Alright, I have lots of plans ahead of me with this new place of mine. Hopefully I will make some good headway this year on things without going broke! Part of this is to do some framing work. Whether that be the front and back decks I'd like to put to a couple extra bedrooms to adding a loft, partition wall and storage space to the shop to the ADU I would like to build. As you can tell there is alot of work in store for me just in framing work. The ADU and shop are pole building style and I need some advice on it. I do plan on buying a couple books on framing to help me along the way and also watch all the youtube videos I can. Around my neck of the woods, I can do just about anything I want without restrictions to codes and permits.

Does anyone here have experience in framing and/or pole building? I sure would like to pick your brain on alot of things. This spring, as long as I can find out about my septic portion, I would like to start breaking ground on the ADU. I would like to get the vertical posts set and a pad poured out for it too. I plan on making it into a 2bd/1.5ba 2 story with 1 car garage. Good little layout for the MIL to live in...

Sounds like JAG might be your man. I worked residential construction out of college, but I don't have the years of experience like others. 

Some things to consider for your deck

-composite decking is 2-3 times more expensive than 5/4 pressure treated boards

-stainless steel screws are best for attaching deck boards to framing, unless you want a "color match" treated deck screw

-need special treated nails for PT framing

-need simpson strongtie joist brackets and the special nails that go with them

-16" on center joists

-when in doubt use a 6x6 post instead of a 4x4

-I forget what's best, but you need flashing where you attach to the house and some materials rot while others are fine against PT wood. I forget if we used copper, lead or regular flashing but one is superior long term against the chemicals in PT wood

-4' holes and sonotubes for underneath the posts, at least in New England, below the frost line. For any residential deck I've never used anything wider than a 14" wide sonotube

-for decks high off the ground, instead of running the posts right into the box joist/framing, run the posts into a girder beam, then framing cantalevered over that

I'm building/GCing my first house this spring, and I'll be building the decks to save money and give me and my dad a good father son project. But, I'll be subbing the house framing/shell out to a framer because it will be cheaper and faster

As far as the loft goes inside the pole building you should use 6x12 douglas fir beams if the posts are 12 feet apart. Use minimum sixe 2x8's on 16'' centers to the beams with 2x8 hangers and teco nails. the 2x8 spanning the 12 feet is maxed out code wise so you should use all number one grade or go with 2x10's instead.

Are you planning on pouring a foundation for the addions to the house?

Edited February 1, 20169 yr by JAG1

Where do the beams go? The shop is 60x40 with the trusses clear spanning about 40 feet. Do I have to build a load bearing wall in the middle of the shop? I'll use 2x10 or 2x12 for joists. The posts look to be 12 feet apart, maybe 10. 5 trusses in total.

Eventually I would like pour the foundation, might get someone instead just depends on money. Know a few people who do it for a living.

I own a manufactured home so I technically can't attach anything to it legally. I have to build the decks just a smidge from the house and have it be it's own load bearing setup.