photo by M Lin
I recently took a class on what is called advanced framing techniques. Framing is the wood skeleton which holds up a house—the wood stud walls, rafters, and floor joists. There are simple standards about how to build the frame of a house which have been used since two by fours were developed in the early 1800′s in Chicago. But if you want to save a tree there are better ways to build a house.
Teaching old dogs new tricks
Architects, structural engineers, and carpenters all get used to doing things the usual way. Walls have two by fours every sixteen inches (three in every four feet). The same with rafters in the roof and joists in the floor. So what? Well, the first trick in advanced framing is to put them every twenty-four inches. You should switch to two by sixes too.
Now, those of you doing the math will discover this uses more wood, not less. In the big picture though we should be using two by sixes to make space for more insulation anyway. Other wall framing tricks include fewer studs at corners and at the top of walls (i.e. a single top plate).
All of this is allowed by the building code. To make it work properly you will need an architect, engineer, and contractor who are all on board and discuss it ahead of actual construction. It takes coordination since it’s not the norm, but it’s the way of the future. After all, wood doesn’t grow on (enough) trees.
Roofs, ceilings, and floors
Roofs and ceilings can be framed with trusses to save wood. If you want a sloped ceiling, a scissor truss will do that for you. If you want an attic, an attic truss will do that quite nicely.
The first floor framing can be done with wood I-joists, another wood-saving technique. If you want the freedom to move interior walls later second floor framing can be made of floor trusses. Also, besides saving wood, floor trusses make it much easier to run pipes, ducts, and wires in the floor.
Benefits
Advanced framing techniques are a great way to conserve precious natural resources, be less wasteful, and create a warmer home. I’m excited by the prospect of using them in my next big project.
They aren’t as thrilling to most folks as say, solar panels. Heck, you never even see them after the house is finished. But I like the elegant efficiency they result in. What is your reaction to these ideas on saving two by fours?