Framing: a guide for pros
What customers ask, how to win the job, and what to put on your profile.
Offering framing
Framing is judged on whether the structure is straight, square and built to the engineered plan, and the inspection is the first test. Win the job by checking the existing structure, working to the drawings and showing the connection details in the quote.
What customers ask
- Will the framing pass inspection the first time?
- How do you support the house while the wall or roof is changed?
- Are the headers sized for the load, and who checked them?
- How long will the framing take before the house is closed in?
- What do you do if you find rot or damage in the existing structure?
How to win the job
- Check the existing structure on the first visit, including the foundation, the bearing points and any rot, and photograph the members before quoting.
- Work from the engineered plan and show the header and beam schedule in the quote, with the sizes and the bearing locations.
- Name the lumber grade, the engineered products and the connection hardware in the proposal, with the number of each.
- Quote the shoring and temporary support as its own line, with the method and the duration in the schedule.
- Put the inspection stages in the schedule, so the customer sees each framing check before the walls are closed.
- State the repair process for any rot or damage found, and quote it as a change with the approval step.
- Photograph the connections and the bracing before the sheathing goes on, and share the photos with the customer.
What to put on your profile
- Photos of framing before sheathing, with the connections, the headers and the blocking visible
- Photos of the shoring and the temporary support during a wall or beam change
- Photos of the framing inspection pass with the inspector's notes filed
- A list of the lumber, engineered products and hardware types you use
Follow-up that helps the customer
- A maintenance note for the new structure, with the moisture checks and the attic or crawl space inspections
- A check visit after the first season to look at any movement in the new framing
- A quote for the next phase of the structure, offered only if the customer asks
Licenses and permits
Framing often requires licensed or qualified contracting, building permits, engineered drawings for larger work and inspections at several stages. Confirm your contractor registration, insurance and any structural credentials in your state and locality before you take the work.
Questions
Should I warranty framing?
Warranty the workmanship on the framing you built, and state that the structure must be built to the engineered plan. Explain that changes to the plan, or loads added later, are outside the warranty.
Who is responsible for the engineering?
The engineer or the designer named in the permit set is responsible for the design. Your job is to build to the plan and to flag any field condition that differs from it before the work continues.
About this guide
This national guide is written and checked by infinibell. Rules and conditions differ by place, so local pros are credited on guides for the cities they serve, not on national ones.
Edit history
- Oct 29, 2026: Drafted by infinibell to our content guidelines.
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