Framing question: Stud spacing

Factual Questions
1

I’ve been reading up on wall framing for a project I’m working on, and I’m a bit confused about the stud spacing. Assuming we use 16" spacing, on center, how do you deal with the ends? If the wall length doesn’t divide into an integer number of 16" segments, do your shorten the spacing at one end? Or, do you start at either end and shorten a space in the middle? Or something else…?

What if the wall height changes along its run, and if that change does not occur at one of the 16" segments. Do you continue the higher wall on the same 16" centers as the lower wall (having the lower wall extend into the fist part of the taller wall), but then add in a shorter stud on the top plate of the lower wall where the taller wall is supposed to begin? That would, again, screw up the 16" spacing on the upper part of the taller wall where it meets up with the shorter one. Or, do you do something different?

Also some books seem to imply that do the corners of the first wall you erect slightly differently than the 2nd wall (and, I presume the 3rd and 4th are done same as the 2nd). Am I reading that right, or am I misunderstanding something?

I’m assuming these are structural walls, too.

2

I’ve done quite a bit of framing. Admittedly, it was all prefab work for buildings that would stand for less than a week before being subjected to a car that had 500 pounds of ANFO in it. When we fabbed the walls, we started at one end. If the last gap was less than 24", we split the difference. If it was more than 24" but less than 32", we’d keep it on 16" centers. Similarly, on roof sections that were on 24" centers, if it was going to be less than 3’, we’d split the difference, and more than 3’, and we’d continue regular spacing. As I said, though, this was for buildings that were about to be destroyed anyway, and it may be a code issue, but I just had to share the story!

3

[QUOTE=Santo Rugger]
I’ve done quite a bit of framing. Admittedly, it was all prefab work for buildings that would stand for less than a week before being subjected to a car that had 500 pounds of ANFO in it.
[/QUOTE]

Whatever you do for a living sounds fascinating, although I’ll bet you can’t talk about it very much.

4

[QUOTE=John Mace]
I’ve been reading up on wall framing for a project I’m working on, and I’m a bit confused about the stud spacing. Assuming we use 16" spacing, on center, how do you deal with the ends? If the wall length doesn’t divide into an integer number of 16" segments, do your shorten the spacing at one end? Or, do you start at either end and shorten a space in the middle? Or something else…?

What if the wall height changes along its run, and if that change does not occur at one of the 16" segments. Do you continue the higher wall on the same 16" centers as the lower wall (having the lower wall extend into the fist part of the taller wall), but then add in a shorter stud on the top plate of the lower wall where the taller wall is supposed to begin? That would, again, screw up the 16" spacing on the upper part of the taller wall where it meets up with the shorter one. Or, do you do something different?

Also some books seem to imply that do the corners of the first wall you erect slightly differently than the 2nd wall (and, I presume the 3rd and 4th are done same as the 2nd). Am I reading that right, or am I misunderstanding something?

I’m assuming these are structural walls, too.
[/QUOTE]

In my area, stick-built homes use 16" OC spacing; a given wall is built flat on the deck and raised to position. The mechanism of how to start at the end is very inconsistent; a height change is usually built as two separate walls and the 2x4 studs nailed to each other. It is slightly easier for drywalling to create the spacing such that a sheet of 8 or 12’ drywall will center on a stud without cutting, but since one crew does the rough framing and a different one does the drywall, it’s seldom a very important consideration. It’s completely fine to start at one end and mark the bottom and top plates every 16 inches. Also, depending on how the corners join, an extra stud may be put in at each end of the first wall so there is a stud against which to nail the dr;ywall (this puts 3 studs supporting each corner). Every corner needs a stud on each wall plane against which drywall can be nailed; I am not explaining this well but if you visualize you’ll see why the first wall is different from the second wall. Without a stud a few inches from the end of that first wall, there won’t be anything against which to nail the drywall after you put up the second wall.

