I need to put a partition wall in my shop building. My first thought is to build it on the floor and lift it into place, then anchor it down. But this will be a 10' tall x 32' wide wall and iquestion the lifting it into place part. It will fit up between the trusses easily enough so the clearance when raising it up isn't a problem, but will a wall that size hold together reasonably well when you raise it? I saw the Amish framers who built the place do with all the exterior walls...but they did know what they were doing. As for the lifting it up, I though I might be able to use my small tractor/loader to help with the hoisting. But I'm having second thought, and am now considering lifting it up in thirds. Any advice? This will be an insulated wall between the heated and unheated sections of the building.

 

Edited November 5, 20169 yr by Fred W. Hargis, Jr

Lifting it in thirds sounds like a better plan. Unless you have a few helpers. 

A partition wall with 24" OC studs and single top and bottom plates is pretty flimsy to be lifting if it's over 10' long. You'll want to diagonally brace each section, though.

If you are alone, you night consider throwing a 2X4 across the bottoms of the joists to act as a stop so the wall doesn't over balance as you pull/lift into place.

I think a even a 10' section will require at least two helpers.

I would almost be willing to bet that if you built the wall, whole or in thirds, that you could get the Amish guys back for 30 minutes to an hour and have it done - and pretty reasonable to boot.

Cal

I wish I had asked them to build it when they were here doing the structure. At the time I wasn't exactly sure where i would want to put it. Regardless of the method I use, I wish mail some bracing on it to keep it square as I lift it.

Fred, I agree with what Gene said...I've done 16" walls but always had at least one helper. Concerns I would have about the time you got the wall vertical it would "kick out" at the bottom especially on that new, slick floor.

 

You can stiffen the wall using plywood or OSB panels but of course that adds to the weight. As Gene said at least some diagonal bracing out of 1x6's is needed. I suspect even when your Amish team erected a 32' wall since it was on the exterior, they used some vertical "stops" anchored to the foundation and braced back to the ground...always what I have done on exterior wall framing. Wish I was closer to run over and help you for an afternoon.

Well, you guys were right. I've got the first third up today, and couldn't budge it once it was all nailed together on the floor. Menard's to the rescue. They had a deer hoist on sale this week, 350# capacity for $10. I bought one and used it to hoist the wall up. It took 2 riggings and once I got it to about 80° I was able to push it upright. Of course, it was sitting in the wrong place but I kicked it over to where it belong. I have braces clamped to it right now to keep it from falling. I was going to use my tractor to lift it, but this turned out to be a little easier (I think).

and I'm glad you didn't get hurt...

38 minutes ago, Stick486 said:

and I'm glad you didn't get hurt...

me too...

Good thinking on the deer hoist and probably was easier than the tractor/loader...w/o a helper you would have made a lot of trips back/forth to the loader control.

Keep us updated so we know you're ok ...and of course you got the wall in place...

How are you anchoring it to the floor? 22cal. nail gun?

No. I bought some wedge anchors, 1/2" bolts with a wedge that gets trapped in the concrete. I drilled the sole plates before I hoisted it up with 5/8" holes. Once it's in place and everything perpendicular, plumb, and square to something I'll use a masonry bit to drill the concrete through those holes in the sole plates, then bolt 'er down.

Tapcons work really well...

These are a Tapcons competitor, quite similar. I didn't use a nail gun (though that would have been my first choice) since the plates are ACQ lumber and I would have had to find some kind of resistant nail...plus I don't have a nail gun. The wedge anchors are 1/2" and will be in a 5/8" hole, and I'll put SS washers under the nut to help prevent the corrosion problem.

If you have a few friends to help you should be able to lift it okay. If not I would also do it in thirds.

Although it's too late to comment, I hope your base plate was pressure treated if the floor is concrete or you used a foam seal barrier.. Untreated wood and concrete don't get along unless there is a moisture barrier.

An update on this. I had to stop working on the wall due to several other things happening, not the least of which was the holidays. But today it's 50º here (this winter has been more screwy than usual) so I went out and finished assembling the last 2/3s of the wall. Then I used my tractor with a set of pallet forks to lift it up. So the entire wall is standing in place, but I haven't anchored it, or even squared it up yet. Jim, the sole plate is treated which was kind of a problem. I don't have suitable nails for my framing nailer for the ACQ lumber. I wound up tacking each stud to the sole plate with one nail, then went back and used screws made for ACQ. The rest of the week is suppose to be a little cooler but still above normal; maybe I can get the thing fastened to the floor and squared up.