Platform framing is a construction method used in small structures like houses and apartments. The process involves building upwards from the foundation, with each platform providing vertical support for each level. It is the preferred method for residential construction and requires a prescribed amount of lumber and hardware. Each platform after the first must be built with joists to create a stable means of connecting the floor joists.
Platform framing is a construction method used primarily in small structure applications, such as in the construction of houses or small apartment and building complexes. The name platform framing comes from the way construction is undertaken. The process used is to build upwards from the foundation, or platform.
In the platform shot, multiple platforms can be built on the structure. Each platform provides vertical support for each level in the building construction. The amount of support provided depends on the parameters and capabilities of the materials used and the way the building design was set up.
In most cases, platform framing is the method of choice for residential home construction because it allows for efficient upward construction of the residence. The foundation is set, either through the use of pressure-treated lumber to prevent rot or through reinforced concrete slab work. This creates the first platform on which the residence will be built.
Once the foundation has been built, the first floor of the building can be added to the platform. This then allows another platform to be built above that for two-story houses. In one-story houses, the roof can be built directly over the first platform and frame.
Each deck frame is usually made from a prescribed amount of lumber and hardware. The required amount of materials used for each level in the platform framing varies according to each region’s building codes regarding residential construction. Most codes, for example, require the foundation pad to have a sill.
A windowsill provides an even surface atop the platform. This surface allows for a constant height for each vertical support, or “pivot” within that platform’s level structure. These studs are typically required by building codes to be placed every 16 inches (40.64 cm). The studs are a means of providing sufficient stability to support another platform on top of the first.
In constructions where there are multiple platforms built on the same foundation, each platform after the first must be built with joists. The first joist to make is the border joist. The border joist is placed on its side around the perimeter of the sill plate for that platform, which was attached to the tops of the first platform’s studs. This joist system is used to create a stable means of connecting the floor joists, which form the foundation of the next platform, to the edge joist, in order to create the second floor platform.
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