The Construction Process of a New Home

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The construction of one’s very own home is an exciting process for many. The home’s framing occurs after the foundation is established usually by the pouring of concrete that has "cured". The framing stage of residential construction is when the structure takes its designed shape. The period of time necessary to frame a new home depends upon many factors beginning with the square feet of the structure, the type of materials (wood, stone or metal), the complexity of the home’s design such as high arches and bay windows, the number of people working on the construction crew on a day to day basis, weather conditions and if the home is a custom designed or not. The crew at Timberlake Truss Works in Oklahoma work hard to speed up the process even with custom jobs. The crew can manufacture custom wood trusses in OK in about two weeks or less, making the process quick for all contractors involved. On average, if the construction crew consists of four (4) to five (5) carpenters and assistants working eight (8) hour day shifts five (5) days a week, the time period to frame a wooden two story home between two-thousand (2,000) and two-thousand two-hundred square feet is roughly one and a half (1 1/2) to two and a half (2 1/2) weeks weather permitting. A custom designed home roughly the same size will normally add on six (6) to eight (8) days with the same crew size working the same weekly hours. Once the framing is completed, the home is typically thirty percent (30%) to thirty-five percent (35%) completed. When a home (or any structure) is framed, the "bones" or "skeleton" of the structure is created to support the home’s components. The home’s frame transfers and distributes the weight of its roof to its foundation, which supports the entire structure. The frame allows for the creation of a membrane or barrier (interior and exterior walls) that keep out the elements such as snow, wind and rain. Key components of a home that is framed are: 1. "top plates" which are the upper horizontal pieces; 2. "sill plates" which are the bottom horizontal pieces, and 3. "studs" which are the vertical pieces in a wall frame between the "top plates" and "sill plates". Horizontal components that anchor and support floors and ceilings are called "joists". With wood framed homes, the "top plates", "sill plates", "studs" and "joists" are nailed together per the home’s architectural plans. In the above process, walls, ceilings, rooms, hallways, window frames and the structure’s internal skeleton are created. Once completed, electrical wiring, plumbing, sheetrock, cabinets and other key components are then installed as part of the construction process.