Floor framing. To frame Plan A with conventional joists, we'd need to build a beam at midspan and install columns to hold it up. Since Plans B & C can be framed with 16- and 14-foot joists, respectively, right off the bat Plan A requires extra material and labor to build. (If we flush-frame the beam and use joist hangers, the floor system in Plan A will cost even more.) When it comes to the joists, Plan A is also more expensive. Even though the joists differ in length in the three plans, the total board footage is about the same, so material costs won't differ much (plywood subflooring is the same for all three, too). But it will take more time to handle, cut, and install the 32 10-foot-long joists in Plan A than it does the 20 16-footers in Plan B or the 25 14-footers in Plan C.

Wall framing. Because the three floor plans are different shapes, the perimeter dimension varies. This affects the linear footage of wall plates we'll need, as well as the number of studs and sheets of wall sheathing. The material and labor differences are small but remember, these shapes could represent just one of several similarly sized rooms...

or Register to continue reading