Framing the Front and Rear Walls of your VersaTube Building
Now that the major framing components for the roof and both sides of your VersaTube building are in place, all that remains to finish the perimeter framing is to fill in the front and back. This phase of the project should be quick and easy as it’s very similar to steps you’ve already completed.
Are you with me so far? Didn’t I tell you that building a VersaTube garage was easy and the perfect job for DIYers? Stand back and take a look at what’s standing so far – would you feel as good as you do now if you’d just hired a contractor to do the project?
Okay, at this point in the project the framing for both side walls and the roof should be in place. Hopefully, the openings for the front and rear wall appear to be the same measurement. If they’re not, glare at your helpers as if it’s their fault and then review the instructions up to this point to see where you may have gone wrong.
Rear Wall Framing
The base rails for the rear of your building should consist of small “T” sections that have the vertical pins just as the side base rails did and longer extension rails. All parts of the rear base rail will be 2” square tubing. Use your chalk line to strike a mark between the rear of both side walls and follow these steps:
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Layout the base rail “T” sections and extensions using your chalk line as a guide. The “T” sections with their pins should be located according to your VersaTube drawing as placement can vary depending on the width of your building.
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Slide the sections together and do minor adjustments so the spacing of the pins is equal across the rear of the building.
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Check to ensure that the face of the base rail that’s away from the building is flush with the end of the side rail on each side and install an angle bracket at both sides – three screws should be into the top of the rear base rail and three screws will go into the side of the rear most pin on both side walls.
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Install foundation bolts in the rear base rail, but leave them loose for the time being.
The length of the vertical framing members for the rear wall of your building will vary based on the width of the structure and the roof pitch. Follow your VersaTube instructions closely for this step as when the sections are joined together, there should be a framing member that fits between the base rail and the roof truss everywhere a pin is located. Minor adjustments can be made where the sections join together.
Putting the vertical framing members in place properly requires some help and a sturdy stepladder. It can be done by yourself, but take my word for it: by the time the first vertical is in place you’ll be looking for your assistant. Follow these steps:
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Assemble the vertical framing members and attach a flat connecting bracket to the top of each completed assembly — leave the screws loose.
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Sit the end of the assembly over a pin on the base rail and hold the top end so the outside face is flush with the outside of the rear most roof truss – the bracket you attached should be to the inside of the building.
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Make minor adjustments at the vertical joints so the assembly reaches all the way to the underside of the roof truss.
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Have your helper hold a level on the side of the framing member and when it’s plumb, screw the top bracket to the face of the truss and tighten the bracket screws in the framing member.
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Install 2 screws at each joint in the framing member and at the base rail pin.
Repeat this process until there is a vertical framing member at every rear base rail pin and then tighten the foundation bolts securely.
Front Wall Framing
The framing for the front wall of your VersaTube should be very similar to the rear wall with one major exception: it will have an opening for an overhead door or doors depending on your building’s configuration. It’s very important that you refer to your VersaTube instructions for this phase of construction as door opening dimensions can be critical – being off by just an inch can cause big problems later in the project (or so I’ve heard).
The front wall base rails are probably going to look a little different than those for the side and rear walls. Two of the rails may be “L” shaped with a piece of tubular steel of the bottom like the other base rails, but a pin that will serve as one side of your door opening. If you have two doors at the front of your building, there may be a “U” shaped base rail that acts as the center pillar between the two openings. As I mentioned, refer to your drawing for the layout for your building. Once you have an understanding of the correct configuration, follow these steps:
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Chalk a line across the concrete slab just as was done at the rear of the building.
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Mark the door openings on the slab paying attention to the difference between “rough” opening and “finished” opening dimensions. You want the “rough” opening measurements for this stage of construction.
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Assemble the base rails and sit them in place. Attach angle brackets loosely where the front base rails meet the side base rails – just as you did at the rear of the building.
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Install foundation bolts through the base rails, but leave them loose.
- Assemble and sit in place the vertical framing members that will act as the door jambs. Remember to refer to your drawing as the heights will vary just as they did for the rear wall. Attach a flat bracket to the top of each assembly.
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Sit the vertical assemblies on the base rail pins and plumb them up before attaching the top brackets to the roof trusses – remember to keep all brackets to the inside of the building. Double check your door opening dimensions at both the bottom and top of the openings prior to securing the brackets.
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Install 2 screws at all vertical framing member and base rail joints and tighten the foundation bolts.
Congratulations, you have just finished installing all of the primary framing members of your VersaTube building.
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