Framing, My new profession

Framing is a professional job that involves building houses, decks, balconies and any kind of construction that needs walls. The idea is to build a frame of lumber for holding and installing drywall or other materials for the finished structure. The frame keeps the shape of the building. If the house doesn’t have a good frame, the roofers, hardwood flooring people, drywalls people, carpenters, plumbers, electricians, and other specialists are going to be in trouble when they do their own installation.

I discovered this job in Calgary while I was looking for survivor jobs. I was seeking something in construction because I was told that I could earn more income doing framing than other survivor jobs. This profession was totally new for me. I didn’t work construction in Colombia. Also, construction is different in Colombia. There, the people don’t use lumber for construction. All the houses in Colombia are made of concrete and steel and don’t use wood to build. When you compare these two styles of construction you can think that a wooden frame is fragile. Of course, concrete and steel are stronger than lumber. But lumber is strong enough for structures of up to four levels. Lumber is so cheaper than concrete and steel, wich makes a big difference if you want to save money or make a good budget for your construction.
When you frame a house you must to start building the floor. The floor frame has to be done before sheeting. Then you start with the walls of the main floor and after that again make the entire frame for the next storey of the house. And again over the floor build the walls for the second floor and after that you can install the roof frame for sheeting later. All the frames are similar. You have to build squares using studs, sheets, nails, plates and staples. The tools that you can use are nail guns, staple guns, saws, levels, chuck lines, tape meters, squares, drills and hammers. In all the constructions you must follow the plans, and you have to build exactly how they design the house.
I enjoy this job because is a creative and artistic activity. You can meet good people and practice your language. You can enjoy the view working outside and every month you change your work place. You can do a lot of physical exercise and keep your body healthy. Maybe in the future I can build my own house and complete my dream. This job was and is a good experience in my life.