Archives: Framing

Walkout Basements

By Todd Fratzel on Design, Foundations, Framing

Walkout Basements Add Value Walkout basements are very popular in this part of the country. A walkout basement has many benefits but the biggest one is the ability to have normal doors and windows in the basement along some of the walls. Walkout basements are exactly what the title suggests, a basement that has an…

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Framing A Raked Wall

By Todd Fratzel on Framing, Garages

Today I finally got a chance to work on framing the walls that will enclose the stairs to my work shop located in the attic above the garage. The walls for the stairway enclosure are more complicated than traditional framed walls. I will be framing raked walls in order for the walls to follow the…

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ZIP System Wall and Roof Sheathing

By Todd Fratzel on Framing, Product Reviews, Siding & Trim

People who read my blog on a regular basis know that I’m a huge fan of AdvanTech sheathing products. Huber Engineered Woods manufactures AdvanTech and their newest product the ZIP System. I just saw a demonstration on this product and I was so impressed that we’ll be trying it on a new house very soon.…

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Total House Construction Series – Foundation to Finish

By Todd Fratzel on Framing

I’d like to announce a series of posts that I’ll be doing over the next few months: Total House Construction Series – Foundation to Finish. Over the next several months I’ll document the construction of a new home from the foundation all the way to the finished product. When we built our new home I…

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Creating Storage Room with Attic Trusses

By Todd Fratzel on Closets & Storage, Design, Framing

Attic Trusses Create Attic Space An inexpensive way to create additional storage space in your new home is to use attic trusses instead of conventional “common trusses”. Most modern homes that are built today use a common truss that doesn’t really leave any usable space for storage. Older homes were framed using rafters and collar…

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Using Metal Hangers/Connectors For Wood Framing

By Todd Fratzel on Framing

One of the great products available for construction these days are the metal hangers and connectors. Almost every house built today uses some type of hanger to connect joists, beams and posts. We use a multitude of these hangers everyday. We use them for joists, trusses, beams, headers, posts, columns and walls. A great resource…

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TJI Floor Joist Time Saver

By Todd Fratzel on Framing

How To Quickly Cut TJI Joists I’m often asked if there is a quick way to cut long TJI (I-Joist) joists to length while keeping the cuts square. We use Weyerhaeuser’s TJI’s for floor framing in most of the houses we build. The nice thing is you can get them the full length of the…

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AdvanTech Sheathing Vs Plywood

By Todd Fratzel on Framing

AdvanTech Sheathing AdvanTech sheathing is an amazing product that I used on my new house. The product is so good that we use it on every new house we build at work. AdvanTech sheathing comes in many thicknesses and edges. I used 3/4″ tongue and groove on my subfloor, nailed and glued. I used 5/8″…

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