©
All framing materials for the Demo House are FSC certified, and provided by our sponsorKott Lumber.
Kott engineered the plans for us , supplying detailed framing documents including a cut list for each framing member. We were also provided with a wood order to match, along with pre-cut lengths whenever possible. This gave us multiple points towards LEED certification.
It’s great tobreak thermal bridgesin wall assemblies and improve the overall thermal performance of a home as well an increase home durability, which is what happens when you build more efficient homes. What I DON’T really like at a glance is that they are insulated with spray foam.
However, if the company that makes these insulated wood studs is building them in partnership with spray foam manufacturers that have changed tosafer blower agents with lower GHGs(Greenhouse Gases), that would certainly be a mark in their favour in our opinion. There are two such manufacturers we know of so far, Demilec and Elastochem. The GWP (Global Warming Potential) of the standard HFC blowing agents was as high as 1,430, where the GWP of the new HFO blowing agents is only 1, meaning that HFO blowing agents are on par with Carbon in terms of theclimate change impactrather than being 1,430 times worse.
I would also wonder about the cost, since they don’t look cheap. We know it takes an investment to build a more efficient home, we just aren’t sure yet without knowing a price if that’s a wise investment in thermal performance. What I mean, is that the money it costs to buy these insulated T-studs may yield more energy savings if it were applied to an extra inch of insulation over the entire wall assembly for example.
So, in conclusion – We think it’s great that a manufacturer is coming to the market with something like that, hopefully there won’t be a significant increase in cost and environmental impact.
For interest’s sake I would also point you to the following page link, a few years ago we helped a carpentry school build a LEED Platinum home that was donated to Habitat for Humanity, and in the process of exploring ideas for efficient home designs we had experimented with I-joists that we had insulated with Rockwoolrigid insulation boards(photo below). They were surprisingly easy to build, we just ripped the insulation panels on a table saw and just pressure fit them in place. It didn’t end up making it into the mix, but we sure had fun getting students and teachers to explore innovative building techniques!
There is no reason why a timber frame house can’t be as well insulated and airtight as a stick frame house.Depending on the wall assembly and method of insulating you choose, a timber frame house can sometimes be a bit of overkill in structure, particularly if you frame walls within it, then it can in a way become something of a simple decoration in a way. Here is our page on wall assemblies that may be a good starting place -
How to choose a wall system for home construction
A lot of times timber frames are insulated with SIPs (structural insulated panels), which can be fastened to the outside of the frame. A SIP wall would offer a seamless envelope of insulation, and if you tape the joints properly (see our page on how to do an air barrier properly) then it can also be airtight. The foam within the core of a SIP acts as the vapor barrier. You could also do it with Straw bales, and if it comes to it you can even stick frame between the posts in order to facilitate the insulation and wiring. What had you come up with to date as a wall assembly?
Being a timber frame home means you have a lot of options for insulating since the load is already being carried by the posts. So you can go with a number of wall assemblies, but if fire prevention is your concern, I would be looking at things like Metal or stone siding, anything non-combustible. As for insulation, I would suggest maybe Rockwool (mineral wool) insulation as it is spun from stone dust and is fire proof.
Here is our page onChoosing Insulationwhich will give you many options, and here you can check outRockwool Insulationand this page here is aboutChoosing Exteior Siding and Cladding.
Comments (0)
Sign Up to Comment