It is important to get the foundation square, plumb and level. If a foundation is out of square or is not level then it will effect the rest of the house including the roof. Since subcontractors have to follow one another in a certain order, they can speak as to the quality of previous tradesmen. My foundation contractor can vouch for my surveyor, my framer can vouch for my foundation subcontractors, my siding and roofer will vouch for my framers.........the list goes on.

Foundation problems are usually a result of a bad footer, improper grade, overloaded points, both horizontal and vertical, that were not accounted for in the blueprint / design process and at times substandard work from the foundation subcontractor.

It is common for older homes to have "shrinkage / movement cracks" over a long period of time, however new homes should not have such. Cracks on newer homes can often be found over windows and doors. Cracks occurring in such places are usually the result of an overloaded header or angle iron. Simply re-pointing the mortar joint will not fix this type of problem, the load issue must be addressed to correct the problem.

Foundations should have anchor bolts or an approved strap to hold down the floor system. In high wind areas the fastening system must also extend through the walls as well. Your local code official can advise what the local requirements are, they can vary from county to county.

Types of foundations consist of; slab, crawl space, basement, wood foundation, concrete and variations of such including using new technology using styrofoam.

These typically cost more however they have better insulation values then your standard concrete, block & brick foundations. Cost is usually a deciding factor in which way to go for a particular area / subdivision.

Footers have been poured and pinned (location points set by surveyor) and now the foundation contractor is setup and ready to build the brick & block foundation.

Foundation is finished, screening (crushed rock the size of sand) has been installed in the crawl space (my subs love me for this) and pest control contractor will be spraying the foundation shortly and when needed I have my french drain installed. Afterwards the framer will be ready to install the floor system. Piers are in place to carry load points originating from the roof.

Floors system and exterior walls are up and ready to be sheeted. Some framers like to install the sheathing and wrap before standing the walls.

Roof system is almost finished and ready to be sheeted.

Floors systems, such as this I-Joist system, must be installed according to manufactures design.

A good framing job makes the siding installation easy.

Carpentry truly is a dying profession. It has become very compartmentalized. A true carpenter can not only frame a house, he should also be able to do roofing, insulation, drywall, painting, trim, flooring, concrete work, cabinetry, vinyl siding etc. Today these areas are done by "specialist" that do not understand the other tradesmen work. As a result quality has all but gone out the window.

Many framers today do not understand "point loads" and how it effects the structure of the house. These loads start with the roof system and follow all the way down to the foundation.

A framer should not only be able to read a set of blueprints but also be able to evaluate the design and find any mistakes that the architect or designer made. Unfortunately framers today feel its not their job to know the code, they just want to nail lumber together. Because of such attitude and many contractors not having the knowledge themselves to catch such mistakes, the only person left is the code official. It is not the building code official's job or responsibility to find every mistake on a construction site, it is the tradesmen that installed it in the first place and the general contractor that took on the responsibility when he/she pulled the permits. Building officials soon learn which contractors are using them as a quality assurance manager, their many failure notices will reflect such.

Common mistakes that building inspectors find are; insufficient nailing, improper bracing or no bracing, no support studs under point loads, miscalculated lumber spans and wrong header sizes, windows not installed according to manufacturers specifications, improper nailing, bracing and cutting of trusses and improper flashing.

If framers had to install, siding, drywall or trim, they would do a few things differently in order to make those job easier.

When looking for a good framer, ask the siding and drywall contractors who they would recommend. Both of these tradesmen all to often catch and fix the mistakes of the framers.

Not all framers are butchers, my hat is off to the good ones, unfortunately they are few and far between.