Just wondering what the longest wall anyone was stood up after framing it? Was it already sheathed? I've done a 20 foot with 4 other guys. Looking at building a 24x30. How hard is it to stand up a 30 foot wall? And a 30 foot wall with 2 garage and 1 man door that will be totally top heavy?
Standing up a framed wall.
- Thread starter Skooterj
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HeadsUp
Well-known member
You didn't specify a height or if you were using (2) top plates. I had my 15 year old son help me stand up 12' wide by 10' tall unsheathed walls. Added a second over lapping top plate once all 4 walls were up.
Watch this YouTuber fairly often. He typically builds his walls offsite in 8' lengths.
Ken's Karpentry
Watch this YouTuber fairly often. He typically builds his walls offsite in 8' lengths.
Ken's Karpentry
matt_i
Well-known member
Stood up is one thing. Lifting it up ~2-1/2" to drop it over the cast-in anchoring studs is a whole different animal.
It seems like a time-cheat, its fast to frame as one big unit but then costly in other ways.
Look at GRK-RSS screws in 5/16 x 3-1/8" length. They will have the wall sections so tightly pulled together you'd think it was held by C-clamps. Only downside is a little sharp tip that protrudes past the 3" nominal framing dimension.
It seems like a time-cheat, its fast to frame as one big unit but then costly in other ways.
Look at GRK-RSS screws in 5/16 x 3-1/8" length. They will have the wall sections so tightly pulled together you'd think it was held by C-clamps. Only downside is a little sharp tip that protrudes past the 3" nominal framing dimension.
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mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
A 30' wall will need several guys and/or wall Jacks.
Crazy framer on youtube has built entire houses himself, using wall Jacks to stand fully sheathed walls
Crazy framer on youtube has built entire houses himself, using wall Jacks to stand fully sheathed walls
firebirdparts
Well-known member
On habitat houses, it seems like they can do it with the entire house (30 feet is no problem), but that's with a lot of people, and too, it's an 8 foot tall wall. There's really no reason to though. I built my shop with wall sections already sheathed, but that was pretty hard with say 6' of length per person. That extra weight on there makes the wall want to get away from you. Plus I had floor bolts that we had to lift over. My dad figured out how to do it, and it's a good thing he did.
nadogail
Well-known member
If you have enough help you can stand up almost anything. Two people should be able to stand up an 8 foot wall.
I would stand the wall with O/H openings up in sections. Those headers will really make it off center.
duneslider
Well-known member
a 30' wall is going to weigh 800# or more I would guess. Pretty heavy to lift by hand unless you have a bunch of guys. Any chance you have access to a reach lift? You could string that whole thing up and set it in place.
Boilerhouse
Well-known member
I built a 24 x 30 with 2 x 6 framed walls completely alone. The 24 ft section was done in 2 twelve foot sections, I am pretty sure the 30 ft walls was done in 2 fifteen foot sections. The sheathing was 1/4 in aspenite, and I installed the lower course only while the walls were still on the ground. So it certainly can be done, and 3 or 4 people should be able to easily do it.
My grandfather and I built and sheathed all of the walls of my 40x44x14 garage laying down while strategically stacking them on top of one another.
Then when the crane was onsite to set the trusses, we rented it for an additional 2 hours and stood/squared all the walls before setting the trusses.
Only had to pay one site charge for the crane so the additional 2 hours was not a large expense, well worth it for the work that was saved IMO.
Then when the crane was onsite to set the trusses, we rented it for an additional 2 hours and stood/squared all the walls before setting the trusses.
Only had to pay one site charge for the crane so the additional 2 hours was not a large expense, well worth it for the work that was saved IMO.
Michigan Mike
Well-known member
If you insist on doing it in one lift you can save some weight by leaving the door headers out and installing them after the wall is up.
johnharris
Well-known member
It took 8 of us to lift a 36' sheathed wall last month for a friend.
CraigStu
Well-known member
I agree. I helped my SIL and we decide that 121ft long sections were the max unsheathed for the 2 of us. Standing it up was no big deal. Lifting it over the anchor studs sticking up 2.5 inches was the killer. I don't know all the math involved but standing up the wall you are lifting just a portion of it's weight. Getting it up over top of those studs you are lifting 100% of it's weight.
