Advanced Framing Techniques in the Fairhope Green Home Project

Advanced framing techniques (also known as Optimal Value Engineering or OVE) are one green building technique that doesn't add any cost, and can actually save money in the construction of your new home. There are two objectives when it comes to advanced framing techniques. The first is to reduce the amount of lumber required in the construction of a home by using various methods such as 19.2" or 24" on center wall framing, single top plates, right sized headers or cripple style headers in non load bearing walls, and modular layouts. The second goal of advanced framing techniques is to increase the insulation coverage area in exterior walls. This is achieved by some of the same techniques, as well as "California" corners and T's. Essentially you are replacing unnecessary lumber with insulation. All advanced framing techniques result in reduced lumber and labor costs* and subsequently reduces waste disposal costs.

Currently I am concentrating on the techniques that increase insulation coverage area in exterior walls. We are located in a hurricane prone area, and are required by code to engineer for 130MPH wind loads which reduces alot of our OVE options. In our Fairhope Green Home Project house we used "California" corners and T's. You will notice in the pictures and diagram that by changing the way we frame the exterior corners and T intersections we were able to gain alot of insulation coveage. Basically at each corner we had a two stud corner with a 2x4 turned to the side for drywall "deadwood". Behind each T-wall intersection we added a 2x6 turned to the side to act as a nailing surface for the drywall. Both of these techniques allows for insulation in areas that are traditionally unaccesable. We also added a 1/2" thick piece of insulated foam board to all of our headers. The 1/2" piece of foam board in the headers has a modest R3 value, however, it turns an area that would normally be a thermal break in our envelope into an insulated area.

So what is all of this worth? I thought it would be interesting

to figure out just how much wall area we are going to insulate that would traditionally be unacessable. We have a total of 14 corners (8-10' and 6-9') that we are going to get 3.5" of added insulation into for a total of 39 square feet of coverage. We have 6 (10 foot) T's that we will gain 6.5" of insulation for a total of 32.5 square feet of coverage. We have 95.5 Linear feet of headers (69.8' of 12", 25.75' of 8") for a total of 162.4 square feet of coverage. That is the equivilent to a 16 foot section of wall that would be uninsulated! More than if you had an uninsulated garage door in your living room!

What is that worth to you?

*Quantifying the labor costs is hard to do, the california corners and T's are easier to construct, but there is a definite training period to get your framers to do anything that they are not used to.

Clearing Lot 36 The Meadows of Point Clear

Unfortunately, there was a huge Pecan tree right where we were going to build a house. We decided to give the wise old tree a prominent place in the new home. This pecan was well formed with a large straight bole, and several large straight leaders that were all suitable for sawing. Roy Hyde is sawing the tree locally for us into large beams that will be used in the house as the mantle, and beams that separate the dining/Kitchen from the living room and also the kitchen from the keeping room. We didn't forget the smaller limbs. Gannon and Dave (head chef and sous Chef of the Colony Grill) picked up a good load for use in the smoker. The house is going to be certified Green based on the NAHB Model Green Building Guidelines, and we will get points in the Resource efficiency section for reusing the tree. I hated to cut down the big tree, but it will live on for a long time in the house.