New House Build in WV

[TnWV]

Really impressed with your foundation and framing. I'm curious why you didn't run your sheathing all the way down to your rim joists?

I went back and forth on wether to run it all the way down or not. The reason I didn’t is due to lack of help standing walls. 2x6 9’ and sheathed makes for an extremely heavy wall. We struggled as is, and adding in 12+ inches of overhanging sheathing may have made it impossible for us to handle with limited help. I talked with several local builders and they all do it the way I did. I’m also making sure that all walls are nailed into the joists, not just the subfloor. May even go back and add some structural screws for added strength.

 

[747driver]

Nice thread you have started here with the new house build ! How has the lumber prices and availability affected you ? I usually build my walls like you have done when building on wood floor system. I do let my sheathing hang down 2" so it covers the seam where the plywood floor meets the floor joist. I caulk that seam before so it makes a good air/water seal. Yes...those 2x6 x 9' walls get heavy with sheathing attached. Enjoy watching your progress !

 

[TnWV]

Lumber prices jumped way up. Fortunate, I got all lumber to the top of the walls before the jump. I took a big hit on the trusses, roof sheathing and treated wood for the back porch framing, though, about a $6-7k extra hit for those.

 

[mred2]

Here, we back fill a lot with sand. My porch was back filled with sand. The problem was no steel or wire in the porch pour. Added to the fact that the outside edge sat on the top of the outside front of the porch. They did not tie the back of the porch into the wall of the house. Only thing holding it up was the sand. When the new guy redid it, he drilled holes into the wall and put runs of rebar going from house wall to front. Does not rely on sand after it is dry.

 

[Code54]

Yeah, your not far away at all, we spend a lot of time in Teays Valley and Hurricane.

It was a heck of a storm, , that’s for sure. Worst we have seen since the derecho in 2012. Lots of damage in a 4-5 mile stretch over here. One tree landed on my current home putting a 6” hole through the wall into our master bedroom and another through the roof. Also pealed 3 sheets of metal off my biggest building, and dropped many other trees in our hay fields. The repairs and cleanup has slowed the build this week.

We were fortunate no one, or any of our animals, were hurt. If the tree went 2 feet to the right, our house would have had major damage.

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Got out of work a little late and it rained once I was home. Still managed to build and stand up 2 more interior walls before dark, so not a total loss.

Hate hearing you had damage, that is something you don't need. Back in 12 the Derecho tore our place all up and did a ton of damage. I swear it took me weeks to clean everything up then another month repairing the garage where a tree landed on it. Hope to never do that again.

Hopefully the rain wont be too bad this weekend and not cause you any problems. Good luck on your build and stay safe working up there.

 

[TnWV]

Had a little storm come through right as I got started working on a wall this evening, that seems to be the way it’s going this week. Looks like tomorrow will be a washout with about 2” of rain predicted.

Probably be Sunday before any real progress happens. I may take Monday, and possibly Tuesday, off work so I can try to make up for what I’ve missed getting done this week.

Below are a couple pictures showing what we will end up with.

 

[Code54]

Going to be a really nice house when you get done!

 

[EddieWalker]

I went back and forth on wether to run it all the way down or not. The reason I didn’t is due to lack of help standing walls. 2x6 9’ and sheathed makes for an extremely heavy wall. We struggled as is, and adding in 12+ inches of overhanging sheathing may have made it impossible for us to handle with limited help. I talked with several local builders and they all do it the way I did. I’m also making sure that all walls are nailed into the joists, not just the subfloor. May even go back and add some structural screws for added strength.

With the quality of framing, I'm sure you should be fine with your structure. It's disappointing that local builders told you to do it that way. There is a significant benefit to tying your sheathing into your rim joists. Especially with taller walls and extreme weather. One of nice things about Zip Panels is that you can get them in lengths up to 12 feet long, which makes a huge difference with taller walls and never having any cracking in your corners when the house is done. People call this settling, or foundation issues, but it's almost always a framing issue.

On lifting heavy walls, I never put the sheathing on when framing. For me, it's faster and easier to do it after the walls are up. I also like to do my walls in 12 foot lengths and if they are 2x6 walls, or really tall walls, I'll only do a few studs to get it up, and then add the studs and headers afterwords. I've done walls 12 tall by myself like this.

 

[EddieWalker]

Had a little storm come through right as I got started working on a wall this evening, that seems to be the way it’s going this week. Looks like tomorrow will be a washout with about 2” of rain predicted.

Probably be Sunday before any real progress happens. I may take Monday, and possibly Tuesday, off work so I can try to make up for what I’ve missed getting done this week.

Below are a couple pictures showing what we will end up with.

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Looks like it's going to be a nice house.

I would get rid of the attic vent. They cause more issues then they accomplish. For maximum venting, you want as much air as possible to come in at the soffits, and you want that air to travel the full length of the roof to the ridge. A ridge vent is by far the very best way to achieve the most air flow as possible. Venting has nothing to do with heat. An attic is supposed to be hot. The heat causes the air to rise, and this movement of air is what dries out the the attic and keeps moisture from developing in the attic and under your roof sheathing. If you did not have this air flow, condensation would develop every morning and just sit there, causing mold and then rot.

The attic vent siphons off the air and lessons the amount of flow that reaches the ridge. It's better then those metal turbines, but it's not as good as a ridge vent. Having both makes both less effective.

 

[TnWV]

Thanks for the attic vent advice. I have already told the roofer to plan for a full length ridge vent. The architect put the vents there. I like the fact they kind of break up the wall, but will look at alternative ways to do that.