Basement Framing

Basement Framing: Load-Bearing Walls, True Dimensions, Correct Stud Heights, Custom Homes

Choose a Qualified Framer Services New Home Construction Residential Remodeling Window Installation / Replacement Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) Framing Bedroom Framing Kitchen Framing Bathroom Framing Floor Framing Wall and Ceiling Framing Basement Framing Deck Framing Garage Framing Light Framing / Carpentry

What makes it different from framing any other area of a building?

Basement framing is the first step of a complete framing project. If not done properly, poor basement framing can negatively impact the finished product.

• The basement foundation walls are where we start the framing of the main floor.

• The basement framing will normally include load-bearing walls or beams down the middle of the basement. This is where the heavy wood used to support the rest of the structure is located.

Basement Framing: Working Around Existing Elements

A primary reason that a basement re-framing project in an existing home differs from a new home framing project is that elements already exist that must be taken account of and worked around.

For example, an existing basement stairwell will limit the space to move materials in and out.

Basement Framing: Create A Strong Platform to Build Upon

A few of the potential problems that need to be taken into account include:

• Basement floors are usually not level enough to use a set stud height; a “transit” or laser level must be employed to establish a true level throughout the entire area.

• True dimensions need to be determined so that everything is square and parallel.

• Correct stud and wall heights must be calculated - custom homes do not always have one single stud height; they may have many. If you can’t envision what the finished product needs to look like, or what goal you’re trying to accomplish in the end, you could very easily miss a wall height, or build it too low.

  If a wall height is miscalculated, an inexperienced framer may just build another small wall and stack it on top of the short wall, which is a bad practice. It creates what’s called a “hinge point,” which frequently, due to the loads and forces a building can put on the wall, can move over time. This creates the potential to cause additional structural problems to the building.

The basement is the footprint of the house, the platform on which the rest of the structure is built. Nothing else works right If the basement framing is not done correctly. The rest of the house could go terribly wrong; if you don’t get the basement right, you’ll battle the rest of the way through the project.

As the old adage states: "A chain is only as strong as its weakest link."