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3 listings for framing contractors in Orange County on Cablanico,
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Framing subcontractors build the structure every other trade works inside: floor systems, walls, roof framing or truss setting, sheathing, and often exterior stairs and deck framing. The scope follows the foundation and precedes every rough trade, so framing pace sets the pace of the whole job. Hand-offs matter at both ends. Coming in, the framer inherits the concrete sub's anchor bolts and hold-downs, and layout errors there become the framer's problem on day one, so walk the foundation together before the first plate goes down. Going out, the framer hands walls and ceilings to plumbing, HVAC, and electrical, then comes back for pick-up work: backing and blocking the roughs revealed as missing, corrections from the shear and nailing inspection, and straightening before drywall. Budget that return trip, because a framer priced and scheduled as one continuous mobilization will resist it. The other decision to settle before award is turnkey versus labor-only. Turnkey framers carry lumber, trusses, and hardware and control their own deliveries; labor-only framers work GC-supplied material, which keeps purchasing control with the builder but makes the GC responsible for phased deliveries and crane scheduling on truss day. Either model works, but mixed assumptions between bid and contract are a reliable source of disputes. On engineered roofs, the truss package drawings carry the bracing and nailing details inspectors ask for, so require the framer to build to them and keep them on site. In California, framing contractors typically hold a CSLB C-5 framing and rough carpentry classification, which covers form work, framing, and rough carpentry including trusses, sheathing, and siding. Texas has no state-level license for framing; requirements are municipal where they exist. We recommend confirming license status where applicable, plus current liability and workers' comp insurance, before award.
Turnkey framers supply lumber, trusses, and hardware and control their own deliveries, which puts material risk and logistics on the sub. Labor-only framers work GC-supplied material, which keeps purchasing control with the builder but makes the GC responsible for phased deliveries and crane timing. Both models work; problems come from bids that assume one and contracts that assume the other.
In California the classification is CSLB C-5, framing and rough carpentry, which covers form work, framing systems, sub-flooring, siding, truss members, and sheathing. Texas has no state-level framing license; any requirements are municipal. We recommend confirming CSLB status through the free public lookup and checking city registration rules on Texas projects.
Shear wall and nailing inspections typically happen as sheathing goes on, and the frame or cover inspection happens after the plumbing, HVAC, and electrical roughs are in, since inspectors want to see the structure with all penetrations made. That means the framer's corrections list often arrives weeks after their main crew has demobilized, so keep a return trip in the schedule.
Phase the deliveries so material arrives for the section being framed rather than all at once, and confirm the crane window against the truss delivery date, since a slipped delivery with a booked crane burns money in both directions. The truss package drawings specify the bracing and nailing the inspector will check, so they need to be on site and followed.
It varies by scope. The main drivers are structural complexity, such as stories, roofline, and engineered members, stick framing versus trusses or panelized walls, turnkey versus labor-only pricing, and the hardware package the engineer specifies. Lumber market timing also moves turnkey numbers between bid and buy.
The framer, but only if the subcontract says so. Mechanical, plumbing, and electrical roughs always reveal missing backing and blocking, and inspections generate correction lists after the main framing crew has moved on. Write the return trip for pick-up, backing, and inspection corrections into the framing scope so it is priced rather than fought over.
