Building a Basic Room Dividing Wall

Have a room that is way too big? A two car garage you would like to turn into a one car garage and home office? A basement that is unfinished? Well then Doc can lend you a hand getting a separation wall built to define your new spaces. Although it looks intimidating at first it truly is the easiest thing on earth to do!! Hey Doc can do it so that should say a lot!! You will want to start your project at your local lumber yard but before you throw that cash down you will need to figure out several very important facts.

First you need to know if you want 2x4 or 2x6 lumber. For walls that will be carrying a lot of support, load bearing walls, then you will need the 2x6 lumber. These would be walls filling exterior openings such as where a garage door once stood or walls spanning a large expanse of space such as a basement wall. For walls that will not be carrying a lot of support, non-load bearing walls, you will use 2x4 lumber. These would be most of your interior walls. If you can get away with 2x4 construction do so to help eek out more square footage. Every inch does add up to more living space!! Due to the planning process new construction dimensional Kiln dried lumber doesn't in fact measure 2x4. It actually measures 1 1/2x3 1/2. The same goes for any other dimensional lumber you purchase. Consider your home's age and construction size if dealing with exterior walls such as at a garage door opening. Some older prefab homes are built with 2x4 construction (Code today in most states is 2x6) and even older homes (Around 1900 and back) were built with lumber that was true to dimension in that 2x4 was 2x4!! For convenience I am going to use 2x4 construction on a 10' wall for my instructions from here on out.

Now you need to look at your room height. Standard room height is around 8' but you can go with any other height you need. Just remember that the end number on the lumber bins tells you the height. For example, 2x4x8 would be 8' tall. 2x4x16 would be 16' tall. Some lumber yards charge per board foot and some charge a base rate. The prices are constantly on the move so be sure to pay close attention.