Step 8 : Wall & Roof Frames to Base Rails

Absolute Steel buildings are very easy to install. This is step 8 in a 24 step video series that shows you how to install the wall & roof frames to the base rails of an Absolute Steel building.

This part is exciting because this is where you’ll start to see your building take shape! You will need at least two people for this and some 24 and 30 wide buildings may require three or more people.

Many times there are irregularities in the concrete—dips or low spots that unless we take certain precautions could cause the building to be out of plumb and/or level. So first, I want you to mark the four corner vertical pins right where they are affixed to the horizontal portion of the base rails. Like this:

Next, run your chalk line from corner to corner, and snap it, marking each up-right. Now take your Sharpie and mark those chalks lines.  Do the same to the other side.

Start at the farthest end of the building and position the first roof/wall frame (the one without a truss brace) next to the appropriate vertical pin. A building this size is pretty easy.  Some of the taller 24 foot wide and thirty foot wide buildings may require the use of boards and clamps to create a pocket kind of like a pole vaulter would use.

Be in communication with your helper and lift hand over hand until the roof/wall frame is vertical.  While your helper holds the frame steady lift one side and place it onto the insert and slide it into place and repeat on the other side.  Both sides of the frame on some of the smaller structures can be lifted and slid into place at the same time.

Proceed with the others until you’ve placed each individual roof & wall assembly on the vertical pins that are on the base rails.

Right now, I want you to match the bottom of the wall assembly with the line you just marked out with the chalk line.  Some may be alright, matching very nicely but some may not. For those if you’ll use a crowbar to lift the bottoms up until they match your reference line, and when matching, have the other person screw in a couple of the frame screws. On the corners, put your frame screws to the inside so that when you are putting the exterior wall panels on, the heads of the frame screws are not distorting the panels.

After each of your wall & roof assemblies are in place, put the remaining frame screws into the joints until each has four screws each.

Hey!  It’s starting to look like a building, isn’t it?

Installing Wall and Roof Frames to Base Rails for the 2” x 4” Building Frame System

Now we’re going to digress for a moment to show you how to put the wall and roof frames on the Base Rails with our “Heavy Duty” or “2×4 building system”. As we pointed out earlier, the building we’re showing go together in this installation DVD is a 2”x 3” main frame system but we also fabricate a building system with a 2” x 4” main frame system.  The “2×4 building system” will clear span up to 40’ with sidewalls of up to 15.5 feet high but it requires a lifting device to lift the wall and roof frames so we wanted to show you how to do this.

As you can see it’s going to take three people for this; one to operate the forklift and two to keep the frames steady.  Carefully position the sidewalls down onto the base rail pins and brace as needed.

A lifting device such as what we’re showing you is only needed on the 2” x 4” main frame system which is any of our buildings in excess of 30 feet wide or higher than a 12.5 foot side wall or eave height.

Now let’s get back to our original building…

Step 9: Squaring up the frame

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