Sturdy Walls Nailed Flat and Tilted Up

Stud walls provide a sturdy framework suitable for any structure, from a shed to a house. The principles of stud-wall construction have been standard ever since sawmills began trimming lumber to uniform dimensions: vertical studs spaced evenly are nailed to horizontal top plates, each wall is tilted upright section by section and the studs are toenailed to a sole plate. At each opening the roof load is carried by a horizontal header—generally a board-and-plywood sandwich 3 1/2” thick—that is supported at its ends by posts or studs. The method is the same for any large structure—a garage, a with windows and a side door, or a barn with a loft.

To prepare for a job of this magnitude you will need to draw a rough set of plans, to show to the building inspector when you apply for a building permit and to refer to as you work. Start by drawing a simple floor plan on graph paper; indicate the overall dimensions of the structure, which walls the roof will bear on, the distance between the center of each opening and the nearest corner of the building, and the size of each rough opening (usually specified by the manufacturer of the finished door or window).

Then draw head-on views—what architects call elevations—of the walls that have openings; indicate the height of the walls, the height and span of each opening and the sizes of the studs, posts and headers that will support the roof.

Use the plan to determine exactly what materials you need when you order lumber. Studs—generally 2-by-4s precut 8 ft. long at the sawmill—are usually spaced 16” apart, although some local codes permit 24” spacing. The 2-by-4 top plates should be straight pieces of structural-grade lumber at least 14 ft. long; shorter pieces or warped lumber will make the wall sections difficult to align. The headers in a nonbearing wall can be made from lumber as small as 2-by-6, but for long spans in bearing walls you will need structural-grade 2-by-12s. If you want a single large door rather than the small ones shown below, you can use a header reinforced with a long steel plate ½” thick—but you will need a brawny crew to lift it, because it will weigh more than 20 pounds per linear foot; in some localities you will also need heavy posts with special footings to support such a header.

Precision is important in constructing exterior walls because they support the entire roof. When you mark stud locations for two parallel walls, you should start the layout for each from the same end of the building; the walls will then be mirror images of each other and the roof will bear evenly on them. Make sure the rough openings and the spacing between studs are correct—a minor layout mistake can cause huge problems once the walls are up. And take pains to plumb the walls accurately and brace them firmly. The temporary braces must hold the entire structure rigid while the roof trusses are put in. When the roof has been sheathed, remove the braces one by one as you apply the wall sheathing.

You can build a large structure with ordinary household tools, but a few professional ones will ease the work. You can use a colored, waterproof lumber crayon to highlight penciled layout marks outdoors. The 16-penny nails this type of construction requires can be driven more easily by a 20-ounce claw hammer than by one with the standard 16-ounce head. And you can use a heavy brass or steel plumb bob to check the corners of the walls, rather than trying to shield a lightweight bob from the wind.

How the walls fit together. In this typical two-car garage—a rectangle 24 ft. by 20 ft.—the horizontal sole plate is fastened to the foundation by anchor bolts (Step 7). The studs are nailed to the sole plate and to the lower layer of top plates; the second layer of top plates is nailed to the first to tie the walls together at the corners and at the joints in the first layer. Temporary diagonal bracing holds the corners plumb until the roof and wall sheathing are in stalled; braces nailed to stakes hold the walls in line with the corners.

The continuous 2-by-12 header, spanning the two 8-toot door openings and the wall between them is easier to install than independent headers for each opening. The 4-by-4 posts that sup port the header hold it tight against the top plate, so that no spacers or short cripple studs are needed. Horizontal 2-by-4 fire stops nailed between the studs are required in some localities; they add rigidity to the structure and provide a nailing surface for exterior sheathing.

Preparing the Plates

113 1. Marking the bottom plates. Drive a nail partway into the bottom plate of one of the side walls, 15¼” from the outside edge of the back corner. Hook a long tape measure over the nail and have a helper hold the tape taut on the sole plate. Hold the 1 1/2”-wide tongue of a framing square perpendicular to the plate with its front edge against the nail, draw a line across the plate on both sides of the tongue, and mark an X between the lines. Mark the sole plate this way every 16” all along the wall, holding the front edge of the tongue to the 16” interval marks on the tape measure.

Lay out studs for the other side wall in the same way, starting from the same end of the building; similarly lay out the back wall and the two front walls that are outside the door openings.

2. Laying out the top plates. Have a helper hold one of the top plates against the sole plate so that their ends line up at the corner. With the framing square, transfer the layout marks made in Step 1 to the top plate. Then mark across both plates at the center of the last stud mark on the top plate; cut off the top plate along the mark, so that the joint will fall directly above a stud, and line up the next section of top plate with the mark on the bottom plate.

Transfer layout marks to the remaining sections of top plate in the same way; when you reach the corner of the building, make sure the last section of top plate is at least 8 ft. long and cut it off in line with the end of the bottom plate.

3. Laying out the garage doors. Measure from the outside edge of the sole plates at the front corner to locate the center of each garage- door opening; then measure from the center line to locate each edge of the opening exactly. With a handsaw, cut off any portion of the sole plate that extends past the edge. To lay out the opening for the garage doors, draw lines across the sole plates at either side 3½” from the edges of the opening and mark Xs on the sole plates for 4-by-4 posts. Draw a line across both the top and sole plates an additional i½” back and mark an X on each for the full-length studs that will run alongside each post.

At the center wall between the two openings, mark an X for a 4-by-4 post at each end of the sole plate and for a stud between them .

