If you’ve ever watched the TV program "This Old House" or checked out their web-site, then you know that they are a great source for advice on both new construction and remodeling projects. Tom Silva, This Old House general contractor, said in one episode,

"A frame is the skeleton of a house. If the frame is strong, it provides the necessary support for everything that follows. But if it's weak, no amount of expensive finishes will hide the flaws. Those perfectly plastered walls will begin to crack every time a door slams, the granite countertops will gradually fall out of level, and the quarter sawn oak floors will bounce and squeak like a rusty spring."

"Shortcuts in framing are the biggest mistake you can make, although it may take four or five years before the sagging, the bouncing, and the movement start to show up."

Your home is likely one of your biggest investments. To ensure that your investment continues to increase in value, there are steps during the building process that must be made to maintain stability and prevent problems 5, 10, or more years down the road.

What steps and materials do we use to ensure our framing is done well?

First of all, our framers mark out the house on the lot and work with our foundation sub-contractors to ensure the house is square and level from the start.

Next, we select only those products which provide the greatest strength and stability.

• We use the latest technology in floor framing systems, primarily Georgia Pacific TGI or equivalent engineered floor joists to prevent the warping and cupping of 2x10 and 2x12 floor systems used by most builders. The Georgia-Pacific I-beam system ensures a bigger bearing surface for the sub floor and glue tends to hold better to it.
• For the sub floor, we use either Advantech or Weyerhaeuser Gold Series 7/8 inch Oriented Strand Board that is glued along each floor joist and nailed off every 6 inches. Unlike plywood and ordinary OSB tongue and groove floor systems, these have a guarantee against water infiltration during construction assuring you of a better building surface for all types of floor coverings.
• The subfloor is glued and then nailed down with ring shank pneumatic nails.
• Spruce is used for most rafters and ceiling joists because spruce is more stable than pine and causes less sheetrock cracks. We use only #2 or better lumber for our walls, rafters, and bracing. #2 means fewer knots and weak points in the lumber assuring a stronger, straighter framing job.
• Hurricane and tie down straps every third rafter to withstand extreme wind conditions.
• Metal wall bracing is installed rather than wood perlins in order to strengthen the walls and keep them plumb.
• To eliminate stress joints, we use laminated veneer lumber (LVL beams) and ridge valleys in other points that may experience more structural stress.

What else do we look out for?

• With the focus on lake and golf course views from exterior walls, most of our homes have lots of windows. An abundance of windows can cause walls to be weak. We pay attention to make sure walls have enough strength to support the structure.
• If we or any of our subcontractors see improvements that could be made, we make suggestions and then let the customer make the choice. This is the most economical stage at which changes can be made.
• We use more lumber in our stick-built homes than what’s generally supplied by other builders. Why? Because we want our homes braced to the max, ready for the wind or ice storm that may only come every 10-15 years.

Why do we take these extra steps?

We want the best for our customers. We are a very custom builder. We are proud to have the Jim Beard Homes name on each of the homes we build. And we want your home to look as great years down the road as it does at move-in.

We want to get it right for you the first time. When we finish your home, we don’t want you to say, "I wish I’d done....." The framing stage is the best time to make a change - move walls, add windows - to get it right the first time.

If it’s not right after framing, it will never be right. It’s just as important to get what you don’t see behind the walls and under the floor right the first time.