Can be tricky

I had posted this blog on a DIY web site and got a lot of views. Odd to me, but “Oh well”. A lot of folks want to know how to frame a rough opening for a pocket door. Here ya go! Pocket doors come in regular sizes, but what even framers forget is the head height. A pocket door has a track in the frame at the top of the unit. Therefore it is imperative the correct header height be framed. Don’t make the mistake of installing a 4X12 header in a standard 8 foot wall. Or you will either have to saw out 2 inches or remove and replace. The correct header for standard studs (92 1/4″) is a 4X10. This allows the pocket door frame to set nicely into the frame. Now the other stuff. What size door is to be installed? Let’s go standard passage. 2/6? Good enough. So, you have a 30″ door. The ‘pocket’ must be added to the measurement. 30″ doubled = 60″. Now you need to add 5 inches for trimmers, jambs and shim room; equaling 65 inches. (Do the details call for double trimmers? add another 3″) So, what is this 65″? Ans. The header, silly! One more thing. Some places you need to make room for the entire wall length. In our example, the entire wall length would be 68″ total. The other 3 inches is the addition of the king studs. Sometimes you need to be creative due to room. Maybe beam pocketing into an adjacent wall on the pocket side. Or installing an A-35 in lieu of a trimmer. Or using 1X trimmers instead of 2X. Another thing. Don’t use a 3″ bottom plate. Instead, add the 1 1/2 ” to the bottom of the trimmer. Ahh, the tricks of the trade. Example; a standard trimmer is +/- 82 5/8″. Add the bottom plate. 1 1/2″ = 84 1/4″ . Another BIGGIE: Use the correct length nails or screws in the sheet rock when screwing or nailing into the horizontal slats in the pocket door frame. ( And also the finish door trim) Many a nasty gouge came when the fastener encroached into the ‘pocket’ and scratched the door the first time it was pushed in. Don’t get overwhelmed at this type of project. It’s why we have a comment box. Click on the grey box next to the Title.

Now you know!

Ever wonder why a ‘Hip’ cut is different from a ‘Common’ cut? The difference for example between say, a 6&12 common rafter cut and a 6&17 hip cut on the same roof? Here’s a simple and practical way to understand the differences between the cuts. Look/click on the picture. Note the scale. (Office paper is not large enough to go full scale) The diagram shows a 12 inch by 12 inch box. (You can draw this on your garage floor just to burn it into your mind) The 17 inches comes from measuring diagonally from corner to corner. The hip rafter rises slower than a common. Where the common rafter rises 6 inches vertically in one foot horizontally, the hip rafter rises 6 inches vertically in 17 inches horizontally. Kinda makes you want to build a full hip roof for Fido’s doggy house, Huh. Just another tasty tidbit of knowledge brought to you by The Owner Builder.

Replacing the Rollers

This project is so easy! If you know the secrets. I think I’ll just give them to you just because I’m ‘that kind of guy‘. And just so you know, the glass companies will charge you several hundred dollars to make this simple fix. Wow! Here we go. Sliding glass doors have steel rollers built into the frames at the bottom of the operable door. The fixed side simply stuffs into the frame (or extrusion) and is anchored by an ‘L’ tab top and bottom center of both doors. We’re talking about standard aluminum SGD’s. Note: You will only have to remove these screws if you cannot get the slider out from the inside of the room. You will  have to remove the fixed panel from the outside if this happens. Next, pull the sliding door to the open position and lower the door as low as it will go by sending a Phillips screwdriver into the adjustment holes at the bottom of the door. Lift the door up and bottom out of the track and into the room. Take the door outside and look at the rollers. They’re probably shot. Remove them by unscrewing the frame screw that holds them in as well as holding the frame together. Careful not to pull the frame apart. (see picture)Take both rollers to the hardware store and match them perfectly to their new type. There are many roller types, so make sure you match them correctly. Return home and install the new rollers. BE SURE to clean out the roller track with solvent and toothpicks/swabs. Get ALL the nasty gunk out and be careful of your floor or carpet. Final adjustment to the slider and locking latch and your door should glide effortlessly like new. Congratulations, you have been ‘built’, by  The ‘Owner’ Builder

