Careful Layout for Perfect Walls

Everything from rafters

to kitchen cabinets fits better
when you get the walls square
and the studs in the right places

BY JOHN SPIER

raming walls is one of the most fun parts of building a house. to pick up the first 2x6. First, I review the plans carefully and make
F It’s fast, safe and easy, and at the end of the day, it’s satisfy-
ing to admire the progress you’ve made. Before cranking
sure that all the necessary information is there.
I need the locations and dimensions of all the rough openings, not
up your compressor and nail guns, though, you need to think through only for doors and windows but also for things such as fireplaces, med-
what you’re going to do. You need to locate every wall precisely on the icine cabinets, built-ins, dumbwaiters and the like. I also make sure
subfloor, along with every framing member in those walls (photo above). the plans have the structural information I need for layout, such as
shear-wall and bearing-wall details and column sizes.
Layout starts in the office At the site, one of Spier’s many corollaries to Murphy’s Law is that
For one of our typical houses, layout and framing for interior and ex- errors never cancel each other out; they always multiply. If the floor is
terior walls start in the office a few days before my crew and I are ready anything but straight, level, flat and square, the walls are going to go

52 FINE HOMEBUILDING
 SETTING THE STAGE FOR THE REST OF THE HOUSE
For the most precise wall layout, plot a series of rectangles that includes every wall. The
larger the rectangle, the more accurate the wall position. Begin with the longest walls,
and lay out the largest rectangle using diagonal measurements (photo below). Working
off established lines and square corners, work down to the smallest rectangle.

Take layout lines from the

mudsills. If the mudsills
were installed perfectly
square, you can avoid any
discrepancies in the deck
framing by plumbing up
from the mudsills and
measuring in from there.
Layout
line Floor framing

Mudsills
Equal diagonal measurements mean a square layout. After snapping chalklines for the
longest parallel walls, the author takes corner-to-corner measurements to make sure the
corners are square for a perfect rectangle.

1. Starting with the longest walls, measure and square the 2. Working off those lines, plot the rectangle that includes
largest rectangle. the jog in the wall.

3. Now measure off the outside and form a rectangle for 4. Last, form rectangles for the remaining interior walls.
the longest interior wall.

Drawings: Vince Babak JUNE/JULY 2003 53

downhill (or uphill) from there. So before you get to layout, do what- foundation and floor. Also, some of the complicated foundations that
ever it takes to get a good floor, especially the first: Mud the sills, shim I work on can have wings or jogs that are slightly off. If I can make
the rims, rip the joists. Sweep off the subflooring, and avoid the temp- everything fit better by rotating the rectangle slightly, I take the time
tation to have a pile of material delivered onto it. to do it now.

