Building my garage partitions and hoping someone here is knowledgeable and can help me

[DouglasB]

I have a major issue already , where are the construction pros?
My pressure treated lumber is almost an inch longer than my pine boards
So I am stuck.

Not uncommon for treated lumber to be long. Just cut to match your top plates

 

[hayley3]

Not uncommon for treated lumber to be long. Just cut to match your top plates

Thank you, I was freaking out. I had to stop "production" , trying to figure out a way around that.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Correct. PT lumber is never dimensional. Your 2x4x8 is likely 96 3/8" inches long. Or 96 3/4. Or even 97. and sometimes 96 1/16th. The lumber is cut before treating and drying, and depending upon the composition (graining) it may shrink more, or less, than a similar board, though you see much less variation in the 2 and 4 (which are neither 2, nor 4) dimensions, because they started either 24 or 48x smaller than the length of your board.

Trim to length. Chances are, your concrete floor isn't perfectly level, and neither are your ceiling joists.

If you happen to also be using whitewood studs (generally 92 5/8") those are cut to length post drying, and you pay for that in the lumber costs, since it saves time framing on site.

Regarding short (pony) walls, the unsupported corner end WILL be floppy. There is no practical way to prevent it with a floating corner. Either extend the corner to the ceiling (think of a post at the end of a short wall, as sometimes seen in kitchens with a "pass through" or a converted breakfast bar) and tie in there across your joists, or turn your wall 90 degrees at the end and create a short wall there, as you often see at the base of a stair railing.

 

[hayley3]

Correct. PT lumber is never dimensional. Your 2x4x8 is likely 96 3/8" inches long. Or 96 3/4. Or even 97. and sometimes 96 1/16th. The lumber is cut before treating and drying, and depending upon the composition (graining) it may shrink more, or less, than a similar board, though you see much less variation in the 2 and 4 (which are neither 2, nor 4) dimensions, because they started either 24 or 48x smaller than the length of your board.

Trim to length. Chances are, your concrete floor isn't perfectly level, and neither are your ceiling joists.

If you happen to also be using whitewood studs (generally 92 5/8") those are cut to length post drying, and you pay for that in the lumber costs, since it saves time framing on site.

Regarding short (pony) walls, the unsupported corner end WILL be floppy. There is no practical way to prevent it with a floating corner. Either extend the corner to the ceiling (think of a post at the end of a short wall, as sometimes seen in kitchens with a "pass through" or a converted breakfast bar) and tie in there across your joists, or turn your wall 90 degrees at the end and create a short wall there, as you often see at the base of a stair railing.

Thanks! I am using whitewood studs and I read to make the stud 1/8 inch less than the measurement and I dry fitted one and it went in easy with some wiggle room.

The issue with the floating corner is there is a garage door rail right there in my way. I was thinking once I got the wall down the middle I might see a way to support the two walls up front. I read about blocking in between the joists, but where the rails are, I cannot. I wanted to get rid of the overhead door and turn it into a walk door, but I'm sure I can't afford it.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Then add a short wall at 90 degrees to the first and nail it down to provide some stiffness at the corner. Doesn't even need to be skinned. Later, after you replace the door - IF - you later decide to replace the door (I probably wouldn't, but we have differing climates and differing needs) - you can restructure the corner and remove the boards you used to stiffen things up.

A 45 degree miter on either end of a short board, going from your short wall to your stiffening wall will REALLY tie that corner in, and can likely be done with some scrap lumber.

Pole barns are great things for what they are, and cheap to construct - but repurposing them after the fact presents particular challenges which you are now discovering. Relax, you got this, you are doing the right thing, thinking it through before you start hammering.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I think that the walls need to be safely attached to something. But the "something" might not have to be the joists overhead.

When a house is built, the walls are all able to stand up before the roof goes on.
When people build a chicken run with no roof, it still stands up.
When I have used a dog kennel made of large panels, a single panel would fall over, but two that meet at a corner would stand up. Two that make a straight line fall over just as much as one does.

So I would expect a wall to stand up just fine if it is attached at both ends to walls that run perpendicular to it. If a wall is attached only at one end, I would expect the free end to be wobbly and insecure.

You might also be able to run something (a board of some sort) from the top of the wall up to a joist, or to a board between joists. A point of connection might help stabilize it, even if most of the wall is lower.

Disclaimer:
I have very little construction experience, but I've messed around with dog kennels and Lego bricks and kids' cardboard projects enough to learn a few things (like what makes it come apart or fall over on my foot). Hopefully someone with actual construction knowledge will come back to help you more.

Long walls (and really, they don't even have to be that long) WILL bow, flex, and "float" in a stick built construction prior to the attachment of the roofing structure to tie the envelope together - and will continue to do so post attachment of the rafters/trusses as well in response to loading (usually, wind) to much lessened degree. During framing, 2x4's will be attached to the walls at an angle and either braced internally or (more typically) staked externally to provide resistance to those motions perpendicular to the wall surface. Stiffness parallel to the wall is now provided by sheathing, but used to be done via let-in bracing (NOT pictured below).

See, for instance, the temporary bracing in this picture:

you may also see 2x4s attached across corners at the top plate, to provide additional stiffness prior to attachment of the trusses/rafter system.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

And do you know what a "California corner" is??? (also called a 3'stud corner) I'm a big proponent of them. Makes for a good stiff wall.

 

[hayley3]

Then add a short wall at 90 degrees to the first and nail it down to provide some stiffness at the corner. Doesn't even need to be skinned. Later, after you replace the door - IF - you later decide to replace the door (I probably wouldn't, but we have differing climates and differing needs) - you can restructure the corner and remove the boards you used to stiffen things up.

A 45 degree miter on either end of a short board, going from your short wall to your stiffening wall will REALLY tie that corner in, and can likely be done with some scrap lumber.

Pole barns are great things for what they are, and cheap to construct - but repurposing them after the fact presents particular challenges which you are now discovering. Relax, you got this, you are doing the right thing, thinking it through before you start hammering.

What is "doesn't need to be skinned", mean?
I did notice someone else's coop had a mitered board in the corner so I think I know what you are talking about there.

 

[hayley3]

Then add a short wall at 90 degrees to the first and nail it down to provide some stiffness at the corner. Doesn't even need to be skinned. Later, after you replace the door - IF - you later decide to replace the door (I probably wouldn't, but we have differing climates and differing needs) - you can restructure the corner and remove the boards you used to stiffen things up.

A 45 degree miter on either end of a short board, going from your short wall to your stiffening wall will REALLY tie that corner in, and can likely be done with some scrap lumber.

Pole barns are great things for what they are, and cheap to construct - but repurposing them after the fact presents particular challenges which you are now discovering. Relax, you got this, you are doing the right thing, thinking it through before you start hammering.

What is "doesn't need to be skinned", mean?
I did notice someone else's coop had a mitered board in the corner so I think I know what you are talking about there.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

By not skinning it, I mean you don't have to attach plywood or sheathing on one or both sides of the short bracing walls - though that would further stiffen things up.