What a complete framing quote includes

Framing is the one trade nobody sees when the job is done and everybody inherits for the life of the building.

A framing quote is short compared to a finishing quote, which makes the missing lines easy to miss. Here is what belongs in the document and why each line matters. Read it with your quote next to you.

What it is being built from

Framing is built to drawings. A quote that does not reference any is quoting an idea, not a structure.

The drawings it is priced against

Look for A named drawing set, revision or date.

Framing gets built to a specific set of drawings. If the quote does not say which set, there is nothing to check the finished work against and nothing to price a change from.

Engineering where the structure needs it

Look for Whether stamped drawings are included, and who is arranging them.

Beams, removed bearing walls and anything carrying a load above needs an engineer. The quote should say whether that stamp is in the price or something you are arranging separately, because assuming the wrong one is an expensive surprise.

Permits and who prepares them

Look for Who assembles the package and whether the fee is included.

Structural work needs a permit. We support the package where the work needs one and build to code so it passes.

Definition →

The load path

The single most important thing a framing quote can show is that somebody has followed the weight all the way to the ground.

Where the load lands

Look for Posts, beams and bearing points described down to the footing.

A beam holds up a wall, a post holds up the beam, and something has to hold up the post. Load carried to a point that was never designed to take it is the failure that shows up as a sagging floor two years later. "Install beam" is not a load path.

Temporary support during the work

Look for Shoring or temporary walls named as part of the scope.

When a bearing wall comes out, the load above it has to go somewhere while the beam goes in. Temporary support is real work and real cost, and a quote that omits it has either not planned it or is planning to add it later.

Members and spacing

Where two quotes name the same job and describe different buildings.

Member sizes and spans, stated

Look for Actual dimensions and the distance they cross.

A joist that is adequate over 10 feet is not adequate over 16. Sizes and spans belong in the document, not in somebody’s head.

Definition →

Spacing, stated

Look for On-centre spacing for joists, studs and rafters.

Spacing changes both the strength and the price. We frame to the spacing the design calls for and put it in writing so what arrives matches what was quoted.

Definition →

Lumber grade and type

Look for The actual material, including any engineered members.

Dimensional lumber, LVL and engineered I-joists are different products at very different prices. "Lumber included" does not tell you which conversation you are in.

Blocking and bracing

Look for Blocking, strapping or bracing listed rather than assumed.

Blocking keeps members from twisting under load and stiffens the whole assembly. It is cheap, it is easy to leave out, and leaving it out is what makes a floor feel bouncy.

Definition →

Hardware and fasteners

Connectors named, not implied

Look for Named structural hardware at the connections.

Hangers and structural connectors are what make a connection perform the way the drawing assumes. The quote should name them rather than leave it to whatever is on the truck.

Definition →

Hangers where members land on a beam

Look for Joist hangers specified at the connections that need them.

A joist toe-nailed to a beam and a joist in a rated hanger are not the same connection and do not carry the same load.

Definition →

Structural screws where the load calls for them

Look for Named structural fasteners rather than "nails and screws".

Structural screws are rated and tested for the load they carry. Ordinary fasteners in a structural connection are the kind of substitution nobody notices until it matters.

Definition →

The job around the job

Inspection built into the schedule

Look for A framing inspection listed as its own step before anything closes up.

Framing gets inspected before insulation, vapour barrier or drywall go on. A schedule with no inspection step in it is a schedule that has not planned for the wait.

Site access and material handling

Look for How material gets to where it is being built.

A second storey, a tight lot or a backyard with no gate access changes how lumber is moved and what it costs. Better priced than discovered.

Definition →

What happens to the waste

Look for Disposal and cleanup named.

Framing generates a large volume of offcuts and packaging. Whether that leaves in our bin or sits on your driveway should be written down.

One point of contact

Look for A single company named as accountable for scheduling.

You are not the general contractor. We sequence the work, coordinate the inspection and answer for the result.

Not sure what you are looking at?

Send us the quote and we will walk you through it.

Bring us the written estimate you already have and we will go through it line by line so you understand what is in it, what is not, and what the words mean. No obligation and no pressure. If it covers everything above, we will tell you that too.

Send us your quote Call (587) 447-9009

Common questions

Does removing a wall always need an engineer?

Only if it is carrying load. Determining which it is comes first, and that is not something to eyeball. If the wall is bearing, you need engineering, a properly sized beam and a permit before anything is cut.

Why does joist spacing matter so much?

Because it changes both strength and stiffness. Wider spacing over the same span means more deflection, which is what people describe as a bouncy floor. Spacing is a design decision, not a field decision.

What is a load path?

The route weight takes from where it sits down to the ground. Every beam needs a post, every post needs something solid beneath it, and that continues all the way to a footing. Framing that interrupts the path without replacing it is the most common structural mistake in renovation work.

When does framing get inspected?

After the structure is up and the rough-in trades are done, and before insulation, vapour barrier or drywall cover any of it. It is worth building the wait into the schedule rather than treating it as a delay.

Is engineered lumber worth the extra cost?

Often, over longer spans. Engineered members are more dimensionally stable, come in longer lengths and deflect less than dimensional lumber over the same distance. Over short spans conventional lumber is usually the sensible choice.