First Fix Carpentry: A Checklist for Self-Builders and Extensions

First fix is everything structural that happens before plastering: the skeleton of the build. If you are managing an extension or self-build yourself, knowing what sits in first fix, and what your carpenter needs from you, saves weeks of standing time.

What first fix carpentry covers

• Roof structures: cut roofs, trusses, joists and flat roof decks
• Floor joists and chipboard or engineered flooring decks
• Stud walls and internal timber framing
• Door linings, window boards and stairs where they form part of the structure
• Noggins, battens and fixing grounds for everything that comes later

Before your carpenter starts

First fix is fast when the groundwork is done properly. Have these ready and the job flows:

• Brickwork and blockwork at the right height, with wall plates bedded and level
• Structural drawings and any steel calculations from the engineer
• Steels ordered and on site, with lifting arranged if they are heavy
• Scaffolding up and signed off
• Timber delivery booked for the start date, not the middle of the job

The questions worth asking early

Who is setting out the wall plates? Who orders the timber, and to whose cutting list? Who books the crane if there are steels? These sound small, but they are the three most common causes of a first fix job stalling for a week while everyone assumes someone else has it in hand.

How first fix sets up second fix

Good first fix is invisible by the time you move in, but you feel it every day: doors that close properly, floors that do not squeak, walls that are plumb. Shrinkage gaps, out-of-square rooms and springy floors almost always trace back to rushed first fix, and they are expensive to put right afterwards.

Planning a build in Hampshire?

First fix is where PRM started, and it is still the core of what we do. See our first fix carpentry page for the full service, or call 07983 630628 to talk through your programme.