Carpenters who frame additions, garages, ADUs and full remodels from the mudsill up, sized for Missoula snow loads and detailed so the framing inspection is a formality rather than a fight.
Framing is the part of the job Constructive Brothers cares most about, because everything that comes after depends on it. A wall that is out of plumb by half an inch turns into a cabinet run that will not close and a door that swings on its own. We frame with 2x6 exterior walls for R-21 insulation, set headers sized from the actual span and load rather than a guess, and lay out studs on 16-inch centers so drywall and siding land on solid wood. On remodels of older Missoula houses we also correct what previous owners did, from notched joists to bearing walls removed without a beam.
Missoula adds its own requirements. Roofs need to carry the ground snow load the city specifies, which means heavier rafters or engineered trusses with proper bearing and hurricane ties at every heel. Floors over crawlspaces in the river valley sit on soils that move, so we pay attention to beam pockets, post bases and a 6-mil vapor barrier on the ground below. If you are adding a second story to a 1950s ranch in Farviews or a garage with living space above it in Lolo, we coordinate with the engineer, pull the permit and frame it so the inspector signs off on the first visit. One crew, from mudsill to roof sheathing.
Framing labor and lumber in the Missoula area typically runs $22 to $45 per square foot of framed floor area, driven by lumber prices, roof complexity, engineered beams and whether the job is new construction or a remodel that requires shoring.
Tell us about the project. A carpenter, not a salesperson, will get back to you within one business day.
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We do not frame a roof in Missoula the way it would be framed in Boise. Rafter depth, truss specs and header sizes all come from the local snow load, and we add hurricane ties and proper bearing at every truss heel so the roof is tied down as well as held up.
Houses from the 1900s through the 1970s in the University District and Northside often hide notched joists, undersized headers and bearing walls somebody removed for an open kitchen. We find those problems during demo, sister or replace the members, and put a real beam where one was needed.
Our finish carpenters work behind our framers, so the framing crew has a personal reason to keep walls plumb and corners square. Cabinets hang flat and doors swing true because the studs and blocking were put where they belonged in the first place.
We know what the City of Missoula and Missoula County inspectors look for, from nailing schedules on shear walls to fireblocking at every floor line and draft stops in the attic. Passing on the first visit keeps the schedule intact and keeps you from paying for a second trip.
We review your drawings or help you get a set made, then work with a Montana-licensed engineer on beams, headers and any point loads. Nothing gets framed from a napkin sketch.
We do our own lumber takeoff, price it with local yards, and hand you a fixed-scope number that covers framing labor, lumber, hardware and sheathing. Change orders only happen if you change the plan.
The order is mudsill, floor system, walls and roof. We snap lines from the foundation, correct any out-of-square concrete before the first wall goes up, and sheathe with the nailing pattern the plans call for.
We walk the inspector through the job, fix anything flagged on the spot, and leave you with a structure ready for mechanical rough-in. If we are also finishing the project, the same crew keeps going.
Based in Missoula. One crew and one standard of work from Frenchtown to Hamilton, up the Blackfoot and over to Seeley Lake.
Bedroom additions, second stories, primary suites and mudroom bump-outs for growing Missoula families, built on frost-depth footings, tied into the existing structure correctly and finished so the seam between old and new disappears.
Learn more →Detached ADUs, garages with living space above and workshop garages built on Missoula lots under the new state and city rules, framed for snow load and finished so they appraise well and pass inspection without drama.
Learn more →Composite and cedar decks framed to carry Missoula snow loads, with flashed ledgers, footings below frost and railings that pass inspection the first time. One crew handles design, permits and construction.
Learn more →Free on-site walkthrough. A fixed-scope quote in writing. Work that passes inspection the first time.
Send us a few photos and a rough idea of the project. You will get a real number from a real carpenter, usually within one business day.
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