Framing

You want to open the wall between the kitchen and living room. Every contractor you've called either said it's easy or said it requires a full structural engineer — and none of them agreed. We assess the structure, determine what's load-bearing, and tell you the real scope before demo starts.

The floor in your addition bounces when you walk across it. The contractor who built it used undersized joists and skipped the blocking. Proper framing uses code-specified lumber and spacing — the bounce is the proof that something was cut short.

You're finishing your basement and the framing quote didn't mention moisture testing or treated lumber at the slab. Untreated bottom plates on a concrete floor absorb moisture and rot within a few years. We use pressure-treated lumber at every slab contact point.

Your contractor started framing the new bedroom addition and the rough-in inspection failed because the header over the window wasn't sized for the span. Now the project is stopped, the framing has to be modified, and the inspector has to come back. We size headers correctly the first time.

You're adding a second story and the contractor said 'we'll figure out the beam size when we get there.' That is not a plan — that's how projects go over budget mid-framing when a structural problem surfaces after materials are already on site. We work out the structural details before the first stud goes up.