How much winter can my framing take without a roof?

[ajbremer]

Wednesday Morning - October 19th, 2011 Oklahoma, USA

How much winter weather can my framing take until I get the roof on?

It's getting colder here in Oklahoma. There was a freeze warning already and this morning it's about 40 degrees. The fall season has been very dry and I'm not sure what winter will bring. I am all ready to put down my Advantech flooring and now I'm concerned about the time it will take for me to do my walls and roof.

I realize that the ultimate scenario in building my 20x30 1 1/2 countryplan cottage would be to have all dry-in materials on the lot and then get it dried in within a matter of a few weeks. That situation could very well happen with me but at this point it hasn't. Due to finances, I plan to go in phases that last about 2 weeks each (every paycheck).

Advantech floor on, 2 weeks later get all the wall studs and one load bearing wall up, 2 weeks later get the loft joists in place and start the roof framing, 2 weeks later add the sheathing to walls and roof, etc. So if I'm leaving my studs, joists, and rafters exposed to the elements for 6 to 8 weeks - could that do damage to them?

[Don_P]

That will be ok. I'm open to the weather longer than that pretty often. We get the snow and water off quickly after every storm. IMO winter is actually a better time to be getting wet, the cold temps do not allow mold and decay fungi to grow. It's overkill but I paint the subfloor with cheap oil based porch paint to help keep the floor dry. Keep materials in piles covered and as dry as possible. Work outside as much as possible to keep the floor clean and easy to sweep. Just make sure everything has dried back out before applying interior finishes... which working solo will not be a problem. I call this stage "running for the roof". Do not stop, do not become disheartened, use credit if neccessary, do what it takes to get a lid on the box. Ideally it is better to save up until you have enough money to work in stages. Foundation, then stop and save until you have enough to dry-in, but life is seldom ideal.

[Redoverfarm]

Standing and pooling water is the killer.  With Advantec there should not be a concern for the underlying joist.  As for standing framing the water will simply run off and dry out.

[rocking23nf]

mine lasted through a cold alberta winter Oct - Apr, with no issues, and we had alot of snow.

[Arky217]

With Advantech, you shouldn't have a problem; that's what I used for the subfloor. It's supposed to withstand repeated wettings.

Even so however, since I knew that I would have no help building my house, I designed it so that the roof went on before the subfloor.

The makers of Advantech also make Zip panels. They are osb sheathing panels with a membrane adhered to one side. Once the seams are taped, the house is considered weathered in.
My Zip roof withstood 6 months of weather before I got around to putting the underlayment and metal roofing on.

Everything takes longer than you might think when your're working alone. You have to do a lot of improvising to make up for just one pair of hands.

For example, installing 6/12, 24' trusses by yourself might seem nigh impossible, but with a little ingenuity and a lot of determination, I was able to do it.
(Of course, it would have been a lot easier if I was 26 instead of 66) 

Arky

[TheWire]

I built my foundation one fall and left it sit with the subfloor through the winter.  However every thing including the subfloor was pressure treated.  http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=4640.0

If you have puddles on your subfloor, you may want to consider drilling drain holes in the low spots.