I’m currently renovating a home. I’m a home owner who has some has some past renovation experience but I’m not even close to an expert. For this renovation, I opted to do the framing myself. I pulled permits on the job and I’m unsure how to deal with a “new vs old” problem.
I pulled down the drywall along an internal kitchen wall so that I can close up one doorway and open another. The wall is constructed with 2x4s, 24 OC – do you know if I will have to reframe the entire wall to 16 OC to pass framing inspection?
If I’m likely to be dinged, I might as well bite the bullet and do it now rather than frame up the new doorway and then find out I have to rip it all out and start over.
Thanks in advance!
Replies
Not knowing anything else how the home is framed, # of stories, load above...
I’ve been doing this for almost 50 years and I realized this early on, ask inspection. Without an engineered drawing to back you up it’s always better to ask the inspector. Downside as in everything, he or she might be an ah and it’s their way or the hiway. I’ve dealt with all kinds but the vast majority are there to keep your structure and you safe.
Also ask around at various job sites in the town and find out if there are more than one inspector and if so which is the more knowledgable ie less ah and get his/her opinion
The short answer is that you're probably fine.
Thanks for the input. I've decided to throw up a temp wall and then remove/replace the wall. After doing some more investigation, it's not even 24 OC! Seems to be pretty random and haphazard - I can't believe what the framer got away with in the 80's. Just for reputation alone, it's worth doing it right. Even at 6.50/2x4, it'll be worth the money and the time.
My house is like this, too (built in '64). I went to install a floating bedside table in my younger daughter's room, planning to attach it to the studs near both ends (it's 28" long), and found only one stud in the 40" or so area I tested--and it was broken! (Then there are other areas where the studs are less than 16". It's insane.) I ended up building a long 2x bracket to go underneath the table--I attached it above and below the break, so I kind of sistered it to the stud, hoping that would at least do something--and used heavy-duty anchors at the ends.
The worst part is, it's an exterior wall! Luckily we're planning to build a bathroom back there, so we'll basically be turning that wall into an interior wall at some point.
IOW, it wasn't just in the 80s that framers seemed to get away with wackiness.
Good luck with your project! I renovated my kitchen three years ago--added 24 linear feet of counter space (the old layout had 4. That's not a typo. Four linear feet of countertop in the entire kitchen, interrupted by a stupid catty-corner sink, which I removed, moved, and replaced), built and installed all-new cabinets and a 60" long peninsula/island with shelves, built countertops out of beetlekill pine, new appliances, the works. Discovered half the walls weren't insulated, so added that behind new drywall, tiled two walls from countertop to ceiling, built some open shelving, replaced a sliding-glass door with a single nine-lite and a 24" wide window with a 60" wide...it was a lot of work, and a mess for a while, but I'm still very happy with my new kitchen, and happy with the work I did (did almost all of it myself; the only pros I hired were plumbing and electric, and Scherr's Custom Cabinets to make my cabinet doors--they did a fantastic job, btw, I recommend them).
(Sorry, I'm an avid cook/baker in addition to DIYer/woodworker, and I'm a lady, so I can get chatty about kitchens.)