Anchor Bolts and Wall FD's

Here is the corner of a concrete foundation wall with 3 anchor bolts imbedded in the concrete. Anchor bolts serve an important purpose of tying in the foundation to the floor system. The first step of tying in your foundation is placing a 2x4 or 2x6, depending on what size lumber you want your exterior wall to be. A 2x4 wall is cheaper to frame but will provide less insulation for your building envelope while a 2x6 wall will provide more insulation but will cost more. The homeowner must decide if the upfront cost of framing a 2x6 wall will offset the lower energy costs provided overtime.

Once the owner has decided on the particular framing lumber the framing crew will begin to frame up the house. The 2-by material will be laid flat on top of the anchor bolts. Someone will then take a hammer and pound the lumber into the anchor bolts. This will mark where the anchor bolts lay on the lumber, and an hole will be drilled where the indention is. After all the holes have been drilled, the 2-by lumber will be placed down on the foundation. After placed, the lumber is secured tight by a bolt. This makes sure the lumber can't move and provides a sturdy base for the walls to sit on.

It is of utmost importance that the sill plate(2-by lumber) is termite treated. This will prevent ants from eating away the lumber and getting into your walls. One could only imagine the damage that termites could do to a wall system.

This is what the finished product should look like. The sill plate is attached to the wall system. In this scenario, prefab floor joists have been set on top of the basement foundation. These particular trusses allow for conduit and HVAC to be run underneath the floor system. I would assume that holes will be cut into the floor sheathing, once the house is dried in, for floor vents.