Rant: Everyone says to use 16-inch centers for framing but that's not always right

I keep seeing guys frame whole houses on 16-inch centers no matter what. On a job in Portland last year, the engineer spec'd 12-inch centers for the second floor because of the roof load. The lead guy argued it was a waste. We did it the right way and the inspector said it was the only house on the street that passed the first time. Using 16-inch centers everywhere can fail an inspection or cause sagging later. It costs more in lumber but saves a ton in callbacks. When was the last time you actually checked the plans instead of just doing what you always do?

3 comments

3 Comments

aaron6775d ago

Yeah and it's not just about passing inspection either. I've seen roofs start to sag after a few heavy winters because someone cheaped out on the centers. The plans are there for a reason, the engineer did the math we didn't. Spending an extra hundred on lumber beats eating the cost of a callback to fix a ceiling crack any day.

king.zara5d ago

Ugh, my floors are proof of that.

abby_henderson5d ago

Tell me about it, my whole house is basically a giant crumb collection at this point.