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Avatar for Homemade Design
Homemade Design
3.7(
322
)
Major Home Repairs (General Contractor)

Serving Oelwein, IA and surrounding areas

In business since 2006

Credit card accepted

"I never contacted the provider or used this service in anyway. I have to
write this review so that the request to write this review stops
popping up.
The rating is bogus as it is required to be able to submit.
"
Pennsylvania Master Bathroom
Boston Small Condo Kitchen
California Client Saves with HMD Designer Discounts
Recommended by54%of homeowners
Avatar for Jill Seidner Interior Design
Jill Seidner Interior Design
3.5(
89
)
Major Home Repairs (General Contractor)

Serving Oelwein, IA and surrounding areas

In business since 2006

Credit card accepted

"Once I sent her all the measurements, it took her a little while to get the options back to me.  Overall, they're good designs.  However, they're very simplistic and give general ideas for space planning.  I was hoping to have a better idea for sizes of furniture for the space and some variations on staging.  
Jill was very responsive when I did have a question.  I'm not sure how helpful it is to have a virtual design done.  If we lived in similar cities, I'd probably use her again for help with additional designs.
"
Recommended by55%of homeowners
Showing 1-10 of 17
Unfinished Carpentry questions, answered by experts

Installing an ornamental or decorative porch column takes around three to five hours. Structural columns take longer because your pro has to install a jack to hold up the roof while switching the column out. If there's any structural damage, it can add several days to the timeline to repair the damage.

Yes, ceiling joists are typically load-bearing. However, their primary function is to support the weight of the ceiling and loads applied to it, like lighting fixtures and ceiling fans. They can also help support the roof, especially if they’re part of truss systems. Remember, the load-bearing capacity of ceiling joists depends on the material, size, and space between them. 

In framing, studs are placed at 16-inch intervals to coincide with the typical spacing of wall materials such as drywall or plywood. This spacing is called "on-center" and is necessary for maintaining structural stability and efficient use of materials. The 16-inch spacing also helps to distribute the weight evenly across the building's structure. For those looking to cut material costs and improve energy efficiency, 24-inch stud spacing can be employed through a method called "advanced framing". This requires careful planning and adherence to local building codes to ensure structural integrity.

There are approximately 5.33 board feet in a 2x4. You can use the board foot calculator in this article to easily find the answer. A 2x4 is 2 inches of thickness by 4 inches of width, so you need to find the length, with 8 feet being the most common. You’d use the calculator here to multiply 2 times 4 times 8, and then divide by 12, arriving at a total of 5.33 board feet. 

The easiest way to tell if a wall is load bearing is to check if it’s an exterior wall or if it runs perpendicular to the joists above and below it (or parallel to beams). Exterior walls are almost always load-bearing, and walls that run under beams or parallel to them are also usually load-bearing. There are exceptions to these rules, and walls that don’t fit into these categories can still be load-bearing. If you’re unsure, hire a structural engineer to look at your home to assess whether or not the wall is structural.

The Oelwein, IA homeowners’ guide to contractor services

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