Replies

1. 
   nigel_martin | Oct 21, 1999 07:36am | #1

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   Sounds like your missing some of the details on the blue prints. Yes the studs are 3 1/2" and can be a pain to lay out. Most plans I have worked from show the center line of interior walls and if you don't notice this it will throw of the dimensions. Finish Interior walls are 4 1/2" thick and external walls 4 1/2" plus the exterior finish. Same with windows layed out to the center. To help you with framing there is a tool called "frame master" it has a hook and a stop to space the studs for you. about $10 i think.

2. 
   Guest_ | Oct 21, 1999 05:08pm | #2

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   Maybe the term 4 inch walls comes from the day when studs were actually milled at 2x4.

1. 
   Guest_ | Oct 21, 1999 05:50pm | #3

   *It sounds to me like whoever is drawing your plans is using a CAD program that doesn't use half-inches. Some of the simpler CAD programs draw walls at 4" instead of 3-1/2" or 4-1/2".

1. 
   Guest_ | Oct 21, 1999 06:32pm | #4

   *On our prints, only exterior walls are marked as 4", 3 1/2" studs plus 1/2" sheathing. All interior walls are 3 1/2".With regards to layout, we establish one wall, (usually the longest), as a reference or control wall then generally measure everything off that wall. Hope this helps.

3. 
   PRP | Oct 22, 1999 03:14am | #5

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   Jeff: I like Nigel's post. It seems to me that you are working too hard or the prints don't have the dimensions to Centerlines. What we do here is dimension all interior walls to a centerline; all exterior walls are dimensioned to the outside of the frame.

   I have heard of people who frame to one side or the other of a stud wall but I'd think it would be easier to snap a chalk line and call that "center of the partition" or something like that, versus having to worry about which side (Left or Right) of a line your plate has to be on.

   Phil

1. 
   PRP | Oct 22, 1999 03:27am | #6

   *Regarding the nomenclature. Lumber sizes in North America are given by Nominal Dimensions in Inches. That's where the 4" wall comes from. Just as the Board Foot measurement of lumber is based on the Nominal Dimension of lumber and not its Actual Dimension.

4. 
   Guest_ | Oct 22, 1999 03:47pm | #7

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   Builders in this area tend to hold the outside face of the exterior sheeting flush with the outside of the foundation. This results in a 4" wall on the exteriors.

   I've seen all kinds of crazy widths for interion walls. I wish they would stick with actual dimensions.

5. 
   Jon_Johns | Oct 22, 1999 10:33pm | #8

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   In the drafting trade it's called nominal dimensioning, no fractions. In the old days, if the boss could'nt add fractions, all dimensioning was nominal.

6. 
   Guest_ | Oct 23, 1999 05:29pm | #9

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   The other posts are right about establishing a point tostart from all other diminsions are taken from this point. There is not usually a problem if a partition wall is a hair out. I have seen plans where when you add all the diminsions up they were a foot bigger than the outside of the house. The designer forgot to add the thickness of the walls to his diminsions. After all was said and done the owner couldnt get a piece of furniture he wanted into his study. lay the whole floor out and always check and recheck yourself.

   Rick Tuk

7. 
   PRP | Oct 24, 1999 08:09pm | #10

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   As a kinda Rule, we never even dimension a wall thickness outside of the Foundation Wall on the Foundation Plan. This is important because if the wall thickness changes then niether the prints nor the layout technique have to change.

   Example, say you have an interior 2x4 partition wall and 1/2" gwb on each side. The actual dimension is of couse 4-1/2". But what if the price for sheet goods for 5/8" gwb is cheaper than 1/2" gwb. Well, you just snap the centerline and continue working. The minor wall thickness change is insignificant to the drawing and to the room.

   If you have to have a clear dimension w/ little 'tolerance' for the space, like at a built-in refrigerator/freezer, then you do note it as "Clear" and dimension to the finished face of the walls, but that is the only case where this is done.

   Phil

8. 
   Jeff_S. | Oct 27, 1999 11:18pm | #11

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   When framing from a floor plan the 4" wall always confuses me(I'm still pretty new to framing). Why is it not a 3 1/2 wall? To me, this would be a lot easier to follow. Somebody told me it's because it's rough carpentry but that wasn't good enough for me. Can some one explain this to me and also give some tips on ways to lay out a wall with this 4"s everywhere when it really only adds up to 3 1/2"? If I frame according to the print one room ends up a few inches larger than its adjacent ones. What's the easiest way around this? Thanks. Jeff