I'm just finishing the demolition phase of a minor remodeling project in my
basement, removing about 8 feet of wall installed by a previous homeowner.
This project teaches a lesson:

How NOT to Build a Wall, in Ten Easy Steps

1. Install the studs at random intervals.
2. Don't bother securing the bottom plate to the floor. If you cut a few of
the studs just a bit long, and force-fit them, friction will keep the bottom
plate in place.
3. Don't bother nailing those studs in place. Friction, remember?
4. Attach remaining studs to plates with six-penny box nails.
5. Use eight at each end because they're so small.
6. It's OK to use untreated lumber for the bottom plate. Water seepage won't
harm fir, will it?
7. Use regular sheetrock for the entire wall. Water seepage won't harm that
either, will it?
8. The doorpost doesn't need to be attached to the bottom plate. The sheetrock
will keep it from moving.
9. Nail the sheetrock every 3 inches along each vertical edge.
10. That gives you enough nails that you don't need to nail it anywhere else.

And don't _even_ get me started on the electrical code violations I found
inside that wall...

Why, oh why, do people with no knowledge or experience of the building trades
imagine that they are competent to do their own construction?