Carpentry and Framing
Questions and answers for Carpentry, Framing and Drywall Observations
Performance Standard: At the time the job is accepted, splits, warps, and cups in wood decking boards shall not exceed the allowances established by the official grading rules issued by the agency responsible for the lumber species used for the deck boards, including but not limited to Southern Pine Inspection Bureau, Western Wood Products Association, West Coast Lumber Inspection Bureau, Redwood Inspection Service, and Northeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association.
Corrective Measure: The remodeler will replace decking boards as necessary to meet the performance standard.
Performance Standard: Floors shall not have more than a 1/4 inch ridge or depression within any 32-inch measurement when measured parallel to the joists. Allowable floor and ceiling joist deflections are governed by the local approved building code.
Corrective Measure: The remodeler will correct or repair to meet the performance standard.
Performance Standard: The diagonal of a triangle with sides of 12 feet and 16 feet along the edges of the floor shall be no more than 1/2 inch more nor less than 20 feet, unless the owner and the remodeler agree to build a wood floor out of square in order to match or otherwise compensate for preexisting conditions.
Corrective Measure: The remodeler will make the necessary modifications to any floor not complying with the performance standard for squareness to meet the performance standard.
Performance Standard: Nail heads shall not protrude from the floor of the wood deck during the warranty period.
Corrective Measure: The remodeler will refasten nails with heads protruding from the floor of the deck so that the heads are flush with the surface.
Discussion: Nails should be driven flush when the deck is installed, but they may pop from the deck over time as the wood shrinks and expands.
Performance Standard: No point on the surface of a wood floor shall be more than 1/2 inch higher or lower than any other point on the surface within 20 feet, or proportional multiples of the preceding dimensions, unless the owner and the remodeler agree to build a wood floor out of level in order to match or otherwise compensate for preexisting conditions.
Corrective Measure: The remodeler will make the necessary modifications to any floor not complying with the performance standard for levelness to meet the performance standard.
Performance Standard: All structural members in a wood deck shall be sized, and fasteners spaced, according to appropriate building codes, National Forest Products Association span tables, or a higher standard agreed upon before construction by the owner and the remodeler.
Corrective Measure: The remodeler will reinforce or modify, as necessary, any wood deck not meeting the standard.
Performance Standard: The spaces on opposite sides of individual deck boards shall not differ in average width by more than 1/4 inch at the time the job is accepted. The standard is not applicable to the outermost deck boards.
Corrective Measure: The remodeler will realign or replace decking boards to meet the standard.
Discussion: The spaces will naturally tend to change over time because of shrinkage and expansion of individual boards. The remodeler is only responsible for correct spacing at the time of installation.
Performance Standard: Beams and posts, especially those 3 1/2 inches or greater in thickness (which normally are not kiln dried) will sometimes split as they dry subsequent to construction. Such splitting is usually not a structural concern if posts and beams have been sized according to National Forest Products Association span tables. Unfilled splits exceeding 1/4 inch in width, and all splits exceeding 3/8 inch in width, are unacceptable.
Corrective Measure: The remodeler will repair or replace any beam or post with a defect exceeding the standard. Filling splits is acceptable for widths up to 3/8 inch.
Discussion: Some characteristics of drying wood are beyond the control of the remodeler and cannot be prevented. Compensation is made in span tables for the probable reduction in strength resulting from splitting caused by drying. Therefore, splitting is primarily an aesthetic concern rather than a structural problem. “Checks and splits which occur during the drying of lumber have the effect of reducing the area in the plane of shear resistance. Consequently, laboratory data developed for shear parallel to grain are reduced substantially for design purposes in order to accommodate the probability of the occurrence of checks and splits after drying.
Performance Standard: Beams and posts, especially those 31/2 inches or greater in thickness (which normally are not kiln dried) will sometimes twist or bow as they dry subsequent to construction. Twisting or bowing are usually not a structural concern if posts and beams have been sized according to National Forest Products Association span tables.4 Bows and twists exceeding 3/4 inch in 8 feet are unacceptable.
Corrective Measure: The remodeler will repair or replace any beam or post with a defect exceeding the standard.
Performance Standard: Railings on wood decks shall not contain slivers longer than 1/8 inch in exposed areas at the time the job is accepted.
Corrective Measure: The remodeler will repair railings as necessary to remove slivers prior to acceptance of the job. Repair of slivers after acceptance of the job is an owner’s maintenance responsibility.
Discussion: Slivers can develop from weathering of unprotected wood. Proper finishing of wood surfaces helps prevent slivers from forming.
Performance Standard: Beams and posts, especially those 31/2 inches or greater in thickness (which normally are not kiln dried) will sometimes cup as they dry subsequent to construction. Cupping is usually not a structural concern if posts and beams have been sized according to National Forest Products Association span tables. Cups exceeding /4 inch in 5 1/2 inches are unacceptable.
Corrective Measure: The remodeler will repair or replace any beam or post with a defect exceeding the standard.
