15/5/12

So today we started to install the sill trimmers to the frames.For the wall I was working the window sat 800mm from the bottom of the house.So 45mm taken off due to the bottom plate and another 45mm taken off from the sill trimmer,so 710mm in length for the jackstuds.The sill trimmers are H3.1 Treatment,This is to prevent the wood from rooting if water does get through some how.We have limited timber for the Sill trimmers so extra care is needed when measuring and cutting.There is also a 10mm on each side of the windows for a bit of lee way for packing.I also went and cut all the Trimmer studs and jack studs.3 nails were used at each end of the stud to hold it into place.

Exterior walls.

Half of the exterior walls were stood up today and braced to the flooring of the house.So now we have more room to work with,with our internal walls.Tomorrow I will go over and check that our studs are at 600mm centers on all framing as I have come across a few with the wrong centers.

Sill Trimmers.

The tools/powertools I used today;Nail gun,hammer,square,Radial arm saw.Ear protection was used when using the Radial arm saw.

Exterior walls.

Exterior walls going up.

Walls being braced.

Earlier in the day,we had a session in the class room with Matt,in regards to the different timbers that are used in the building industry.We learn't the difference between Soft and Hard woods.Along with Exported and imported timber.Small samples were handed around the class,Radiata Pine is mostly used as it is a quick growing species compared to other timbers,It is easy to mill,easy to work with and is easy to treat.

14/5/12

So today we were directed to a new classroom and Matt drew up a small diagram of which we had to label.This included studs,Trimmer studs,Jack Studs,dwangs,lintel,Double blocking.We were also shown how to mark out our top and bottom plates better.Matt also showed the class what to do and what not to do.

Once we had finished the session in the class we then moved on with the build,Me and Darren was given the task to go back over each internal wall and get the parallel measurements,A few were 1mm out,which is not bad,thats all that will be tolerated.Quite a few of my marks on the plates had been removed so we had to remark them using the plan that I had marked out for each wall.Turned out Wall 11 had not been constructed yet.So that was mine and Darrens next job,We built the wall and The markings on this wall were also wrong which ment we had to pull the wall apart again!Hopefully we will finish this tomorrow.The wall that we are building contains,Studs,Double blocking,Blocking,Trimmer studs,Lintel and jack studs.

Tomorrow we hope to get all the exterior walls all marked correctly so we can start building them and actually getting the walls put up.The walls will be braced to the floor on the inside.

8/5/12

This morning we had to find information in our groups based on a type of pile that we were given to research about.Ours was cantilever Piles,The cantilever piles are driven into the ground,2 of the 3 thirds is driven in the earth,H5 treatment timber is used to prevent rotting and the boring from insects.The bearers are then fixed to the piles using m12 Galv bolts with 50x50x3mm gavl square washers.No concrete is used and no footings are dug.These battle earthquakes and high winds(Horizontal),mostly all weathering.All the vertical load is also transfered from the house to the bearers to the piles.

After I gathered the info we had to draw up a quick sketch of the pile and how it is used.Everyone completed this and now i have a much better understanding of piles and what piles are suitable for different terrain ect.

Me,Brad and Takey then moved back onto finishing the internal walls of the house build.We come across a few small errors,luckily we re-checked the measurements.We lended up connecting the bathroom,toilet and linen walls together,All the studs,dwangs and trims were then nailed in.We are pretty close to finishing all the walls,next up,exterior walls.

7/5/12

To start off the day,I was given the simple task of giving each internal wall(top and Bottom plates at this stage) a number,so that when we are to refer to the building plans we know where they will be placed after we have nailed the studs in along with the blocking an dwangs.Our Studs were cut to 2360mm and our blocking ranged from 350mm-250mm in length,these are also to be within the chalked line for the dwangs.

I marked down all these numbers on a fresh plan so we all know where the walls are to be placed,I then moved onto building the sound proof wall with Takey and Brad.We used 75x45mm H1.2 treatment wood.We then zig zaged the studs and nailed them to the top and bottom plates.All our measurements were transfered from the top plate to the bottom whilst still being tacked together to prevent future issues.Our best piece of the two plates is to be used for the top ,as the top plate is harder get straight.

1/5/12

Me tacking the top and bottom plates together.

So during our class today,We found out that the house on the wet area side was out by 10mm,We spent 30-45minutes remeasuring to try and find the problem,In the end Mark added up all the measurements to find out that the house plans were wrong on one side.Once this was found,I moved on to making top and bottom plates with my group.

Bedroom one.

Top and bottom plates.

We used the straightest 4x2 timber,(H1.2)treatment,I tacked the top and bottom plates together to keep them in the same postion to get a nice straight edge cut using the radial arm saw.After this was done,I grabbed my Tape and marked down the right measurements for the plates.For the top plate,The bottom can be a little bit rough as it can be nailed down easier to the floor.We cut 45mm,off one end,which is centered in the middle of the internal wall.The next one is then done off the previous,most plates are cut to meet where walls are joined.With bigger rooms the plates will be nail plated together.There were a few minor mistakes with some of our cuts,but they were re done to fit perfectly.

The tools I used today were;Radial Arm Saw,Combination square,Skilsaw,Hammer,Tape,rule,and clamps.

The whole top and bottom plates are all finished and cut to the correct lengths and laid out on the floor.We will be cutting the dwangs for the framing tomorrow.So the framing should be getting marked out and put together.

Starting to come along nicely

Top and bottom plates

Mark finding out that the building plans were wrong by 10mm.