Dirt to KeysResidential Build Sequence
All phases
3

Structural Framing

The house stops being a drawing. Plumb, level, square, dry.

Typical duration: 3–6 weeks
4 steps
0/18 complete
11–2 weeks

Sill Plates, Wall Framing & Layout

Plate layout, wall framing, openings, and blocking that every later trade depends on.

Framing

Prerequisites & handoff

  • Slab cured and swept
  • Anchor bolts verified
  • Approved plans on site

Critical measurements & tolerances

  • Pressure-treated sill plate with sill sealer / termite barrier on all concrete contact
  • Studs 16" on center standard, 24" allowed on some non-bearing and advanced-framing walls
  • Walls plumb within 1/4" over 8' and straight within 1/4" in 10'
  • Rough openings: standard interior door RO = door width + 2", height + 2-1/2"; verify per manufacturer
  • Header sizing per span table; king and jack stud count per plan
  • Notching / boring limits: bore max 40% of stud depth, notch max 25%, hole min 5/8" from edge
  • Tub / shower blocking at 32"–34" for grab bars, cabinet blocking at 54" and 84" for uppers

Permits & inspection milestones

  • Shear wall / hold-down inspection where required before sheathing is covered

Field tips & tricks

  • Crown every stud the same direction and cull the bananas. Drywall shows every bowed stud under raking light.
  • String-line the top plate of long walls before sheathing. Straight walls make cabinets and trim fast.
  • Add backing for towel bars, TVs, closet shelves and handrails now — photograph it with a tape for the drywall punch.

Reference documents

View in library →

Field checklist

0 / 5 complete
  • Sill sealer and PT plates set
  • Walls framed, plumb, and straight
  • Headers per plan
  • Rough openings verified against door / window schedule
  • Blocking and backing installed and photographed
23–5 days

Shear Walls, Straps & Hold-downs

The lateral system: sheathing, nailing patterns, and the connectors that resist wind and seismic load.

Framing
Inspections

Prerequisites & handoff

  • Walls framed and braced
  • Structural sheet showing shear schedule

Critical measurements & tolerances

  • Nailing per shear schedule, commonly 8d at 6" edge / 12" field; 4" or 3" edge for high-load panels
  • Nails set flush — overdriven more than 1/16" loses shear capacity and fails inspection
  • Panel edge gap 1/8" for expansion
  • Hold-down anchors torqued and squarely bearing; strap nailing 100% filled

Permits & inspection milestones

  • Framing / shear inspection
  • Special inspection where the structural sheet calls for it

Field tips & tricks

  • Set the nail gun pressure with a test panel each morning. Overdriven nails are the #1 shear failure.
  • Fill every hole in every strap. A half-nailed strap is worth nothing to an engineer or inspector.

Reference documents

View in library →

Field checklist

0 / 4 complete
  • Sheathing nailing verified
  • Hold-downs installed and torqued
  • Straps fully nailed
  • Shear inspection passed
31–2 weeks

Floor System, Roof Trusses & Sheathing

Set the floor and roof structure, brace it permanently, and sheathe.

Framing
Roofing

Prerequisites & handoff

  • Walls plumb and braced
  • Truss package approved by engineer
  • Crane access confirmed

Critical measurements & tolerances

  • Subfloor glued and screwed; deflection / squeak-free, flat within 1/4" in 10'
  • Truss bearing min 3" on wood, per truss drawing; never cut or notch a truss
  • Permanent lateral bracing and web bracing exactly per truss engineering
  • Roof sheathing H-clips where specified, 1/8" panel gap
  • Attic access min 22" x 30" with 30" headroom above

Permits & inspection milestones

  • Framing inspection including truss bracing

Field tips & tricks

  • Keep the stamped truss drawings on site. Inspectors check bracing against them, not against habit.
  • Any truss modification needs written engineering. Field-cutting a web is a rebuild, not a repair.

Reference documents

View in library →

Field checklist

0 / 4 complete
  • Floor system set, glued, screwed
  • Trusses set and braced per drawings
  • Roof sheathed and clipped
  • Truss drawings on site
41 week

Roof Dry-in, Windows & Exterior Doors

Get the house watertight — the milestone that lets interior trades start.

Roofing
Framing

Prerequisites & handoff

  • Roof sheathed
  • Windows on site and inspected for damage

Critical measurements & tolerances

  • Underlayment laps 2" horizontal, 4" vertical minimum; ice barrier from eave to 24" inside the warm wall in cold climates
  • Valley and step flashing min 4" each side; kickout flashing at every roof-to-wall termination
  • Window flashing sequence: sill pan first, jambs, then head flashing over the WRB
  • WRB laps shingle-style: upper course over lower, 6" min vertical laps

Permits & inspection milestones

  • Weather barrier / window flashing inspection in many jurisdictions

Field tips & tricks

  • The kickout flashing is the single cheapest part on the job and the cause of the most expensive wall rot. Never skip it.
  • Shim windows at the sill only at bearing points, and never through the sill pan.
  • Flash sill pans before the window, tape jambs over the flange, leave the head lap under the WRB — water always wins arguments about order.

Reference documents

View in library →

Field checklist

0 / 5 complete
  • Roof dried in
  • WRB installed shingle-lapped
  • Windows set plumb, level, flashed
  • Exterior doors set and pan-flashed
  • Kickouts installed
Earthwork & FoundationMEP Rough-ins