Framing short walls can be a challenge! Use the 3-4-5 method to square the corners and you'll be on your way to a finished basement!

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Basement framing: Five short walls

...and a Pile of Pipes!

As I moved to the other side of the stairwell, the next thing for me to do was frame in several short walls on the way to the office. For the most part this went smoothly, albeit a little tedious.

Below is a look at the area in the blueprint view, and also the 3D view.

Click the pictures above to see a larger view.

Long straight walls would have been much easier. I realized the importance of the 3-4-5 rule when I noticed my foundation walls were not nearly as square as I thought! Merely following the walls would have given me some very strange angles in the corners.

Framing wall sections: a tight fit

One of the wall sections proved to be a challenge due to the water meter and pipes (water supply and sprinkler lines) that were in the way. They will be enclosed in a small closet in the office.

I measured the section of wall (about 3 ½ feet long) and built the frame. However due to the rigidity of the construction, I couldn't maneuver the wall around the pipes. At one point, I hit the pipe so hard I was worried I would rupture it! The solution turned out to be rather simple.

I laid the section back down and removed the top plate. Then, I put the wall back in place- carefully wiggling the individual studs around the pipes. Once that was done I was able to nail the top plate back onto the section using the same nail holes and the extra space between the joists. With the wall back together, I secured it to the concrete foundation (bottom) and the floor joists (top).