Unusual Habits To Boost Production

loneframer

Have any of you guys incorporated unconventional ways to speed up the job?
I always save hangers and hardware for times when I need to get ahead of the guys.
I also got into the habit of leaving cripples and sills out of window openings when standing walls to save fill in work for when I'm doing complicated layout.
I stand walls without sheathing for several reasons,but the main reason is to keep guys busy while I'm sorting out the math. Some of the rooflines I've done required 3 or 4 days of layout and cut time before any assembly.
What methods do you use to keep thingsmore productive?

__________________
__________________________________




"Walking the fine line between production and perfection"



__________________________________

MattK

if you sheath laying down set your paper folded back so it only takes one guy to nail the belt and wrap later on. seems like a lot of wasted man hours struggling in the air if off ladders. Interior partitions, lay out the plates on the floor and let them assemble. if you have enough work split crew in 2

loneframer

Many buildings I do are too cut up to sheath down, so I invested in alumipole jacks. After doing a few buildings with them, I wouldn't do it any other way. Also offer dry-in and siding while the building is already staged. I used to square walls and sheath on the floor but found this way to work better for my conditions.

__________________
__________________________________




"Walking the fine line between production and perfection"



__________________________________

curapa

I always did the same thing. Stand walls without cripples, sills and un-sheathed. While the guys are doing windows and sheathing I would be getting joist and beam numbers. When the crew was installing the joist and beams I would be working on the rafters.

As for hangers, I always found it easier to nail the joists up and then come back and put the hangers on them.

Sheathing walls before standing is generally not done in my area and I never really saw the time savings in doing so. It always seemed more accurate to stand walls, plumb and then sheath to me. What happens when the slab is out of level, then you cant make both corners of a wall at least close to plumb by splitting the difference?

__________________
www.ParkerFenceandDeck.com

rbsremodeling

ephedrine.

Worked for a week once no sleep.,

I was sad when it was banned in the usa. My memory and focus was like a samurai when I used it.

__________________

loneframer

I thought you could still get it behind the pharmacists counter, no?

__________________
__________________________________




"Walking the fine line between production and perfection"



__________________________________

roscoe8423

I have no clue whatsoever how you can say that sheating and tyveking walls after standing is faster. I dont feel that it is even negotiable that it is faster to sheet them when they are on the deck. have you ever even tyveked a wall off of a ladder? Its ridiculous, especially the second story. And your slab should be square, if you square your lines rather than pull in 5 1/2 on corners.

BattleRidge

We sheath, and tyvek, on the ground of small walls, but its 3 of us usually and we cant lift the huge walls anyway. Lone framer, that stuff looks awesome wish I was framing houses like that.

__________________
www.battleridgebuilders.com

Gus Dering

You didn't know?
He just drives around snapping pictures of anything he likes the look of.
He sure does take a pretty picture though.

MattK

I work in New England and slabs in residential is rare so before any walls get laid out the foundation is squared and shimmed with a transit level. Advantech goes down on the 1st floor system dead nuts. If you take time and get it perfect when you reach the roof everything is still true. I think in some situations its easier to osb/ply small areas off a ladder especially if you have an overlap more than 3 1/2. But papering in the air isnt an option around here. Not only is it difficult as hell of a ladder but a full roll is tough to hold and staple so most of the time it looks like sht when the guys are done. Try it once on the ground if the house allows it. Never go back

MattK

Pump Jacks are a beautiful thing, especially with 8 pitch or higher gables. A couple of strong backs and a man on each end holding a gun and a brace. Your 3rd man pumps half a dozen times on each jack back and forth.

loneframer

First off. I have never built off of a slab. 90% of my buildings were on pilings 8' off of grade to start. They had to be located off of property line benchmarks.
2. I have already stated that I have invested in Alumipole jacks to stage the entire building. I sheath, paper,install windows and do fascia and soffit work off of poles. I can hang 140 sheets, 3 stories tall in 2 days with 3 guys. Complete, no going around tieing in corners. I also install all metal strapping required while staged.
3. Every builder I know in coastal areas don't even use Tyvek anymore because of the failure rate that they have endured. Everyone uses tried and true asphalt saturated felt again. Much better to be applied just before siding. I can paper a 3 story building and install windows and doors in 3 to 4 days with 3 guys according to size. Siders have it covered in 3-4 days.
4. Many of the buildings I do have at least 32 exterior walls on a floorplan. If you can sheath them down and have a quality product when they are standing, you are a better man than most.

5.My final point is that many framers thought I was nuts for my methodology until they saw me finish buildings in less time with fewer men. I see many of them doing it my way now. You have to remember, I know my way is unconventional but it works for me. I know it saves me time and money because I have done it both ways. I'm not saying my way is better than yours, just that it is better for me.

As a note, in many areas the framers don't sheath the building. A sheathing crew comes in for that phase after the framing is complete.

__________________
__________________________________




"Walking the fine line between production and perfection"



__________________________________

loneframer

Thanks, you also bring up a good point. I framed this place with one other carpenter. Sheathing while walls were up was the only way.

__________________
__________________________________




"Walking the fine line between production and perfection"



__________________________________

loneframer

Thanks Gus, I owe you one palHope I never get on your s#!tlist Oh, nevermind I forgot about the post surgery pics

__________________
__________________________________




"Walking the fine line between production and perfection"



__________________________________

MattK

what is the failure rate on tyvek? seen tar paper on alot of older houses, that stuff is coming back?

loneframer

Once the investment is made in pumpjacks, you will find a million ways to get them to pay you back.

__________________
__________________________________




"Walking the fine line between production and perfection"



__________________________________

loneframer

We used alot of Tyvek in the late 80s early 90s. After a few years, if you pull back some siding, we found tears starting in the corners of window openings traveling long distances and the material would crumble like old newspaper in your hands. Once water gets behind Tyvek, it has to evaporate to pass through it as a vapor. Felt paper will "wick" moisture through and speed the evaporation process. I have seen 50 year old buildings with felt paper after asbestos siding has been removed and it is still in excellent condition, as well as the sheathing. Proof enough for me.Most builders along the Jersey coast have gone back to "tar paper"

__________________
__________________________________




"Walking the fine line between production and perfection"



__________________________________

curapa

I am not sure if you were refering to my post or not. If you were, I was not talking about about out of square slabs but out of level. Yes, slabs should be square and level but I think we all know that is not the case.

I have sheathed and installed tyvek off a ladder, scaffold and pump jacks many, many times and I agree with loneframer that when accuracy matters there is no other way. I could not imagine pre-sheathing a cut up house with tons of bays and dormers.

__________________
www.ParkerFenceandDeck.com

Paul B

Felt paper will wick moisture? News to me.

loneframer

Did you ever notice how felt paper wrinkles in high humidity? It's because it is "hygroexpansive" meaning it has a tendancy to absorb moisture or draw it from the atmosphere. Laymans term, "wicking"This improves the "breathability" of the building envelope which is very critical.
Found this statement when I Googled vapor barrier.
To complicate things, the permeance of felt paper is a moving target. Felt paper absorbs water and ranges from a low of around 5 perms when it's dry to over 60 perms when it's exposed to relative humidity above 95%. The perm values of engineered wall wraps, however, are moisture-stable. Although high permeance is generally desirable in a wrap, excessively high ratings are not as important as resistance to air and water.

__________________
__________________________________




"Walking the fine line between production and perfection"



__________________________________