I've noticed that my contractor framed a 3" outer diameter lally column in the basement as a 12" square, despite my request for a tight fit. Can someone explain why this might have happened? I suspect it could be to align with the soffit above, but I'd like to hear if there are any reasonable explanations for making it so large.
1 Answer
It looks like he used a top and bottom square plate that measures about 3.5-4". So when you add the thickness of the 2x4s (which are roughly 3.5" each) and the drywall, it all adds up to 12". That's typical framing math! If it feels excessive, you might want to ask if they could've framed it thinner, perhaps using smaller pieces like 1x3s, which could reduce the size significantly. Some setups even allow for something called 'pole wrap' if you're concerned about the bulk.
Could he have used 1x3 (or similar) smaller pieces to frame it out? If I understand correctly that's 0.5+0.75+3.0+0.75+0.5 = 5.5? It might have been partly a communication problem. I told him to keep it tight.