Basement Framing and First floor Cap

Once the foundation, drainage and RO plumbing was completed it was on to the cap! We completed the basement walkout framing and sill plates in about a day. We decided on a dual operating French door opening so we could utilize the basement to store larger construction items. This came in handy for storing lawn tractors and larger equipment during the winter as we didn't have a garage for to secure items yet. If you're building, you might consider building a garage first. The family across the street from us used their garage for sleeping and storage during the duration of their build.

We decided on using floor trusses because we're able to run HVAC and plumbing in the ceiling and clear span the entire foundation without the need for bearing walls. I also appreciated the 3.5" nailing area when adding your subfloor. Our trusses needed to be driven one at a time down the driveway to get to the site. Our driveway is cleared 16' wide, and the trusses are 24' wide. The process of hauling and setting each truss took a full day but we got it done!

We decide on having our floor trusses engineered for 24" on center spacing. This would align them exactly with the upper floor's wall/roof trusses. If I had to do this again, I think I would go down to 19.5" or even 16" spacing. We used 3/4 waterproof 7 ply tongue and grove plywood, and I can feel slight deflection on the floor when I walk in some areas. Not a big deal at all but something to note. You could use thicker 1-1/8 subfloor or double it but reducing spacing would be preferred.