Hey Framers; here’s one you really should get right, cause it’s a real bummer to fix if you get it wrong. This blog is for the most part; tricks. as getting on with the frame can be more fun if the ‘tricky’ parts are not wrought with worry.1. Check the plans for ‘Shear Details’. Your shear details will note the minimum width a side panel can be on each side of the garage rough opening. It might call for a Simpson or Hardy metal panel, or an I-Level TJ panel made out of wood. For most apps, its standard framing with plywood for shear. FOR SHEAR DUDE ! Anyway, the inspector will have a field day here if it is not to spec. 2. Check the stab sets and anchor bolts. Structural panels come with templates and directions. I hope the con-creatures did it right. For standard framing, your specs might call for 4X4 posts, that are anchored to M or Htt-22′s or HD2A’s, which are a Simpson product; for which the Simpson book will give you the offsets for framing. Use the book in conjunction with the plans to achieve the desired results of your draftsman or architect. 3. Measure the door opening for width. The con-creatures ( affectionately known as) will leave ‘call size’ plus 3 inches from stem wall to stem wall. Ie; if a garage door is a 16/7, that is 16 feet wide, by 7 feet tall, then the width of the concrete between the stem wall should be 16’3″. ( The 3″ is for the finish jamb) Headers should always rest upon at least 3″, or double trimmers each side. Your specs may call for 4X4 trimmers. Our example calls for a 16’9″ header. 16′ for ‘call’, 6″ for the double trimmers both sides, and 3″ for the finish jamb. 4. Layout for the height standard using a 7 foot tall roll up door requires some thinking according to the garage slab height, and the total height of the wall. You must add one and a half inches to the call size in height for the finish head jamb if you are using 2X jamb; the measurement from the garage slab to the bottom of the header.  5. The Trick:Grab a stud from the garage wall studs. Lay out the header height on the stud.

L/O for Header Height

a. Measure how tall the stem wall is from the slab, to the TOP of the MUD SILL PLATE . Whatever that measurement is, place that measurement you attained, right on the end of the stud and hold it there. b. Now extend the tape up the stud 7′ 1&1/2″ . Mark it. This is the bottom of the header from the garage slab.

If your specs are correct and everybody has done their jobs right, you now can frame the garage door opening to standard practice. Shear with whatever grade the plans call for and add any metal strapping your architect notes. Always read the plans for additional notes, and special direction from the lead man or contractor. Now hit-em up for a raise.

Ken

No Pay For Loading

A day in construction doesn’t start by rolling out of bed, getting on a skateboard and scooting off to work. No, no, no! Careful thought as to the days tasks and goals determine the outcome of success. This process starts early in the morning. Sometimes around 2 or 3 am due to a solution to a project issue that wakes us up! In the morning we think over the days tasks, and consider the needs for the day. And the order for which things need to be done. Not to mention the crew, each particular skill level and the projects for each crew member to complete. Loading the Truck: Residential building is all about tools, skill, and production. Most builders have this arsenal of tools either in a shop, trailer, van, or some type of storage unit. The message I want to get across is how those tools get to the job site, and eventually back to their place on the shelf. They just don’t jump into the truck and off to work we go. Materials for the day are another issue that the homeowner almost never sees. The builder often makes his/her first stop at the lumber company or hardware store. The thought of room for materials on top of the lumber rack is another consideration in the morning truck organizing. When all this is done and the builder arrives at the job site, it is now time to “roll out” for the start of the day. All the tools and materials come out of the truck and the day is up and running. This is when most homeowners greet the builder in the morning and think; ‘doesn’t look like much has happened this morning’? When the work day is over: “Roll-em up” is the call to stop work for the day.  All the tools are loaded into the trucks and home we go. That is, if we don’t have to go to the lumber company, or the building department etc. When we get home, we must now unload specific tools unique to the day. Just like the picture you see, these tools have a place in the shop and must be stored until the next use. This takes time. Time most homeowners never see. Time for which the builder does not get paid for.

