Draw a vertical line to mark the starting point of your joists and flooring. Use a pencil and level 

Measure up 260mm and mark a horizontal line using a long level 

Check your work to make sure it looks like the drawing below

Pre-drill and counterbore your ledger at 600mm 

Fix your ledger to the wall using suitable coach screws as shown in the drawing below

Mark out the ledger exactly as shown in the drawing below

NOTE: the first joist spacing (marked with an 'X' in the drawing) should line up with the vertical mark you made on the wall in step 1

Measure 2438mm out from the wall and mark a line on the floor, parallel to the wall 

Construct a low wall as shown in the drawing below (this is your wall plate)

You will need to use packers to adjust the height of the top rail

The top of your wall should be exactly level with the bottom of the ledger

Mark out the wall plate with EXACTLY the same starting point and spacings as on the ledger

Fit suitable joist hangers over the 'X' marks you have already made on the ledger

Use short CSK screws to fix the hangers 

Fit the joists into the joist hangers and fix with short CSK screws

Mark out 600mm spacings on a temporary brace as shown below and fix the brace to the joists. Leave the nail/screw heads proud of the surface of the brace as you will remove this later

Pre-drill and skew-screw the joists to the wall plate using 4.5 X 75mm screws or similar, 2 per joist.  Make sure that the joists line up with the markings you made earlier

Measure 50mm along both sides of each joist, starting from the inside edge of the wall plate

Square a vertical line from this mark 

Carefully measure, cut and fit full-depth solid strutting as shown below, leaving a 50mm gap between strutting and wall plate

Pre-drill and fix with 4.5 X 75mm screws or similar, 2 at each end. Ask your tutor to show you techniques for skew-fixing with screws

Cut and fit perimeter nogging, 50mm from the ledger as shown below

Use Z-brackets fixed with 4 small csk screws per bracket

Measure and mark out stopped housings as shown in the drawing below

Repeat on the facing joist (You should have 4 in total) 

Chop out the stopped housings 

Carefully measure and cut 2 notched trimmers as shown...

...then fit as shown and secure with 4.5 X 75mm screws or similar, 2 at each end, remember to pre-drill first

Watch this video (HERRINGBONE STRUTTING)

Then fit herringbone strutting on the centreline of your joists as shown below

(You do not need to fit strutting between the trimmed joists as the trimmers will stabilise the joists they are fixed to) 

Remove the temporary brace, de-nail it and store it on the timber racks 

Fit the floor covering as shown in the drawing below and in accordance with current building regulations (CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS) ...Look for the following information:

1. What is an expansion gap? what size should it be and where does it go? 

2. If this was a real wall, where would the block wall be going and how would that affect gapping?

3. How do you make sure board-end joints are safe and meet building regulations?

4. Remember that this is a simulation, talk to your tutor about things that would be done differently on a real floor (e.g. restraint straps...)

DO NOT GLUE THE FLOORING DOWN (as we will need to dismantle and re-use it after this exercise!)

Finally, fit and secure the hatch cover

In a real building site environment, structural joinery would be inspected and either passed or failed by an approved official inspector. Your tutor will take that role in this simulation and give you feedback on your work based on the building standards you have been working to