First Wall

May 16, 2020

Peter and Ryan helped me assemble the first wall today.

Peter suggested we face-nail the 2x10s along the top instead of letting it into the studs, which made assembly much faster.

Peter got started cutting while Ryan brought him boards.

The wall is made of 2x6s, between 12 and 16ft in length.

I put the cut boards into place.

Blocking is difficult because minor errors can accumulate to major ones over many blocks.

Then we nailed it all together and squared it up.

This sheathing provides shear-strength to the structure and something solid for the interior insulation to be installed against.

We covered the framing with 7/16″ OSB sheathing.

If moisture condenses on the wall of the fully-conditioned space in the summer, it will drip away instead of absorbing into the sheathing.

We then stapled on a vapor barrier.

I’ve estimated the assembly weighs about 1,450 pounds.

We plan to erect the wall using two 2-ton-rated 20ft chain hoists hanging from the steel frame using slings and hooked into anchor points on the wall.

The entire lifting system is rated for about 4x the actual load.

The anchor points are heavy-duty 1/2″ D-rings attached with 3/8″ x 5″ structural lag screws driven through the OSB into the 4×6 LVL header.

Wall Layout
Rigging