We had the opportunity to talk with one of our project managers and our head framer to hear what they look for when building your home to make sure it is structurally sound!
Is the foundation drawn out on paper first and then the team goes out and pours the foundation? First, a client picks out a floor plan and it goes straight to our CAD department, and all of the structural items are reviewed by that team on paper before construction begins.
After you’ve reviewed for the foundations, what is the next step? Engineering for the structure on the frame such as header sizing, trusses, girder trusses, bearing points; all of that is reviewed before a final print is drawn. The plans go to a truss engineer with a company we hire and our architectural department for header and joist spans and sizing. All in all, there is a lot of review. There’s a minimal code for everything, and one of the benefits of AVB is that we exceed minimum code a high percentage of the time. That includes things like the sizing of headers and other items that we do above code for preventative maintenance for the future.
Do you do the same inspection for each home even if it’s a similar home or floor plan that you’ve done in the past? Yes, each review is tailored to each home. Each home’s customizations can add a new level of review for our team.
When you’re reviewing plans as a framer, do you catch items when you’re building that need to be fixed? Yes - every home is different and everything looks great on paper, but there are things we notice in the field such as weight issues or header issues that were not caught on paper.
Do you do a foundation inspection before you start framing? Yes, as we frame the basement, we do the interior bearing walls, and there are always little mistakes that you have to account for as you go through the process.
Can you tell us about frame walks and what that looks like for a client building a custom home? The framing team does the first frame walk and they compare everything to the print. They make multiple lists of items they had to add or adjust when actually building. The second walk is done by the city building official who does an inspection and compares the building to the print. He’s looking more for engineer specs and weight spans, weigh distribution and how that aligns with code. As he often points out, AVB does exceed code on many things! The third frame walk is done by the project manager who walks through and makes sure everything looks good. The fourth walk is with the project manager and the homeowner to make sure everything aligns with any changes they may have made during the selections process.
When the framing team does their frame walk, are there items you review with the homeowner that you notice is not feasible based on how the home was drawn? Many times, homeowners will walk through and make changes and the framing team will chat with the project manager about documenting those changes. Anything that has to be structurally changed will be done and is often talked through with the client who is usually receptive to the changes.
Are there processes you’ve done for many years but later on had issues with? As we learn more about the process, practices change. At one point, there were issues with the way our team did deck fastening, so we have since changed the way that it is done to hopefully avoid any issues down the road. Sometimes, we notice that rooflines are going to be a water catch and find that we need to redesign to avoid that. In one instance more recently, we noticed that a roofline was going to be an issue for the homeowner. We were able to fix it and do it in a way that achieved the same look, but will avoid water issues down the road. We always look for roofline intersections where they could possibly collect water.
It is critical to always check and clean out your gutters! If the gutters aren’t clean, you know you’re going to have some water issues somewhere.
Do you do an inspection on materials that you’re using to build the home? Yes. We crown all of our studs to make sure they are good to go. Sometimes, we find that wood has rotted when sitting out for long periods of time. If there’s mold on the studs, it’s already had water damage, so we watch for that and replace if need be.
Are there things that you have to be concerned about with the weather and how does that affect materials? Ice is a big concern. Ice is strong and you can build on top of it, but once it melts, you get settling. We always take the time to scrape all of our load bearing plates and footings to make sure they are ready for us to build properly. Sometimes, we’ll see that OSB absorbs water and then freezes, so we have to find sheets that aren’t wet before moving on. Most of our materials are made for building in the weather. As long as items don’t sit in the sun and rain for long periods of time, they’re fine.
How long is the home framing process? This is definitely scaled to the size of the home that we’re building. It could take anywhere from a week to eight weeks. Smaller homes will be a shorter amount of time, but a bigger custom home may take longer.
How does the weather affect the building process? If it’s too rainy to work, it’s usually because the ground fault circuit interrupters keep tripping and it’s inefficient to keep resetting the breaker. Sometimes, the team can’t sheet a roof because of freezing rain or wind. If it’s extremely cold, hoses can freeze up and products become too brittle that they could break. Basically, our team will do what they can on days that may have inclement weather.
Please note that flashing is so important! This circles back to what we were talking about earlier, but it’s so important. If your house isn’t flashed correctly, it can cause issues. Where rooflines, gutters, and overhangs are, it is key to make sure that there is no damming to prevent water damage down the line, which in turn is helping avoid rot.
Are there any times that you frame, insulate, and head into drywall and then see something that needs to be adjusted? Absolutely. We offer a service with Energy Diagnostics, where they come in with cameras and temperature sensors to find any air gaps or under insulated areas after drywall is complete. Occasionally, we’ll find a spot that we need to repair.
If you’re looking at your own home, look for any structural differences in your home. Things like doors pinching or any other subtle changes that you’ve noticed. Pay attention to that because that means that something in the home has shifted, and everything moves when something big happens.
Is there natural shifting with humidity in the home that are not concerns? Yes! This is exactly why we offer 60-day and 11-month warranty walks and look for items like that because things will move. You’re building with a live product and working with a variety of materials and all of that has to merge together and bond, so there may be a few small repairs here and there. After 11 months, your home is pretty seasoned and we come back again to take a look at everything. If you have an emergency, call our service department, but if it’s small and cosmetic, write it down and we’ll take a look at it at one of your walks.
A couple of last thoughts:
AVB does quite a few things above code including all walls being built 16” on center, all drywall is triple coated, and we use a Durabond first coat mudding product. These are all things that we do that’s above and beyond other building companies. When you buy an AVB home, you’re not just buying the name but the quality. We also stand behind what we say and want you to be happy in your new home!
Please be sure to clean your gutters. This is very important because those are designed to get water away from your home, and if they are full of debris, they can’t do their job properly.
Thanks for listening and reading! We hope you enjoyed our conversation and learned a lot about the structural integrity of your home when building with AVB.
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