Beams, joists, floor deck
When the mortar cured, I filled the voids in the blocks with more concrete and added the saddle brackets that hold the beams. Next, I positioned the built-up beams in place.
I got going on the floor by placing the floor joists on top of the beams, then I attached the rim joists using 3 1/2" galvanized framing nails. I fastened a sheet of plywood to the rim joist on just one side, using it to square up the assembly before nailing the joists to the beam. To fasten down the plywood floor, I ran a bead of construction adhesive along the top edge of each floor joist and then finished laying down the tongue-and-groove plywood floor, screwing it to the joists every eight inches.
Building the walls
The finished floor deck made a perfect surface to assemble the walls on. I got started by tacking a couple of scraps of 2x4 to the rim joists to make them extend up past the floor deck. These acted as stops when I assembled the walls flat. To build each wall, I cut the top and bottom plate to length and marked the stud locations while holding the two pieces together. This ensured the studs lined up perfectly as the wall went together.
Next, I separated the plates, put the studs between them, nailing everything together with two 3 1/2" framing nails per joint. I added a second, doubled-up top plate later to tie the walls together. Because the studs would all be visible inside the finished building, I paid close attention to having the best faces of the studs showing.
I framed the windows and doors with doubled 2x4s on edge, supported by "cripple studs" (shortened studs on either side of the opening). As I finished each wall, I had a friend help to tilt it into position. The scraps I nailed to the rim joist earlier helped to align the wall to the outside of the flooring deck. I nailed the wall in place with a pair of 3 1/2" nails driven down into the floor frame in each stud cavity, then plumbed the wall with a six-foot level and added temporary braces running diagonally from the wall to the rim joist.
Once all four walls were up, I added the second top plate, overlapping the lumber at each corner for strength. To keep the walls from wracking until I got the siding installed, I added temporary diagonal bracing. In larger buildings, you would make the diagonal bracing a permanent part of the structure by setting the braces into notches cut in the studs.
While it may seem like overkill, be careful with the locations of all the nails driven in places that are visible in the finished sleeping cabin. This extra step isn’t necessary if you plan to cover over the stud walls, but in my case, the interior walls are exposed.
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