Worried that your frame is out of control?
Do you want to make sure that your home is being built according to your plans?
Do you just want to know that you’re getting the quality frame that you’re paying for?
Welcome to my course on “Frame Punchout in Two Steps”.
What will you learn in this course?
You’ll learn the most efficient way to punch out your frames. Using the approach that I’ll show you, you’ll have the greatest opportunity to catch problems early, when they’re easiest to correct. I’ll break the punchout process down for you so that you can end up with an accurate, accountable punchlist for your framer. Using this approach, your framer can get his punchout done quicker so that your other trades can get started and keep your house on schedule.
Who is this course for?
Virtually all builders can use this course as a basis for training and to help create a single company-wide method for frame punch out and is intended to help:
- Experienced homebuilders as they train their staff in the process of building their homes.
- Less experienced homebuilders can use this course to jump start their own construction procedures.
- Anyone that is building their own home as an “owner-builder” can use this course to make sure their framer has done a good job before he gets paid and leaves the jobsite forever.
- Even new home buyers can use this course to make sure that their homebuilder is actually checking the quality of their home as it is being built.
A word of caution
Before you try to use any of the information I’m going to present in this course, know this: It is absolutely up to you to make sure that you are capable of understanding the concepts, ideas and information presented here. You need to have a good understanding of how wood-framed homes are built. Learn about the different construction materials and methods that are used in your area. Ask your trades and vendors lots of questions and learn from their experience. If you’re not ready to be fully responsible for punching out your framer’s work, stop now and ask for help. If nothing else, hire a professional inspector to punch out your frame. You’ve been warned.
If you are getting involved in building a home, you have got to do your homework so that you can stay in control and make sure you get your money’s worth. The information you receive here is an important first step in making sure you get the house you are paying for.
Why should you follow this approach to frame punchout?
Because it works. This process works because it’s methodical and logical. The more you use it, the better you get at it.
About me
Having built both custom homes and production homes, I now work as a consultant to the construction industry. I have taught live construction classes and have produced a comprehensive quality assurance checklist system for home builders and consumers called The Builder’s Checklist. My system guides you through the entire construction process and can help consumers and builders get the best home for their money. The cost of this type of training is cheap compared to the huge benefits you’ll see. Presently, The Builder’s Checklist is available as a course on my website: HomeBuilderStudio.com.
Throughout my life, I have built hundreds of homes and I have punched out the framing on every one. The information that I am going to give you here is not presented anywhere else. I am about to give you the best of the information I have on how to best punch out your framer’s work. Thirty-one years of professional experience are included in this information, so I hope you will listen closely.
I really want to give you the confidence to check the frame of your home without the stress or anxiety that most people feel on the job – especially at the prospect of confronting experienced framers with a punch list. Remember that home building is nothing new. You can master it in a logical and orderly way. You just have to stay on track and stay in control.
You may have heard the question: “How do eat an elephant?” The answer is: “One bite at a time”. My system breaks frame punch out into a series of manageable ‘bites’.
Before you begin
Frame Punchout is perhaps the greatest inspection responsibility that any builder has. The frame must be built correctly for all other aspects of the home to work according to the plan. This responsibility for confirming the accuracy and completeness of the frame is the cause for much anxiety, especially for the new builder. However daunting the task may appear at first, frame punchout – like any other task – is much less intimidating once the process is broken into more manageable stages and phases.
There are two Stages of frame punchout: Frame Completion Punchout and Pre-Sheetrock Punchout. Each phase has it’s own timing, requirements and intended purpose.
What are we doing?
Lets start by understanding what punch out is. I am not sure where the word came from, but “punchout” is simply the process of checking a trade’s work. It can also describe the process when a trade is correcting his work.
As you are punching out your framer’s work, you should be making your own “punch out list” to give the framer so that he can fix his work. You should also know that even the best framer will have some punch out to do and they expect that if you’re a smart builder, you’ll give them a punchlist to complete before you pay them. I’d say that on an average home, a good framer will still have a list of twenty or so items. An average framer will have a list of forty to fifty items. I weak framer could end up with a list of over a hundred items.
My rule of thumb is that I won’t even punch out a house that too many items right off the bat. If that happens, I tell the framer to finish the frame and punch out his own work first. Then, I’ll punch out his work after he has tightened the house up.
Also, remember that you should NEVER pay trades in full until you are totally satisfied with their work. No, I am not telling you not to pay them. I am saying that when you pay them, you are saying that you are happy with their work. So, pay them ONLY when you are satisfied. Also, hold something back for the second stage of frame punchout which comes after your mechanical trades are done and right before insulation and sheetrock. This minor punchout is needed so that you can pass your city or other inspections.
And now…
Now it’s time to pay attention. Follow each section carefully and you will catch tons of issues and hopefully end up with a great house – but the real work is up to you. Let’s get started.