed wood at the top of the house. It is bent to the proper size and then nailed up. When coming down the A frame of the roof, ensure that you start from the bottom and work your way up. This ensures water runs over the seems and not behind it which will slowly cause the wood to rot.

Rough In Electrical and Plumbing Is done before the drywall goes up. Outlets are set up and the wire and pipes are ran but no fixtures are attached. This allows the pipes and wires to be installed behind the drywall before the drywall is put up.

Install Drywall Drywall is nailed or screwed into the studs and trusses. Always use screws for the ceilings. Ensure that the edge is halfway on the studs or trusses. Always do the ceiling first. Ensure you cut out around outlets.

Mud and Tape Drywall Drywall tape is used along the seems of the drywall. Mud is then put over the tape. Mud is used to cover all nail and screw holes. When it is dry, sand it down so that it is smooth. This creates a nice smooth surface to be able to paint.

Paint Ensure all drywall mud has been sanded and is smooth. Sweep out all drywall dust before you begin painting. Use damp rags to clean off all dust from the drywall before you begin painting. Ensure the walls are dry before painting. Paint

Install Interior Doors Set door in place. Ensure it easily fits in. Push up to the top. Ensure it is level. Nail in using finish nails.

Install Flooring If using hardwood, vinyl or tile, this must be done before you install the trim work. This ensures that the trim is able to set directly on the floor. If installing carpet, the trim work can be installed before the carpet. We use all tile and vinyl flooring. Call the sub contractor

Trim Trim work is placed at the bottom of the floor to create a nice looking connection between the wall and the floor. There are a number of ways to do it. We: Lay the base board Carefully caulk between the base board and the floor to prevent drafts and bugs Lay quarter round to connect the base board and the floor Trim is usually installed with nail guns to prevent damaging the word when you miss the nail. It is also easier to sink the nail.

Cabinets If planned properly, block work should be added in the kitchen at the proper height to hang cabinets. If not, ensure that they are screwed into studs. If not screwed into studs or blocking, the cabinets will fall down because the only thing holding them up would be the drywall. Ensure cabinets are level. Shims may need to be added to make them flush and level. Add kick plates at the bottom. Always use a minimum of 2 people, preferably 3 (two people to hold up the cabinet and one person to screw it in place).

Landscape Ensure the ground is graded so that there is a nice slow decline away from the house. If not, water can run back towards the foundation which can create a muddy mess, or possible foundation problems over time. Plant grass. Grass must be planted or sod laid to prevent erosion and soil run off. A house without grass around it will lead to dirt moving away over time and the foundation becoming exposed.

Construction Complete