Snap chalklines for the Smaller rectangles

longest exterior walls first complete the wall layout
I’ve learned over the years that it’s With the largest part of the plan
best to snap the plate lines for the established, I lay out and snap
entire floor plan before building whatever bays, wings and jogs
any of it. Problems you didn’t remain for the exterior walls. I
catch on the prints often jump out use a series of overlapping and
when you start snapping lines. adjacent rectangles, which I can
When framing floors, I take square by keeping them paral-
great care to set the mudsills flush, lel to the lines of the original
square and in their exact loca- rectangle. I again check the
tions. Because the edges of floor right angles by measuring the
framing and subflooring are not diagonals.
always perfect, though, I use a Often, the plan calls for an an-
level to plumb up from the gled component such as a bay. If
mudsills and establish the plate these components are at 45°, I
lines, measuring in the stock lay them out from right angles
thickness from the level (top by forming and diagonally bi-
drawing, p. 53). I generally start secting a square. For angles that
with the longest exterior walls are not 45°, I either can trust the
and the largest rectangle in the architect’s measurements on the
plan. When I have the ends of the plans, or I can use geometry and
longest wall located, I snap a line a calculator. The latter method
through the marks. is more likely to be accurate.
Once I’ve established the line for When all the exterior walls
the first wall, I move to the paral- Chalkline tip have been laid out, I turn my at-
lel wall on the opposite side of the To snap chalklines for short walls, hook one end of tention to the interior walls.
house. I measure across the floor the line to your boot and stretch the other end out Again, I start with the longest
from the first line to the opposite to the mark. Rotating your foot slightly aligns the walls and work to the smallest,
mudsill (again using a level to boot end, and you’re ready to snap. snapping lines parallel and
plumb up from the mudsill to the square to the established lines of
floor height) at both ends; if the the exterior walls. I snap only
lengths differ slightly, I use the one side of each plate, but I
larger measurement. I snap through these points, which gives me two mark the floor with an X here and there to avoid confusion about
parallel lines representing the long sides of the largest rectangle where the walls will land. I also write notes on the floor to indicate
(bottom drawings, p. 53). It’s okay if the plates overhang the floor doors, rooms, fixtures, bearing walls and other critical information.
framing by a bit, but I watch for areas that might need to be shimmed It’s a rare architect who dimensions a plan to the fraction of an inch
or padded—for instance, where a deck ledger needs to be attached to with no discrepancies, and an even rarer builder who achieves that accu-
the house. racy. So first, I lay out critical areas such as hallways, stairwells, chim-
neys and tub or shower units, and then I fudge the rest if I need to.
Establish the right angles One last critical issue when reviewing the plans and laying out walls
I locate three corners by measuring in from the mudsills. The fourth is watching for elements of the design that need to stay symmetrical.
corner I locate by duplicating the measurement between the first and If the foundation contractor made one wing a bit wider than another,
second because I need sides of equal lengths to create a rectangle. I you don’t want to build all three floors before realizing that the ridge-
check this rectangle for square by measuring both its diagonals (pho- lines of the two wings needed to match up. Make sure symmetrical el-
to right, p. 53). If I’ve done everything right so far, the diagonal mea- ements are aligned at the first layout stage.
surements should be very close, perhaps within 1⁄4 in. I shift two corners
slightly if I need to, making sure to keep the lengths of the sides exact Make plates from the straightest lumber
until the diagonals are equal. Now, perpendicular lines are snapped While I snap the walls, the crew is busy cutting and preparing mate-
through the corners, completing the rectangle. rial from the piles of stock. I have them set aside a pile of the straight-
Because I started arbitrarily with one long wall, I may find now that est lumber. With the chalklines all snapped and with this material in
the rectangle, while being perfectly square, is slightly askew from the hand, I start cutting and laying out the plates (top and bottom mem-

54 FINE HOMEBUILDING
 ALIGN FRAMING FROM MUDSILLS TO ROOF FOR THE STRONGEST HOUSE

Common layout keeps framing members in line

Pulling the layout from the same point for every level of the
Plates on deck. When wall positions are laid out, cut all the top house lines up the joists, studs and rafters for a stronger
and bottom plates (the long horizontal members) for the exterior house that’s easier to finish.
walls, and place them on their layout lines.

Stud layout is always taken from the same two walls. One crew
member holds the tape at wall offset while the other marks the
stud position (photo above). Even when there is a break in the wall,
the layout is pulled from the same place to keep all the framing
aligned (photo right).

bers) for the exterior walls (top photo above). In this step of layout, we as possible in their exact positions, especially the heavier ones. Moving
set the plates side by side on the layout line, and every wall-framing walls after they’re raised is extra work and no fun.
member is located and labeled. With this information, we assemble Before starting any framing, I established a common-stud layout for
the walls on the floor, then raise them into place. I often call out mea- the entire structure based on two long perpendicular walls from which
surements and have someone cut and hand up the material to keep layout for the rest of the house framing can be measured (drawing above).
mud, snow and sawdust off the floor during this crucial phase. This common layout keeps joists, studs, cripples and rafters throughout
As a rule, we plate the longest exterior walls to the corners of the the house vertically aligned from the foundation to the ridge, which makes
house, and the shorter walls inside them. This approach sometimes for a strong, straight and easily finished structure. We use this common
needs to be modified—for instance, to accommodate structural layout to locate butt joints between pairs of plates because code and
columns, hold-down bolts or openings adjacent to corners. Sometimes common sense dictate that these joints land on a stud or a header.
an obstruction or a previously raised wall dictates which wall can be As my crew and I measure and cut the pairs of wall plates, we lay
built and raised first. The goal here is to build and raise as many walls them on edge along their layout lines, sometimes tacking them to-

JUNE/JULY 2003 55
 FRAMER’S SHORTHAND: WHAT THOSE LITTLE MARKS MEAN
When the framing members are marked, a full- Cripples above nonstructural header
Structural
length stud is indicated by an X. A trimmer or jack header
stud is a T or J, and a C or X indicates a cripple (a
short framing member below a sill or above a non-
structural header). Other framing such as partition
posts and corner posts are labeled along with any
special framing instructions.
2x6 L-nailer for
intersecting 2x4 wall
Door jack or
Intersecting trimmer stud
2x4 wall

Rough
windowsills Door king
King stud stud
Jack or trimmer stud
L-nailer for
intersecting wall
Intersecting
2x4 wall
King
stud
Jack or
trimmer Cripples
stud

Cripples fall on Plate stock breaks on layout.

stud layout.

