Framing in the rain?

[gtae07]

Anyone have experience framing while it's raining? I'm trying to get my walls and roof framed up but it just keeps raining in the afternoons and on my days off. The forecast is showing rain every day for the next week, except maybe Sunday, and the long-range pattern is more of the same. Rain has been the story of this whole project; during the site prep stage this winter it would rain all weekend long, and only dry out by the following Friday--just in time for it to rain again.

From a personal standpoint I don't mind working in the rain and getting soaking wet so long as I don't have lightning to worry about, and I have a covered porch where I can set the saw up and make all my cuts. Out on the slab I'd be using only hand tools or the nail gun, and some clamps. I'll even eat the cost if this winds up ruining them so long as I can get the framing part done; I just want to finally be dried in and then I don't have to worry about rain any more.

 

[PelicanPines]

I was lucky and it only rained a few times during my house build but i was able to find the following link for you: http://www.askthebuilder.com/rain-soaked-framing-lumber/

 

[pstnbly]

Ya gotta do what'cha gotta do. It ain't no fun and mistakes will be made.

 

[dfiler2]

Go for it, just don't jump right in to finishing the inside, let it dry out for awhile after it is enclosed.

 

[gtae07]

Go for it, just don't jump right in to finishing the inside, let it dry out for awhile after it is enclosed.

That's the plan... if I can get the roof on and the walls/siding done, then the rest goes so much faster. I'm going to be running electrical and fixing some of the surrounding landscaping so that'll give it time to dry out before I insulate and drywall. I'll probably have to call in a few favors to get the roof sheathing and tar paper done if I can't get a decent stretch of weather; I don't want OSB getting rained on.

 

[RivennHewn]

Framing in the PNW and Alaska- if you don't frame in the rain, you don't frame.

 

[theoldwizard1]

The plywood decking will fail it exposed to water for long periods (weeks/months).

 

[cheechi]

Here in NC where I learned what I know about framing (nothing serious, sheds, gazebos, habitat build sites) we add 1/16 if the wood is really wet. Never had an issue getting things square and especially with octagon gazebos you can really tell if your angle is too wide or your board is too short.

Weather here changes daily so part of what we deal with is the rapid warming/drying just as much as the wet itself.

 

[Apex Structures]

Don't cover your wet wood and stay off the roof.

 

[ddawg16]

Try to keep your stack of wood dry with a tarp. Put tarps over the completed portions.

The length does not really change....the swelling from the water is width wise.
On a 2x12, it will add as much as a 1/4" to the width.

As noted above, don't let it get on sheathing....it will ruin it over time.

 

[bgarrett]

When I built my 24x36 on a slab, I began putting things on the slab and every time it started raining, I would worry about my stuff getting wet so I would go out there and get to work. Every time I worked on the building was in the rain except for once when it was snowing. That was 1980 and the building is still good

 

[TAMPAGT07]

"Framin' in the rain, Just Framin' in the rain, what a glorious feeling, I'm happy again."

Sorry, sometimes weird sh!t just pops into my head....

 

[Seagoon]

Only sometimes?

 

[TAMPAGT07]

Only sometimes?

Ok, I lied.... It's a constant battle.....

 

[owenst7]

Framing in the PNW and Alaska- if you don't frame in the rain, you don't frame.

Was gonna say exactly that. I was a roofer and for a brief period also a framer in Anchorage for about 10 years. I've shingled in the rain probably more than I've done it in the sun. I can say that DeWalt radios and the famous mag77 saw will hold up fine in the rain; however the DeWalt chargers will seem to be fine but left on indoors may burn your shop down (had that happen to a friend).

OSB is significantly weakened after a dozen or so wet dry cycles, but the industry ignores it.

 

[tcianci]

Your framing materials will generally tolerate more rain than you will. Refrain from papering and siding or roofing till things dry out. You can tarp your stock to keep it dry but dont tarp any structure unless it was dry when you framed it. The trick is to let things dry out.If your concerned about getting the roof tight quickly, use the Zip system roof sheathing and the Zip wall tape, your roof will be water tight the minute you put it up.

 

[Falcon67]

"Framin' in the rain, Just Framin' in the rain, what a glorious feeling, I'm happy again."

Sorry, sometimes weird sh!t just pops into my head....

An MGM Construction.

