Jim and Elizabeth built the foundation and framed up the flooring. They are shown here installing pressure treated 2"x10" floor joist. Elizabeth held the square to align the joist vertically. Jim secured them with his framing nailing gun.

Cutting boards in multiple saved time and ensured they are all the same length. The large opening in the foundation is for a steel access door. The smaller opening is the exact size of a concrete block and is for a ventilating grid. Vent holes are required every 15' by building code.

Adding bracing to stabilize the 14-foot long joists. Building codes vary concerning bracing depending on earthquake susceptibility. Bracing prevents floor joists from lying down like Dominoes in event of lateral movement. The close set joints in the foreground are for the closet/bathroom wall.

We had planned to frame the walls ourselves and hire a real carpenter to frame the hip roof. Circumstances beyond our control caused us to weigh our options and we ended up hiring a builder to frame and enclose the addition. Neighbor Matt had some time between jobs, so bright and early on a March Monday morning he and his crew started work on our addition. Since we had not planned on hiring the job out, our "blueprint" was an 8.5" x 11" printout from our CAD program of the floor layout only. In four days they accomplished what would have taken us much much longer and we can't thank them enough for a job well done.

Next: Day 1 Framing the Byron House Addition