Framing Estimating Services for Framers and Builders

Walls are measured by length and height from the floor plans, sections and wall schedules. Studs are counted from the spacing, usually 16 or 24 inches on center, then corners, intersections, openings and blocking are added. Plates are measured in linear feet, with double top plates and treated bottom plates listed separately.

Each window and door opening gets a header sized from the structural drawings, plus king studs, jack studs and cripples. These extra pieces add up quickly, which is why a framing takeoff counts openings one by one instead of using a rough allowance.

• Floor framing: joists or I-joists by size and length, rim board, beams, blocking and subfloor sheathing.
• Roof framing: rafters, ridge boards, ceiling joists and collar ties, or trusses from the truss layout.
• Engineered lumber: LVL, PSL and glulam beams and headers from the structural plans.
• Sheathing: wall and roof sheathing by sheet count, with the type and thickness shown in the specs.
• Stairs and decks: stringers, treads, posts and ledgers, when they are in your scope.

Lumber is often priced by the board foot, which equals 144 cubic inches, or a piece 1 inch thick, 12 inches wide and 12 inches long. A 2x4 that is 8 feet long contains about 5.33 board feet. We can show both a board foot total for pricing and a lumber list by size and length for ordering.

A good lumber list saves money on site. It groups material by size and length, so your supplier can quote it quickly and your crew is not cutting long stock to make short pieces.

Structural hardware is easy to miss and expensive to add later. We take off joist hangers, hurricane ties, straps, hold-downs, anchor bolts and post bases from the structural drawings and details. Shear walls get their specified sheathing, nailing pattern and hold-downs, which can be very different from a standard wall in high wind or seismic areas.

Continuous tie-down systems, common in multistory wood buildings, run threaded rods from the roof down to the foundation to resist uplift. They are usually designed and supplied by a specialty manufacturer, so we list the system as its own line, include installation labor and note whether the supplier quote is included or excluded.

For projects with cold-formed steel framing, we take off studs, track, joists and trusses by size and gauge, along with clips, bridging, bracing and fasteners. Load-bearing steel framing usually has its own engineered drawings, which we follow for member sizes and connections.

Single-family homes are driven by wall height, roof complexity and the number of openings. Townhomes add rated party walls and shear walls between units. Multifamily buildings of three to five stories of wood framing over a concrete podium are common, with heavy shear wall and hold-down requirements on lower floors and repetitive unit framing above. Light commercial buildings may combine wood framing with steel beams, engineered lumber and light-gauge steel walls.

For production builders, we price each plan and elevation once, so the numbers can be reused across a subdivision and updated when lumber prices change.

• Are walls 2x4 or 2x6, and at 16 or 24 inches on center?
• Are trusses and engineered beams supplied by you or purchased separately?
• Which shear wall and hold-down requirements apply on each floor?
• Is sheathing, house wrap or window installation part of your scope?
• Is the estimate for material only, labor only or both?

If the plans leave a question open, we state our assumption so you can confirm it with your supplier or client.

A lumber list grouped by floor and phase lets your supplier deliver the right material at the right time: first-floor walls, second-floor joists, then roof framing and sheathing. Staged deliveries reduce waste, theft and weather damage on site.

The list also helps you compare supplier quotes line by line and track lumber price changes between the estimate and the order. When plans change, you can update the affected walls or floors instead of recounting the whole house.

On center (o.c.)

The spacing between framing members, measured center to center.

Board foot

A lumber unit of 144 cubic inches.

Header

A beam over a door or window opening that carries the load above.

Shear wall

A wall built to resist sideways forces from wind or earthquakes.

Hold-down

A steel connector that anchors a shear wall to the foundation or floor below.

• Wall heights over 9 or 10 feet and tall stair or two-story walls
• Complex roofs with many hips, valleys and dormers
• Shear wall and hold-down requirements in wind and seismic areas
• Lumber price changes between estimate and order
• Repetitive plans, which allow faster framing and better pricing