Interior partition post Integral structural post Studs left out to insert tub unit

Spell out what you need on the wood

Mark key areas where studs might need to be left out to allow installation
of things too wide to be carried though the doors, such as one-piece
tub/shower units.

56 FINE HOMEBUILDING
gether with just a few 8d nails to keep the plates held together and Two quick layout tips LAYING OUT
in place. MULTIPLES
For things such as
Window, door and stud layout at last short closet wall
When all the exterior plates are in place, it’s finally time to lay out plates, line them up
the actual framing members. I always start with the rough openings and draw two walls’
for windows and doors. Most plans specify these openings as being a worth of layout lines
measured distance from the building corner to the center of the open- at once (photo left).
ing, which works fine. You can allow for the sheathing thickness or
not, but once you choose, be consistent, especially if openings such as COPY THE
windows have to align vertically from floor to floor. Obviously, if an LAYOUT FROM
opening such as a bay window or a front door is to be centered on a THE PLATE
wall, center it using the actual dimensions of the building, which may To mark the cripple
differ slightly from the plan. layout on the rough
Rough openings are a subject worthy of their own article, but in a windowsill, just line
nutshell, I measure half the width of the opening in both directions it up on the plate
from the center mark. I then use a triangular square to mark the loca- and copy the layout
tions of the edges of trimmers and king studs, still working from the (photo below).
inside of the opening out. Various other marks, such as Xs or Ts, iden-
tify the specific members and their positions (drawing facing page).
Next, I mark where any interior-wall partitions intersect the exterior
wall. At this point, I just mark and label the locations; I decide how to
frame for them later. I also locate and mark any columns, posts or
nailers that need to go in the wall. I lay out any studs that have to go
in specific locations for shelf cleats, brackets, medicine cabinets, shower
valves, cabinetry, ductwork and anything else I can think of. Doing
this layout now is much easier than adding or moving studs later.
Finally, I lay out the common studs on the plates. Studs are com-
monly spaced either 16 in. or 24 in. o. c. to accommodate standard
building products. By doing the common-stud layout last, I often can save
lumber by using a common stud as part of a partition nailer. I almost
never skip a stud because it’s close to another framing member, which,
I’ve learned the hard way, almost always causes more work than it
saves. I occasionally shift stud or nailer locations to eliminate small
gaps and unnecessary pieces. I keep the plywood layout in mind here,
though, so that I can use full sheets of sheathing as much as possible.

Inside walls go more quickly

Once the exterior walls are built and standing, I cut the interior-wall
plates and set them in place. Where two walls meet, I decide which
one will run long to form the corner so that the walls can be built and
raised without being moved. Also, facing a corner in a particular di-
rection often provides better backing for interior finishes, such as
handrails or cabinetry, and sometimes is necessary to accommodate
such things as doorways or multiple-gang switches.
When the plates are cut and set in place, I do the stud layout. Just
as with the exterior walls, I do the openings first, then nailers and spe- by two other studs) in an exterior wall, I need to make sure to fill the void
cific stud and column locations. Next, I mark the locations of inter- created by the partition post with insulation before the sheathing goes on.
secting walls and finally overlay the common-stud layout on the plates. With the interior plates all there, we can nail in the studs, raising walls
as we go. I mark key areas where studs should be crowned or specially
Where walls come together selected, such as areas with long runs of cabinetry, and also studs that
Where one wall meets the middle of another, I use a partition post if might need to be left out to allow installation of things too wide to
the situation dictates it, but more often, I opt for an L-nailer. To make be carried though the doors. I also nail double top plates to as many
an L-nailer, I use a wider stud on the flat next to a common stud when- walls as possible if they don’t interfere with the lifting process.

ever possible. It’s faster and easier; it accommodates more insulation;
and it saves the subs from drilling through those extra studs and nails. John Spier and his wife, Kerri, own Spier Construction, a custom
If I use U-shaped partition posts (a stud or blocks on the flat flanked building company on Block Island, RI. Photos by Roe A. Osborn.

JUNE/JULY 2003 57