In the updated and expanded edition of this top-selling reference book, you'll find the most current, complete and authoritative advice ever compiled on framing floors, walls, and ceilings.

As part of our popular For Pros By Pros series, this comprehensive resource is designed for builders and contractors -- but will work as a practical guide for hands-on amateurs as well.

Full of builder-tested strategies, techniques and trade secrets, here's a single book that delivers everything you'll ever need to build safe, sturdy floors, walls, and ceilings with precision.

• The basics of framing, from 10 proven rules to innovative new methods
• Advanced techniques like framing curved walls and cathedral ceilings
• Up-to-the minute information on the latest materials, such as engineered lumber, I-joist trusses, and LULs
• Over 400 on-the-job photos and detailed drawings show you exactly what to do every step of the way

From cover to cover, this valuable new edition is brought to you by the finest builders in the country -- carefully selected by the editors of Fine Homebuilding magazine.

With this trusty volume by your side, there's no framing job you can't handle with confidence.

Introduction

PART 1: GENERAL FRAMING
10 Rules for Framing
Framing with a Crane
All about Headers
Fast and Accurate Framing Cuts
Nailing Basics
Anchoring Wood to a Steel I-Beam
Common Engineering Problems
The Future of Framing Is Here

PART 2: MATERIALS
Engineered Lumber
Rot-Resistant Framing Material
LVLs: A Strong Backbone

PART 3: FRAMING FLOORS
Factory-Framed Floors
Mudsills
The Well-Framed Floor
Framing and Sheathing Floors
Built-Up Center Beams
Installing Floor Trusses
Framing Floors with I-Joists
Supporting a Cantilevered Bay
6 Ways to Stiffen a Bouncy Floor

PART 4: FRAMING WALLS
Careful Layout for Perfect Walls
Setting the Stage for Wall Framing
Laying Out and Detailing Wall Plates
Not-So-Rough Openings
Framing Curved Walls
Framing Big Gable Walls
Raising a Gable Wall
Better Framing with Factory-Built Walls

PART 5: FRAMING CEILINGS
Curved Ceiling? No Problem
Framing Cathedral Ceilings
Ceiling Remodel: From Flat to Cathedral
Open Up the Ceiling with a Steel Sandwich

Credits
Index

According to John Lienhard, the host of public radio's Engines of Our Ingenuity, two things made building in Colonial America different from building in Europe. One was an abundance of wood. The other was a lack of skilled labor. To settle this country, we needed to invent a new way of building that required less skill and took advantage of local resources. We eventually did it, but two things had to happen first.

In 1791, Samuel Briggs patented a machine for making nails, and in 1813, a Shaker named Tabitha Babbitt invented the first circular saw used on a saw mill. These inventions set the stage for Augustine Taylor, in 1833, to build the first structure in America using what came to be known as balloon framing -- small-dimension lumber held together with nails. Almost 200 years later we're still using that same method to frame houses.

Some things, of course, have changed. Balloon framing, eventually gave way to platform framing. Engineered materials were developed to account for the fact that wood is not nearly as abundant as it once was. And power tools make assembling easier and faster than ever before.

Unfortunately, something else has changed over the years: Interest in the building trades has declined. And we are once again suffering a lack of skilled labor, just like our Colonial ancestors. As a result, good information about building is hard to find, which is what makes this book so valuable. Collected here are 32 articles from past issues of Fine Homebuilding magazine. Written by professional builders from all over the country, these articles deliver detailed advice about framing floors, walls, and ceilings.

Kevin Ireton, Editor
Fine Homebuilding