Performance Standard: No point on the deck surface shall be more than 3/4 inch higher or lower than any other deck surface point within 20 feet on a line parallel to the house, or proportional multiples of the preceding dimensions, unless the owner and remodeler agree to intentionally build a wood deck out of level in order to match or compensate for inaccuracies in the existing structure.
Corrective Measure: The remodeler will repair the deck as necessary to meet the performance standard.
Performance Standard: Stain color variations are not acceptable only if they result from poor workmanship such as improper stain application or failure to mix the stain properly. Stain color variations resulting from other causes (such as weathering or varying porosity of the wood used to build the deck) are normal and are not covered by this standard.
Corrective Measure: The remodeler will re-stain areas to eliminate stain color variations resulting from poor workmanship.
Performance Standard: Walls shall not be more than 1/4 inch out of plumb for any 32-inch vertical measurement.
Corrective Measure: The remodeler will repair to meet the performance standard.
Performance Standard: Wood deck railings shall be attached to structural members in accordance with applicable codes.
Corrective Measure: The remodeler will repair wood deck railings as necessary to comply with applicable codes.
Performance Standard: All interior and exterior walls have slight variances on their finished surfaces. Bowing of walls shall not blemish the wall’s finished surface. Walls shall not bow more than 1/4 inch out of line within any 32-inch horizontal or vertical measurement.
Corrective Measure: The remodeler will repair to meet the performance standard.
Performance Standard: Interior stair railings shall be attached to structural members in accordance with applicable codes.
Corrective Measure: The remodeler will repair any stair railings as necessary to comply with applicable codes.
Performance Standard: Grade markings shall not be visible on the tops of deck floorboards, except where the grain of the wood requires the mark to be exposed and it is not removed by sanding.
Corrective Measure: The remodeler will sand or reinstall deck floorboards in order to conceal grade markings as far as practical. Sanded areas may not match un-sanded areas.
Discussion: Light colored or natural stains or finishes may not hide grade markings completely even after sanding.
Performance Standard: Squeaks caused by a loose subfloor are unacceptable, but totally squeak-proof floors cannot be guaranteed.
Corrective Measure: The remodeler will refasten any loose subfloor or take other corrective action to eliminate squeaking to the extent possible within reasonable repair capability without removing floor and ceiling finishes.
Discussion: Floor squeaks may occur when a subfloor that has come loose from the joists is deflected by the weight of a person and rubs against the nails that hold it in place. The subfloor or joists may be bowed, and the nails also may be expelled from the wood during drying. Movement may occur between the joist and bridging or other floor members when one joist is deflected while the other members remain stationary. Gluing the subfloor to the joists and eliminating the bridging will reduce squeaks, but the total elimination of squeaks is practically impossible. Renailing floor joists with ring-shank nails also will substantially reduce severe floor squeaks.
The performance standard requires the remodeler to make a reasonable attempt to eliminate squeaks without requiring removal of floor and ceiling finishes.
Performance Standard: Nail stains extending more than 1/2 inch from the nail and readily visible from a distance of more than 3 feet are not acceptable.
Corrective Measure: The remodeler will eliminate nail stains to meet the performance standard.
Performance Standard: Joints and cracks in exterior wall surfaces and around openings shall be properly caulked to exclude the entry of water.
Corrective Measure: The remodeler will repair or caulk joints and cracks in exterior wall surfaces, as required to correct deficiencies, one time only during the warranty period. Even when properly installed, caulking will shrink and must be maintained by the owner.
Performance Standard: The maximum vertical deflection of an interior stair tread shall not exceed 1/8 inch at 200 pounds force.
Corrective Measure: The remodeler will repair the stair to meet the performance standard.
Performance Standard: Cracks between adjoining parts that are designed to meet flush shall not exceed 1/8 inch in width.
Corrective Measure: The remodeler will fix the crack with filler or replace parts as necessary to meet the performance standard.
Performance Standard: Cracks between interior stair rail parts shall not exceed 1/8 inch in width.
Corrective Measure: The remodeler will ensure that individual parts of the railing are securely mounted. Any remaining cracks will be filled or parts replaced to meet the performance standard.
Performance Standard: All beams, joists, rafters, headers, and other structural members shall be sized, and fasteners spaced, l according to appropriate building codes, National Forest Products
Association span tables, or a higher standard agreed upon before construction by the owner and the remodeler.
Corrective Measure: The remodeler will reinforce or modify, as necessary, any floor, wall, ceiling, or roof not meeting the performance standard.
Discussion: Excessive deflection may indicate insufficient stiffness in the lumber, or may reflect an aesthetic consideration independent of the strength and safety requirements of the lumber. Joists and rafters are required to meet standards for both stiffness and strength. The span tables allow, under full design loadings, a maximum deflection equal to 1/360 of the span for floor and ceiling joists (3/8 inch in 12 feet), 1/240 for rafters up to 3/12 in pitch (1/2 inch in 12 feet), and 1/180 for rafters over 3/12 in pitch (3/4 inch in 12 feet). Individual clients may not be satisfied with the deflection limits built into the tables. When a customer’s preference is made known before construction, a higher standard may be agreed upon by the remodeler and the owner.