Figure 1-42.—Starting measurement for interior wall.
marked for the first stud to be placed 15 1/4 inches from
the outside edge of the panel thickness on the first wall.
This layout allows the corner of the first panel on the
second wall to lineup with the edge of the first panel on
the second wall. Also, the opposite edge of the panel on
the second wall will break on the center of a stud.
A procedure for laying out studs for interior walls
(partitions) is shown in figure 1-42. If panels are placed
on the exterior wall first, the wall plates for the interior
wall are marked for the first stud to be placed 15 1/4
inches from the edge of the panel thickness on the
exterior wall. If panels are to be placed on the interior
wall, the wall plates of the interior wall are marked for
the first stud to be placed 15 1/4 inches from the
unpaneled exterior wall.
If drywall or other interior finish panels are to be
nailed to an adjoining wall (fig. 1-42, view A), you must
measure 15 1/4 inches plus the thickness of the material.
When panels are to be nailed on a wall first (view B),
measure and mark the 15 1/4 inches from the front
surface of the bottom plate. These procedures ensure
stud alignment remains accurate throughout the nailing
process.
Rough openings for doors and windows must also
be marked on the wall plates. The rough opening
dimensions for a window (fig, 1-43, view A) or wood
door (view B) are calculated based on the window or
door width, the thickness of the finish frame, and
1/2-inch clearance for shim materials at the sides of the
frame. Some blueprint door and window schedules give
the rough opening dimensions, simplifying the layout.
A rough opening for a metal window often requires
a 1/2-inch clearance around the entire frame. When the
measurements are not given in the window schedule,
take them from the manufacturer’s installation
instructions supplied with the windows.
A completely laid out bottom plate includes
markings for corner posts, rough openings, studs, and
cripples. The corner posts are laid out first. Next, the
16-inch marks for the studs and cripples are marked, and
then the marks for the rough openings are made.
Some Builders prefer to layout the rough openings
before the studs and cripples are marked. There is,
however, an advantage to laying out the 16-inch OC
marks first. Studs and trimmers framing a door and
window often fall very close to a 16-inch OC stud mark
Slightly shifting the position of the rough opening may
eliminate an unnecessary stud from the wall frame.
Vertical Layout
Vertical layout is the procedure for calculating the
lengths of the different vertical members of a
wood-framed wall. This makes it possible to precut all
studs, trimmers, and cripples required for a building.
Some blueprints contain section views giving the
exact rough heights of walls. The rough height is the
distance from the subfloor to the bottom of the ceiling
1-24
