Building a house is no less a feat than crafting a beautiful sculpture; it starts with a vision and is brought to life through expertise, dedication, and the right materials. Framing, often termed as the "bones" of a house, is foundational to the structure of the home. It also provides the bones/structure to support the home's weight, gives a dimensional shape, and creates separate spaces for rooms, doors, and windows. The framing process is exciting because it's when you start to see your brand-new home come to life. Understanding the basics is important, whether you're a homeowner or someone who is simply someone interested in the construction process.

The Basics of Framing a Home:

Materials: The primary material used for framing is wood, specifically dimensional lumber like 2x4s, 2x6s, and so forth. However, did you know that steel and metal frames have gained popularity in specific home projects because of their strength and resistance to certain environmental factors? At Capital Homes, we stick to wood as it's a tried and true practice in our region and for the style of home we build.

Types of Framing:

Platform Framing: This is the most common residential framing technique today, also called stick framing to some. It involves constructing one floor at a time, with each story being a "platform" for the next.

Balloon Framing: Older and less common now, balloon framing involves long studs that extend multiple stories. This method has largely been replaced by platform framing because it's generally more efficient and safer.

Post and Beam: This technique is slightly antiquated because it focuses on using large posts and beams to create the frame, instead of dimensional lumber.

Components of Framing:

Studs: Vertical members that provide the wall's primary structure.

Joists: Horizontal members that support the floors.

Rafters: Slanted or sloped members that support the roof.

Sills: The bottom horizontal members that rest on the foundation.

Headers: Reinforced areas around windows and doors.

Sheathing: Once the frame is up, it is typically covered with sheathing, usually plywood or OSB (oriented strand board), which provides added structural strength and acts as a base for siding and roofing materials.

Building with Capital Homes:
At Capital Homes, we're known for our tagline "We Build Trust" because the community knows our reputation and commitment to homeowner satisfaction. When considering framing within the context of Capital Homes, here are some benefits you can expect.

Expertise: With over 35 years in the industry, Capital Homes has an experienced crew and trade partners well-versed in all aspects of framing and home construction.   

Quality Materials: At Capital Homes, we believe in using quality materials for the job, ensuring the durability, stability, and long-term happiness of our homeowners.

Innovative Techniques: Keeping up with the latest trends and techniques, Capital Homes incorporates best practices in our framing process to help ensure both efficiency and safety. We believe that knowledge is power and encourage our team to stay up-to-date on the latest trends/techniques.

Customers First, ALWAYS: Capital Homes places the homeowner at the center of every single home that we build. This means being transparent about our process, materials, and timelines, making sure you're always in the know.

Sustainable Building: Capital Homes is at the forefront of integrating green practices into our home-building processes. We are proud to say that we are an Energy Star® Certified Builder. The Energy Star® label gives you peace in knowing that your home has undergone a better process for inspections, testing, and verification to meet strict requirements set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The result is a home built better from the ground up, delivering better durability, better comfort, and reduced utility and maintenance costs.

Framing is to a house what a skeleton is to the human body – integral, supportive, and formative. As you start your home-building journey, it's important to understand the details and thoughts that go into the framing process and place your trust in a reliable builder.

* The information above is created to be informative and not exactly represent how Capital Homes builds. For more information, reach out as we'd love to discuss the exact details of our home construction process.

Give us a call and we can dive into the details of our framing process.