Virginia Framing Subcontractor Qualified Individual Examination

Under 18VAC50-22-30, the Virginia framing contractor specialty (FRM) is the service that provides which of the following?

• AInstallation of cabinets, sash casing, door casing, wooden flooring, and other millwork
• BConstruction, removal, repair, or improvement of framing or rough carpentry necessary for…
• CInstallation of materials that form a watertight, weather-resistant roof surface
• DInstallation of brick, concrete block, stone, and other masonry units

Besides an FRM specialty, which other Virginia contractor credentials also provide the framing function under 18VAC50-22-30?

• AOnly the commercial building contractor (CBC) classification
• BThe electrical, plumbing, and HVAC classifications (ELE, PLB, HVA)
• CThe CBC and RBC classifications and the HIC and CIC specialties
• DOnly the steel erection specialty (STL)

A residential remodel requires replacing a cracked 2×12 header and the two king studs beside a patio door. Does that work fall inside the FRM specialty?

• ANo, because FRM covers only complete new-building frames, not individual members
• BYes, because FRM includes installation and repair of individual components of framing sys…
• CNo, because any work in an existing dwelling is exclusively the HIC specialty and never F…
• DYes, but only if the header is steel rather than wood

Which task is outside the FRM specialty and requires a different Virginia classification or specialty?

• AStanding exterior stud walls and installing structural wall sheathing
• BSetting manufactured roof trusses and installing specified permanent bracing
• CFraming a stair opening with headers, trimmers, and tail joists
• DInstalling a new 200-amp electrical service panel and branch circuits

The flooring and floor-covering specialty (FLR) expressly excludes floor joists and other structural components of the flooring system. Who is authorized to install those structural members?

• AOnly a flooring (FLR) specialty licensee, because the work is under the finished floor
• BAn FRM specialty licensee, or a CBC, RBC, HIC, or CIC credential that also provides frami…
• COnly a concrete (CEM) specialty licensee, because joists bear on the foundation
• DAny unlicensed carpenter, because structural floor members are not regulated

After the walls are plumbed and sheathed, the owner asks the framing crew to hang interior doors, install baseboard, and set kitchen cabinets. How should that request be classified under 18VAC50-22-30?

• AIt remains FRM because anything done by the framing crew is automatically rough carpentry
• BIt is drywall contracting (DRY) because doors and trim are installed after gypsum board
• CIt is finish carpentry (FIN), which covers cabinets, casing, wooden flooring, baseboards,…
• DIt is painting and wallcovering (PTC) because trim is a decorative surface

On a new gable roof, which of the following is FRM rough carpentry rather than roofing contracting (ROC)?

• ASetting rafters or trusses, installing specified bracing, and fastening roof sheathing
• BMopping a built-up membrane to create a watertight roof surface
• CInstalling asphalt shingles, underlayment, and drip edge as the weather-resistant roof co…
• DApplying fluid-applied waterproofing on a plaza deck

A project requires shop-fabricated wide-flange steel beams, columns, and moment connections as the primary building frame. Which specialty is written for that work?

• AFRM, because any structural frame is framing
• BSteel erection contracting (STL), which covers fabrication and erection of structural ste…
• CCBC only; no specialty description covers steel
• DHIC, because the building will later receive wood infill studs

A firm holds only the home improvement contracting specialty (HIC). The client wants an entirely new detached single-family dwelling framed from the foundation up. What limit in 18VAC50-22-30 controls that request?

• AHIC may build any new dwelling so long as the Qualified Individual also passed the FRM ex…
• BHIC provides repairs or improvements to existing dwellings and townhouses and does not in…
• CHIC is limited to commercial buildings and therefore may not work on any dwelling
• DHIC may frame the new house but may not install the subfloor

On a Virginia contractor license, what does the FRM designation control, and what do Class A, B, and C control?

• AFRM sets the contract-dollar limit; Class A/B/C sets the trade the firm may perform
• BFRM and Class A/B/C are interchangeable labels for the same privilege
• CFRM is the specialty that describes the type of construction work; Class A, B, and C are…
• DClass C is the only class that may hold an FRM specialty

When setting solid-sawn floor joists, which orientation of the natural crook or crown is correct?

• ACrown up, so the joist tends to straighten under load
• BCrown down, so the finish floor is crowned in the middle of the room
• CCrowns alternating up and down to average out the floor
• DCrown toward the nearest exterior wall regardless of up or down

In conventional residential wood-frame floors, the most common joist spacing used with standard span tables and 4×8 subfloor panels is:

• A12 inches on center only; 16 inches is never used
• B16 inches on center
• C30 inches on center to match masonry modules
• D48 inches on center to land on panel edges only

Under conventional residential floor-framing rules, the ends of each joist, beam, or girder must have not less than how much bearing on wood or metal?