Raising the Walls

114 1. Nailing the wall together. Set studs on edge near each layout mark on the bottom plate of one wall and set the top plate above them with its layout marks facing the studs. Line up each stud with a layout mark on the top plate, hold it in place by standing on it and drive two 16-penny nails through the plate into the stud.

If a stud is located at a joint in the top plate, make sure only half of the plate bears on it and angle the nails toward the center, If a stud is laid out over an anchor bolt, notch the bottom end of the stud to fit over the bolt.

2. Preparing the corners. Sandwich three 2-by-4 blocks between two of the straightest studs you can find, making sure the blocks line up with the sides of the studs and do not protrude beyond their ends, and fasten the sandwich together from each side with 16-penny nails. Nail this corner post to the end of whichever top plate runs past the adjacent one at the corner. To complete the corner, nail another straight stud to the end of the adjacent top plate when you assemble the adjacent wall. The stud will be nailed to the post to tie the two walls together.

3. Tilting the wall upright. With one helper for every 8 ft. of wall, lift the top plate from the slab and tilt the wall upright. Set the studs on the marks on the bottom plate, check with a carpenter’s level to make sure the wall is roughly vertical and brace it every 6 ft. with long 2-by-4s (Step 3). Toenail each stud to the bottom plate with 10-penny nails, two from one side and one from the other.

Lay out and erect the other side wall and the back wall in the same way.

115a 4. Posts to support the header. Nail together the two front walls on the slab, using top plates that hang over the door opening at least 3 ft. Then fasten 4-by-4 posts to the studs nearest the door with staggered 16-penny nails every 10”. To determine the length of the posts, subtract the 1½” thickness of the sole plate from the height of the rough opening specified by the door manufacturer. Erect and brace the front walls (Steps 1-3).

Aligning the Framework

115b 1. Plumbing the corners. Drive a nail partway into the top of the top plate near the corner stud and dangle a plumb bob from the nail, with the tip of the bob level with the top of the bottom plate. Make a temporary brace by cuffing 45° angles on both ends of a long 2-by-4. Rest one end of the brace on the slab next to the sole plate of the adjoining wall and nail the other end to the side of the corner stud near the top plate of the wall you are plumbing; make sure the brace does not protrude beyond the stud. Re move any temporary braces near the corner and have a helper move the wall gradually toward the vertical. When the tip of the plumb bob lines up with the edge of the sole plate, have a second helper nail the bottom of the corner brace to the sole plate of the adjoining wall.

Move the plumb bob to the other side of the corner and brace the adjoining wall in the same way; then brace the other corners.

2. Lining up the walls. Temporarily nail a 2-by-4 block to the side of the top plate near each end of a wall. Drive nails partway into the top plate behind the blocks and stretch a string tightly between the nails, using the blocks as spacers to hold it 1½” out from the top plate. Use a scrap of 2-by-4 as a gauge to measure the gap between the taut string and the top plate at each brace, have your helpers unfasten the brace from the stud, move the wall until the string barely touches the block and nail the brace securely to the stud. Line up the other walls in this way.

3. Adding the second top plate. Place a 2-by-4 plate on top of the original top plate, starting at a corner where the top plate of the adjoining wall runs through to the outside edge. One end of the new plate should overlap the original top plate of the adjoining wall; cut the other end so that it falls at least 4 ft. away from joints in the lower top plate. Nail the new plate to the lower one with Staggered 16-penny nails, one between every pair of studs, If the new plate is not straight, force it into line with toenails angled through its side into the top of the lower plate

To tie the corners together, have your helpers push the studs of adjacent walls toward the corner; when the original top plates meet, drive two 16 nails through the end of the new plate into the old top plate of the adjoining wall.

Install the other new top plates in the same way, lapping the joints between the lower plates and tying the corners together . Then nail the temporary corner braces (Step 1) to every stud they cross.

Bridging Large Openings

117 1. Building the header. Measure between the layout marks for the studs on either side of the garage doors and cut two straight 2-by-12s to this length. Cut strips of ½” plywood 11” wide to match the length of the header. Apply a thin, zigzag bead of construction adhesive and set the plywood strips on the 2-by-12, the short piece in the middle. Apply construction adhesive to the plywood and set the other 2-by-12. Nail the sandwich together from both sides, with staggered 16-penny nails 10” apart.

If your header will not be supported by a center partition, build the sandwich around a ½” steel plate. Have your supplier drill holes in the plate and use the plate as a template to drill the 2-by-12s. Fasten the sandwich together with ½” machine bolts with washers.

2. Lifting the header into place. With one helper for every 5 ft. of header length, lift the header and slide it onto the posts. Have the helpers hold the ends in place while you nail the stud alongside the post to the header end and nail the top plate to the top of the header, using 16- penny nails. Fasten the header to the post, stud and top plate with framing anchors. If the header does not fit snugly against the top plate, nail a plywood spacer or short cripple studs on top of it. Finish the top plate with a length of 2-by-4 and add a second top plate (Step 3).

3. Building the center wall. Cut two 2-by-4 posts and one stud to fit tightly between the header and the sole plate of the center wall. Set the posts and stud in position and toenail them to the sole plate. Check one post with a level, adjust it until it's perfectly vertical and toenail it to the header. Measure between this post and the other at the sole plate, transfer the measurement to the bottom of the header and make a layout mark there; do the same for the stud. Toenail the post and the stud to the header, then fasten both of the posts to the header with framing anchors.