Step 1: Lay Out the Foundation and Sill Plate

Keep in mind that the framing phase of construction begins as soon as your foundation is complete, so step one will be to mark your foundation. After the foundation is in you'll go around with the blueprints and with crayon or keel and make marks on the foundation. These markings will show you exactly where walls should be placed, as well as where to drill holes for anchor bolts in the sill plate.

Laying out the sill plate is next. Mark the bolts, drill them and then set the plate.

Step 2: Create the Frame

You'll need a lot of space for the next step, which is laying out the framing materials. The reason you'll need a lot of space is because you'll be assembling the walls on the ground or floor (Image 1), and then you'll stand them up and lift them into place after they're finished.

Attach studs to the sill plate to create the frame of the wall. Remember, the studs are the vertical pieces of wood in the frame (Image 2).

Next it's time to add smaller horizontal pieces between the studs to make holes for the doors and windows.

Add a header to any doors and windows in the frame. (The header is the structural member that goes above the doors and windows.)

Attach the top plate (Image 3) to the studs to form the top of the wall frame.

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    Image 1

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    Image 2

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    Image 3

Step 3: Stand Up the Frame and Attach

Raise the wall and secure it to your foundation using nails or anchor bolts. The walls will be built on the ground and then tilted up and lifted and set over all the anchor bolts.

Now that the wall is standing, the next-to-last step is to make sure everything is plumb and square. The walls will be braced as well.

Finally, once all the walls are connected, install the exterior sheeting. Your sheeting will be either oriented strand board (OSB) or plywood. At this point there's normally some sheer panel, which is plywood that you nail over the outside according to the nail schedule.