I'll have at least 3 helpers when I stand them up. They are being lifted onto a one block(8 inch) stem wall. No access to a reach lift, but I might ask the farmer down the road if I can borrow his tractor with bucket. When I stood up the 20 foot walls, they were a little over 8 feet tall and fully sheathed. I used full 96 inch studs. I had 4 helpers then and it was a piece of cake. But there was no stem wall, and we drilled the anchors after the wall was up. I was replacing an existing building that a tree fell on, and the old anchors were all busted or bent. So we cut them all off and put in 1/2" tapcons. My new walls will be 10 feet tall and the anchors will be set in the stem wall.
Bretny
Well-known member
23ft, 1 man door, 1 window. Completely sheathed and house wrapped. Sheething still in the door/window opening. 3 people one being older.
If you place the bottom of the wall at the correct location you can toenail it to the sub floor(in your case maybe bottom plate) and the nails will bend over as the wall is raised. Gives way less chance for the wall to fall off the subfloor/bottom plate.
I have used wall Jack's before and they are very nice, they also hold there value prety well.
If you place the bottom of the wall at the correct location you can toenail it to the sub floor(in your case maybe bottom plate) and the nails will bend over as the wall is raised. Gives way less chance for the wall to fall off the subfloor/bottom plate.
I have used wall Jack's before and they are very nice, they also hold there value prety well.
tstaude
Well-known member
Did some ten-ft walls when solo building of my house. I would put pieces of scrap 4 x 4 beneath the top rail, one piece at a time, only having to lift the wall a few inches at a time. Once I got the wall raised up a few feet, a lot of the weight was on the bottom rail and raising it the rest of the way was not too bad. Main concern was I was standing on the floor joists to do this, had to be very careful with my footing. I also had to have a couple boards ready to brace the wall once I had it vertical. I did this by nailing two long 2 x's on a couple of studs so I could secure the wall after raising. Where there's a will.....
Innovate1
Well-known member
I had walls for a 30 x 40 x 14' high done. They did the walls in two sections each. The 30' wall for the OHDs had some headers at the very top (portal framing as done here) so they were very top heavy. Think they had three guys to stand them up. No wall jacks. They did tack some 2x4s near about 2/3s of the way to the top for bracing and used them to steady the wall once it was partly raised.
southernfriedcj
Well-known member
40', 10' height, 2x6 framing. 1 guy.I'm still not done with the house, but I'm getting ready to put in the hardwood floors and tile.
Vtor
Well-known member
duneslider
Well-known member
That is really cool! I have never seen it done that way before, I would love to see a video of that process! Really cool!
Vtor
Well-known member
DGersic
Well-known member
I stood up 8’ and 12’ framed walls, no sheathing, when building my shed. Got all four up, C clamped the corners to square it up, then attached everything. Top plate on after to tie the corners together.
If I were trying to get walls over anchors, I’d put down some blocks first. Get the wall up, over the studs, then hammer the block out. Easier to use gravity than to fight it.
If I were trying to get walls over anchors, I’d put down some blocks first. Get the wall up, over the studs, then hammer the block out. Easier to use gravity than to fight it.
theoldwizard1
Well-known member
I have seen them do 40' walls on videos. IIRC, 2 wall jacks and like 4 extra people helping. Make sure you install some temporary bracing so it does not go over center.
The biggest problem with big wall lifts is the weight causing the ends to sag. Adding a 20' 2x6 screwed perpendicular to the top plate is a good idea.
The biggest problem with big wall lifts is the weight causing the ends to sag. Adding a 20' 2x6 screwed perpendicular to the top plate is a good idea.
TractorJeff
Well-known member
We did 12ft tall by 28ft long sheathed walls.
We left one piece sheathing off for the skidsteer forks to lift by the top plate.
He tipped it up, lifted it over the anchor bolts!
Even the walls with the door headers installed.
We left one piece sheathing off for the skidsteer forks to lift by the top plate.
He tipped it up, lifted it over the anchor bolts!
Even the walls with the door headers installed.
I framed my 24 by 30 garage walls myself. Built a short wall same height as my stem wall so I was lifting from one end to tilt up. Did walls in 2 sections and did not sheath till it was up. The entire process was not that difficult, I was 64 at the time. I did bring in my 65 year old buddy for help when I put in the rafters, could not handle 18 foot 2 by 10 rafters
on a 12/12 pitch by self though.
on a 12/12 pitch by self though.
I framed and sheathed everything myself and lifted them in place with a forklift. 16’ ceiling height minus the height of my stem walls. It’s been a few years ago, but if I remember correctly, I lifted 14’ sections of the wall at a time. Worked great.
