Framing 101

Framing is pretty straight forward in the building processes. It goes up quickly, so that’s why I plan to also include other topics in this post as well. I’ll be touching on some of the other things that happen within the walls of your home before the sheetrock goes up, such as water lines, electrical lines, and insulation.

It is always so exciting to drive up to your home and see the framing. It starts to make things feel so real! You no longer have that feeling or illusion of your concrete slab feeling too small! It starts to help you really visualize the dimensions of each space of your home.

A couple things to mention about the framing part of building! It goes by fast and always double check and measure things! I feel like I keep saying that in each building 101 post, but it’s important! I’d rather catch a mistake early on, then later when it’s harder to fix! Also, now is the time to adjust or change things if you don’t like the way something is. For example, we didn’t like the size of the kitchen window above the sink, so we made it larger!

Once the frame base is built, they will wrap the exterior with plywood, and a moisture barrier. Then the exterior will start to go up, but we will talk about that on another post! 😉 So lets move on to the interior things that need to get done before sheetrock!

Electrical during framing

I’m not 100% sure if electrical or plumbing happens first, or maybe they happened together at the same time? Regardless, they both have to happened before insulation! Before the electrical is run, you should do a walk through with your builder, and electrician. You want to make sure that all light switches, outlets and such are exactly where you want them. Go through each room and describe the lighting you plan to put in that room, and were you want the switch to be.

Deciding on where to put switches and outlets

Before insulation, electrical will be run to all outlet boxes, and all lighting. The most important thing to think about during this step is about how you do daily routines. This helps determine were the best place for outlets to go. In our great room, I didn’t want a switch that would turn on the living room light in the kitchen.

When you do your walk through, pretend you are waking up in the morning and you come out of your room. Where do you want the switch to be when you walk into the next room. Does the switch make sense right there when you are closing up the house for the night? Do you want the can light switch first, then light fixture, then fan? Think about if you want any hidden outlets in drawers or cabinets, so they aren’t above the vanities, or countertops. Do you want outlets in your pantry, laundry room, or broom closet? How about outlets outside? Do you want them on either side of your doors for christmas lights?

PRO TIP: Pretend you are waking up in the morning and you come out of your room. Where do you want the switch to be when you walk into the next room. Does the switch make sense right there when you are closing up the house for the night?

Places we put outlets and switches

We put a few outlets in our home that we had the electrician add on to the plan. We had them installed on either side of our front and back doors, and we also put outlets with timers on them in our soffits for the christmas lights on the roof! A few places we hid some outlets are under my vanity, and in one of Jeremy’s drawers under his vanity. We also have an outlet with two USB plugs on our island (makes it easy for kids to plug in electronics). I also included an outlet in our pantry since we have a countertop in the pantry. This has made it easy to plug in small appliances and keep them hidden, like the toaster, air fryer, or crockpots!

Plumbing during framing

Just like the electrical, the plumbing will be run within the walls during framing, and then the electrician will come back later to install switches, lighting and such. Plumbing pipes should be run from under the concrete slab, and through the walls to wherever you plan to have water run to, washer dryer, sinks, fridges, pot-fillers, dishwashers, showers, tubs, and any other things. Which, I know that seems silly to even mention, but sometimes when you are stressed and worried about building and all things life, it’s easy to overlook something!! We chose last minute while the plumber was there to have him run water for a pot filler.

Hot Water Heater

We also have our hot water heater in our attic. This is because we don’t have to create small closet for it in our floor plans, which allowed us to use that square footage for something else. I have a few things from Amazon that I linked. Including our Rianni Tankless Hot Water Heater. The benefit of the tankless hot water heater, is that it saves you energy by only using the hot water when you turn on the hot water. Which this also saves your money, but the only downfall is that it takes about 18 seconds to get hot water. Verses a regular hot water heater tank constantly heats your water weather you are using it or not. Which yes, you have instant hot water, but it costs you more money in the long run!

Also, before I wrap up this section, I’ve got another tip for you! Be sure to take photos of your electrical and plumbing before the insulation and sheetrock are put up. This will come in handy later when you need to know where wires and pipes are in the walls. We have looked back at these photos a few times now!

Pro tip: Take photos of your electrical and plumbing before the insulation and sheetrock are put up. This will come in handy later when you need to know where wires and pipes are in the walls. We have looked back at these photos a few times now!

Insulation

So there are a several different types of insulation options to choose from. Check out Energy.gov, it goes over all the different types of insulation. I know that it is easy to go with the cheaper choice in the beginning to save money, but the more efficient spray foam insulation will save you money in the long run, and keep you cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter!

We chose spray foam insulation because it is the most energy efficient for us, especially when it gets so hot in the Texas summer heat! You can see Liam really enjoyed the fact we chose spray foam! He had so much fun throwing it up in the air like he was in a snowball! 🙂

We had all exterior walls sprayed, and parts of the attic so we could keep part of it temperature controlled. At the last minute, we decided insulate the garage as well. Just to help the heat stay out in the summer time! We eventually plan to build a large shop, with game room up top, which we will also insulate that as well! It really helps keep the electric bill down!

What’s next for Building101?

Next on the list to cover is windows, doors, and trim work! The topics are starting to cover the fun things! So many different options and ways to save coming up soon! Thanks for reading and if you are new here, sign up for emails, so you won’t miss a building101 post! I promise the only emails you get from me, are when there is a new blog post!