Video: Custom Pocket Door Installation

Here is a time lapse video showing the installation of one of our basement pocket doors (it actually took just over one hour, but we sped it up so the video is just over one minute).

Basement Wall #1 Framed

I got a little help from my friend and got a bunch of framing done, including the first wall with a pocket door.

Storage Area Under Stairs Framed

With the stairs complete, my young apprentice helped me frame the walls underneath the stairs. In addition to framing out the storage area underneath the stairs, these framed walls provide additional support to the stringers. The exterior wall was then insulated with two layers of R14 insulation.

Basement Phase 5: Framing and Insulation

The new concrete floor was poured on Saturday morning of the long weekend, so I rested for most of that day while the concrete dried. The concrete process went as you would expect: one guy using a wheelbarrow to transport concrete from the truck into the chute, and three guys in the basement distributing and leveling the concrete.

Prior to framing and insulating the basement, I had a number of other tasks that needed to be completed. This included removing some old plumbing/electrical from the laundry machines, running the plumbing stack to the future first floor washroom, and running the new duct for the dryer. The biggest task was installing three basement windows, as well as a window to replace the milk box beside the side door.

I then proceeded to frame the three exterior walls. This was not very difficult, but it was time-consuming because I had to work around ductwork and other obstacles. I then insulated those walls by installing two layers of R14 batt insulation; the first layer was placed horizontally behind the studs, and then the second layer was placed vertically inside the studs. Because of space constraints, the wall beside the stairs was only insulated with a single layer of R5 styrofoam insulation.

We have since hooked up the washer and dryer, so for now the basement is essentially a huge laundry room. We will probably take it slow for the next few weeks, and then start working towards finishing the basement.

The Future of Framing

I read an interesting article tonight on the Fine Homebuilding web site entitled The Future of Framing is Here. It discusses smarter framing practices that use less materials and provide for significant improvements in energy efficiency. Some of the changes proposed in this framing methodology for exterior walls include:

• Using 2x6 studs at 24 inches on center;
• Supporting window/door headers with header hangers instead of jack studs;
• Using a single stud at rough openings with no cripple studs under the ends of window sills (I definitely agree that there can be a lot of waste when framing windows/doors);
• Framing corners with just two studs (and drywall clips); and
• Placing windows and doors on stud layout and lining up joists, studs and rafters (seems obvious, eh?).

I didn't notice until after reading the article that this was written back in 2005, which is interesting because I had not heard of some of these concepts before (e.g. header hangers). I don't know if all of these framing techniques are permissible by code (not even sure of a good place to look up code requirements in Ontario?), but the argument for better energy efficiency is convincing.