• A3/4 inch
• B1 inch
• C1-1/2 inches
• D5-1/2 inches

Where a floor joist, beam, or girder bears on concrete or masonry, the conventional minimum end bearing is:

• A1-1/2 inches
• B3 inches
• C5-1/2 inches
• DThe full width of the foundation wall, with no smaller minimum

Floor joists that meet over a girder from opposite sides are conventionally lapped at least how much, unless they are butted and tied with approved connectors?

• A3 inches
• B3/4 inch, the thickness of the subfloor
• C16 inches, one joist spacing
• DNo lap is ever required if the joists merely touch

Joists that frame into the side of a wood girder, rather than bearing on top of it, must be supported by:

• AA bead of construction adhesive only
• BToenails alone, with no seat or hanger
• CThe subfloor panel, which is assumed to hang the joist
• DApproved framing anchors (joist hangers) or a ledger strip not less than a nominal 2×2

Except for cutting an I-joist to length, what is the rule for the top and bottom flanges?

• AFlanges may be notched up to one-third of their width like a sawn joist
• BFlanges must never be cut, notched, or drilled
• CThe top flange may be drilled for plumbing; the bottom flange may not
• DFlanges may be ripped to match a sawn 2×10 depth

A plumber wants a large hole through the OSB web of an I-joist for a toilet flange. What governs whether that hole is allowed?

• AAny hole is allowed if it is in the middle third of the span
• BSawn-lumber bored-hole percentages, applied to the I-joist depth
• CThe I-joist manufacturer's hole chart (size, shape, and distance from supports and other…
• DThe plumber's judgment, because mechanical trades control penetrations

A bearing partition runs parallel to the floor joists and sits between two joist lines. What is the correct framing response?

• AAdd joists or a beam under the partition so the wall load is carried to the supports
• BIgnore the wall; a single joist anywhere in the bay is enough
• CHang the partition from the ceiling joists above so the floor is unloaded
• DReplace the subfloor with two layers of drywall under the wall

A stair opening is cut into a joist floor. The joists that are trimmed back are supported by a header, and the header is supported by full-length members at the sides of the opening. Those full-length side members are called:

• ACripple studs
• BRidge boards
• CPurlin braces
• DTrimmers (trimmer joists)

A rectangular floor is 20 feet wide. Joists span the other direction and are laid out 16 inches on center, with a joist at each end. Ignoring extra members at openings, how many joists are required?

• A15
• B20
• C16
• D21

What is accepted practice for installing wood structural-panel subfloor on floor joists?

• ASet panels with a large gap at every joist and fasten only at the four corners
• BInstall panels with the long dimension across the joists, joints on framing or blocking,…
• CRun the long panel dimension parallel to the joists so every edge is unsupported
• DRely on adhesive alone with no mechanical fasteners

In conventional residential design, the uniform live load most often used for habitable rooms other than sleeping rooms is:

• A40 pounds per square foot
• B10 pounds per square foot
• C100 pounds per square foot
• D5 pounds per square foot

Midspan bridging or solid blocking between floor joists is installed primarily to:

• AIncrease the species design value printed on the grade stamp
• BReplace the need for any bearing at the joist ends
• CRestrain the joists from twisting and help distribute concentrated loads to adjacent jois…
• DServe as the only required fireblocking in the entire dwelling

A concentrated post load lands on an I-joist floor that is not designed to take that load through the flange alone. The usual framing detail is to install:

• AA second layer of carpet pad under the post
• BSquash blocks or web stiffeners that transfer the post load through the I-joist depth int…
• CA single toenail through the bottom flange into the plate
• DNothing; I-joist flanges are intended to take column loads in bearing

Compared with a dropped girder, a flush girder is in the same plane as the floor joists. How are the joists then supported?

• AThe joists pass over the top of the girder and need no connectors
• BThe joists are simply butted against the girder with no hanger or ledger
• CThe joists are supported on top of a doubled top plate that sits on the girder
• DThe joists frame into the girder face with approved hangers (or a qualifying ledger), so…

A conventional wood stud wall is normally framed with which combination of plates?

