In the mountains of southern
California, where I work as a framing
subcontractor, we build most of
our houses on stepped footings that follow
the grade of the hillside. We start
by framing a "buildup" from the footings
to a point that provides a level
base for the first-floor deck. On many
sites, this buildup can be 18 or 20 feet
high on the downhill side.
When you're working at the very top
of a house like this, it's pretty scary
looking down. If you have to set up
scaffolding or get up on big ladders to
put windows or siding on those high
walls, it can be a real nightmare. So
during 13 years of