 

[southalabama]

Watch the power saws otherwise other than being miserable and slippery all should be okay as long as you let the moisture out before you seal it up

 

[gtae07]

Watch the power saws otherwise other than being miserable and slippery all should be okay as long as you let the moisture out before you seal it up

Saw will stay under cover on the porch if it's raining.

Actually got lucky yesterday and the rain held off till it was time to come in to eat... if that holds today I'll have a third wall up and be able to start on the fourth. Still trying to figure out how I'm going to get that ridge board in place, though...

 

[DonPowers]

Beats framing in the snow and scraping ice off the trusses.

 

[Playwme]

"Framin' in the rain, Just Framin' in the rain, what a glorious feeling, I'm happy again."

Sorry, sometimes weird sh!t just pops into my head....

I'd love to tell you that you're the only person who read the title and started singing the tune that way, but I can't.

 

[volleyball]

Can you buy/rent a tent system to keep the material dry and build the walls under? Then bring them out to install. Think Mason tent. Some scrap lumber, tarps and you'll be working dry. I've built a few and they look ugly as I use scrap lumber and a million deck screws and different color tarps. I call it shanty town but it works. Be sure to pitch it. That way water will run off.

 

[DonPowers]

I used Advantech for my exterior sheathing, its stronger and more moisture resistant than OSB or Plywood.

http://www.huberwood.com/advantech/products/advantech-sheathing

 

[volleyball]

Another thought. Since time seems critical since you cannot wait until the rainy season ends, did you consider hiring a framing crew? It may be a days work for them to do the walls.
Crews may be idle if the weather there is that bad.

 

[gtae07]

Another thought. Since time seems critical since you cannot wait until the rainy season ends, did you consider hiring a framing crew? It may be a days work for them to do the walls.
Crews may be idle if the weather there is that bad.

Well, at this point I'm making good progress and I have a plan of attack for the rest of the stick framing. Also, since my structure isn't quite the usual for the area (though still legal and proper) and I don't have a full set of printed normal plans, I'm afraid I'd spend just as much time trying to organize their efforts and communicate the plan to them as I would just doing it myself.

Oddly, this isn't usually our rainy season--that's normally June-August (but even then, it doesn't normally rain but every couple days; you just get a lot when it does).

 

[ADSR]

Framing in the PNW and Alaska- if you don't frame in the rain, you don't frame.

This^^

I've built so many houses in the pouring rain, it's not even funny.

 

[upndown]

Beats framing in the snow and scraping ice off the trusses.

+1 Framing in the cold rain one day, shoveling snow off the deck the next morning. Not Alaska, but it didn't take me long to wise up.

 

[RivennHewn]

Beats framing in the snow and scraping ice off the trusses.

I was about 18, and framing a house in the winter.

We went to set trusses on a cold, clear day.

The boss got the great idea for me to take the weed burner to the top plates.

The crunchy frozen snow wasn't slick, but the sheet ice that formed from the melted snow sure was.

 

[volleyball]

This^^

I've built so many houses in the pouring rain, it's not even funny.

It's only funny when you are watching some other poor sucker doing it, not so much when the poor sucker is you.
I hate working in the rain. Snow is ok, but rain and blistering heat is not.

 

[gtae07]

I hate working in the rain. Snow is ok, but rain and blistering heat is not.

I don't mind heat and rain, so long as I have a good supply of cold water to drink and I can take a shower and cool off when I'm done. I abhor snow and cold, though (one reason among many why I live so far south...).

 

[owenst7]

It's only funny when you are watching some other poor sucker doing it, not so much when the poor sucker is you.
I hate working in the rain. Snow is ok, but rain and blistering heat is not.

The only weather I hate is wind. Wind is dangerous. That, and what the rest of the world considers to be hot would probably kill me. I went to the ER with heat stroke at 67° once when I was a roofer Lol. Cloudy/spitting rain at 40° and I can work hard all day comfortably.

 

[volleyball]

I guess it just shows how different we are. Wind is bad, rain is bad, working in monsoon season in the Asian tropics is real bad.

 

[RivennHewn]

I guess it just shows how different we are. Wind is bad, rain is bad, working in monsoon season in the Asian tropics is real bad.

It was so hot in the Phillipines I thought the monsoon was in my sweaty pants.

Then the jungle rot set in.

Snow and rain don't sound so bad now, do they?