• AA single bottom (sole or sill) plate and a double top plate
• BA double bottom plate and no top plate
• CThree top plates and no bottom plate
• DPlates only at openings, with studs toe-nailed to the subfloor

Wood sill plates that rest on a concrete or masonry foundation must be:

• AUntreated spruce interior studs, because the plate is indoors once the house is closed in
• BAny leftover framing lumber, regardless of species or treatment
• CPressure-treated lumber or naturally durable wood approved for that use
• DSteel stud track, because wood is never allowed on concrete

At a window or door opening, the full-height stud nailed against the header and the jack stud is called the:

• ACripple stud
• BKing stud
• CSill sealer
• DRidge beam

The most common on-center spacing for residential wood studs in load-bearing walls is:

• A16 inches
• B30 inches
• C42 inches
• D60 inches

Under conventional foundation-anchorage rules used with the residential code, wood sill plates are typically anchored with:

• AFinish nails driven into the concrete before it sets
• BDrywall screws at 24 inches on center
• CRoofing nails through the plate into the dirt
• DMinimum 1/2-inch-diameter anchor bolts spaced not more than 6 feet on center and embedded…

In addition to the maximum on-center spacing, each wood sill-plate section conventionally requires:

• AExactly one bolt, placed at mid-length regardless of plate length
• BAt least two bolts, with one located not more than 12 inches (and not closer than seven b…
• CBolts only at building corners, with none along the walls
• DNo end bolts if the plate is pressure-treated

In an exterior wall or bearing partition, a stud may be notched to a depth not exceeding:

• A50 percent of the stud depth
• BThe full depth, if a metal stud shoe is planned later
• C25 percent of the stud depth
• D75 percent of the stud depth

A bored hole in an exterior or bearing stud is more than 40 percent but not more than 60 percent of the stud depth. What additional framing is required?

• AThe stud must be doubled, not more than two successive doubled studs may be so bored, the…
• BNo extra framing is required at any hole size
• CThe entire wall must be rebuilt with steel studs
• DThe hole must be filled with expanding foam only

What members actually carry a window or door header down to the bottom plate?

• AOnly the cripple studs above the header
• BOnly the double top plate, which is assumed to hang the header
• CThe gypsum wallboard on each face
• DJack (trimmer) studs under each end of the header, usually companioned by king studs

Wood structural-panel wall sheathing nailed to a prescribed edge and field schedule is commonly used in a framed wall to:

• AReplace the need for a double top plate in every case
• BCreate a braced wall panel or shear wall that resists in-plane wind and seismic loads
• CEliminate all hold-downs, anchor bolts, and collectors automatically
• DAllow studs to be omitted wherever a panel is present

Joints in a conventional double top plate are offset so that the upper-plate splice laps the lower-plate splice by not less than about:

• A2 inches
• BThe thickness of the wall sheathing only
• C24 inches
• D8 feet, a full stud bay of 16-inch spacing times six

How many regularly spaced studs are required for a 36-foot wall laid out at 16 inches on center, including a stud at each end and ignoring extra king, jack, and corner studs?

• A27
• B28
• C36
• D37

When taking off studs for a wall that has doors and windows, why is the simple (length ÷ spacing) + 1 count not enough?

• AEach rough opening adds extra king and jack studs (and often cripples) beyond the regular…
• BOpenings always reduce the stud count to zero in that bay
• CCodes prohibit any extra studs beside an opening
• DOpenings are framed with masonry only, so wood studs stop at the first window

Hold-down connectors at the ends of a wood shear wall or braced wall panel are provided primarily to resist:

• AGravity dead load of the roof only
• BOut-of-plane bending of every stud in the panel
• CShrinkage of the floor joists in the story below
• DOverturning, by tying the end posts or chords down into the foundation or the story below

Fireblocking in concealed wood stud spaces is generally required so that those concealed spaces are interrupted at floor and ceiling levels and do not exceed which vertical interval?

• A4 feet
• B10 feet
• C24 feet
• DNo interval is used; fireblocking is never required in stud walls

Precut studs sold as 92-5/8 inches long are intended for which conventional wall?

• AA 10-foot finished ceiling with a single plate
• BA 9-foot finished ceiling with a double bottom plate only
• CAn 8-foot nominal ceiling using one bottom plate and a double top plate (about 97-1/8 inc…
• DA 12-foot commercial story height with no plates

Solid-sawn common rafters should be installed with the crown:

• AUp, the same rule used for floor joists
• BDown, so the ridge is pulled tight
• CToward the prevailing wind
• DIgnored; rafters have no crown

A roof described as 6-in-12 pitch has:

• A6 feet of rise in 12 feet of building width, always
• B6 inches of vertical rise for every 12 inches of horizontal run
• C6 rafters in every 12 feet of wall
• DA 6-inch overhang and a 12-inch ridge board

A jack rafter is best described as:

• AThe structural ridge beam that carries the roof when there are no rafter ties
• BA full-length common rafter that runs from plate to ridge on a gable roof
• CThe horizontal ceiling joist that ties the exterior walls
• DA shortened rafter that runs from a plate or ridge to a hip or valley rafter