Overall the most important consideration is that any full spaces are 16" OC, in my opinion. The rest of the smaller spaces are all over the place. This makes insulating much easier, since any full 16" OC cavities are filled with a standard width insulation. For drywalling it becomes impossible to maintain the studs in exactly the right place so that standard 8 or 12 foot sheets don’t need cutting, and besides, drywall is easy as pie to cut.

5

The primary purpose for modular spacing is so that the panels you’ll apply to the studs (drywall or plywood or whatever - they usually come 4’x8’ or 4’x12’) will land with their seams on the center of a stud. Note that your first bay should actually be 15-1/4" if the panel will run to the edge of the first stud rather than the center.

Oddly-spaced bays can occur wherever you want, as long as you don’t mind cutting panels. If the bays are all 16" or less, you’ll have no structural problem.

It can be a fun puzzle if your object is to make as few cuts as possible.

ETA: also rolls of insulation are made to fit the resultant cavity of a 16" o.c. spacing.

6

[QUOTE=Santo Rugger]
I’ve done quite a bit of framing. Admittedly, it was all prefab work for buildings that would stand for less than a week before being subjected to a car that had 500 pounds of ANFO in it. When we fabbed the walls, we started at one end. If the last gap was less than 24", we split the difference. If it was more than 24" but less than 32", we’d keep it on 16" centers. Similarly, on roof sections that were on 24" centers, if it was going to be less than 3’, we’d split the difference, and more than 3’, and we’d continue regular spacing. As I said, though, this was for buildings that were about to be destroyed anyway, and it may be a code issue, but I just had to share the story!
[/QUOTE]

Just my opinion (as the general of a couple of my own houses, but that’s my only expertise)…I dislike it when a stud distance of less than 2 16"OC is “split.” Structurally it’s fine, but the expectation of someone who is finding studs post drywall is that once they find one stud, they can expect one every 16" OC except at one end or the other, when there is not enough distance for a full space, or under a window or the like where there are double studs. I like the bottom plate marked out every 16" and any extra studs (to support a window or whatever) are added as extras above and beyond the standard 16"OC. Near the end of the wall, only the final cavity should be a non-standard width if at all possible.

7

To add what’s been said, look at your project from the perspective of the sheeting that covers the studs. You start at one end and keep a consistent run because both 16" and 24" spacing works with a 4’ x 8’ sheet. When you get to the other end you space your studs to use up what you have left.

8

[QUOTE=Magiver]
To add what’s been said, look at your project from the perspective of the sheeting that covers the studs. You start at one end and keep a consistent run because both 16" and 24" spacing works with a 4’ x 8’ sheet. When you get to the other end you space your studs to use up what you have left.
[/QUOTE]

Thanks. I understand the purpose of the 16" spacing, I was just wondering if there was a standard protocol for what to do at the end.

9

[QUOTE=Dewey Finn]
Whatever you do for a living sounds fascinating, although I’ll bet you can’t talk about it very much.
[/QUOTE]

The buildings were built for “incident response to terrorist bombing” courses offered to first responders to train them how to respond in the event of a terrorist attack. In said carp shop, we also built tables for the pipe bombs, which were detonated next to watermelons (they show surprisingly similar reactions to a blast as human flesh), and targets for penetrating warheads, among other things.

But, John, take Chief’s advice. By the time we were looking for the studs, it was pretty obvious where they were. :smack:

Sorry for the hijack.

10

[QUOTE=John Mace]
Thanks. I understand the purpose of the 16" spacing, I was just wondering if there was a standard protocol for what to do at the end.
[/QUOTE]

16 OC for the whole wall starting at one end, with a stud at the far end. Mark from one end of the top and bottom plates and the stud goes to the far side of the mark.

An extra stud 4" from each end of the first wall* to provide a nailing surface the the drywall at the corners, and a small gap for those of us OCD enough to want to squirt in expanding insulation into the corner void left empty by this framing technique…

See–I can be brief when I try.

*i.e. the wall which is to the “outside” of a corner when viewed from the top.