Here’s your ‘Owner’ Builder Tip: Consider the person you have in mind for hire. He should agree with this blog. If he does not, he probably needs some more experience. Like my father used to say; ” If you don’t make any money for the guy, how do you expect him to pay you? And when you consider the builder, think about all the unseen attributes of skill and  organization, before you consider the cost.

So, your the Big Time Contractor or Supplier making your way to the top, and you want to advertise on a local radio station. Great! I’m almost certain they would be more than happy to take your money. But how much do you know about advertising your business? Or better said, How much do they know about advertising your/our business? The construction business! Hhmmm.? This blog features The ‘Owner’ Builder tip early. And here it is.  Think about the personality that is offering to do your construction commercial. The ‘voice over’ guy. Is he/she a rock & roll burnout from the 70′s? A gump that thinks he makes a difference in the political field? Or just a talking head recognized in the community for speaking his mind? Very important in radio is the ‘sincerity factor’. The listening audience will know the charlatan from the pro. An actor may be able to bluff the public, but if you want your commercial to have the “sell factor”, get a real construction personality to cut the spot. The wake-up call the building world needs, is to realize we speak a different language. For example; we could loose a layman in general conversation talking about shear factors and connecting hardware. Or many other construction terminologies pertinent to the trade in practices and principals. Why would you have someone outside this arena speaking on your behalf? Remember; you’re the paying customer. You can have anyone produce your construction commercial!  If you have a construction talk show host in your community, have him produce a 30 or 60 second radio spot that is right for your demographics. A guy that knows what you are talking about and can bring the message forward with boldness and insights straight from the job site. Now that’s advertising! Professional Construction Advertising.

Just recently the USGBC (United States Green Building Council) had an open comment on the new amendments to the green building codes. Unfortunately, they required the giving up of “intelligent property” to them. For this reason, I did not comment. My green building ideas will not go to the USGBC. They will go to my site and I will retain ALL my intelligent property, and so should you.

That is why I am making available to you, Americans, an open comment page on my web site. Here you may express your green building ideas and hold all your intelligent property intact. You may share your ideas with your name and city and be assured you will retain all rights. Furthermore, you will be promoted as the initiator of said idea and be networked with SEO for the text you submit.

Of course this means that no plagiarism (stealing) will be tolerated. You must submit only your ideas. Use the contact page. I will publish the comment on the site after review. Let’s show the government we can do these things with out giving up more of our rights. Thank you.

3" Screw in the hinge

Everybody has one. A door that rubs in its jamb. Sometimes so bad the door won’t close. What happened? Well, sometimes the house has shifted. Other times the door installer didn’t care enough to do the job properly. For instance; ‘Case Hanging’ is a term used to describe a method of ‘Blow & Go’ finish work that gets a lot of doors hung in a short time. Usually in apartments. The trim is installed upon one side of the door, and then the door is installed using the trim and jamb as support rather than using shims ( The proper method). No, I DON’T CASE HANG. In the old days, we used to hang doors with hand drive finish nails. Now, everything is done with finish nailers. On exterior doors, such as your entry door, the framers usually install. The reason being the house needs to be locked up from now on. But some guys used 16 galvanized, or 16 hand drive sinkers to install these. I know these doors ALL rub, from experience. The fix? Click on the picture. You see a standard interior door that rubs at the top of the jamb. Solution? Removing the standard short screw out of the uppermost hinge, sending a pilot bit through and into the trimmer, and installing a 3′ gold deck screw into the hole. Set the screw a little better than snug, and close the door. Check the ‘reveal’, or gap vertically between the door and the jamb. If it needs a little more, back out the screw and drive it back in a little harder. If the jamb won’t move a little, it may be necessary to lay a piece of wood on the hinge and ‘pop’ it once. Check the reveal. How simple is that? You’ve just been ‘Built’, by The Owner Builder.