I’ve been working at a residential design firm for about a year now and we almost always use common wall systems (i.e. 2x4 or 2x6) and of course trusses and/or rafters for the roof system. I’ve been doing much research on my own time about different wall structures but I can’t find any detailed information about the wall structures used in these contemporary gable homes (see picture). The walls and roofs seem quite thick compared to what I’ve seen so I’m wondering what kind of wall and roof systems are used here and where I could find details/sections to study these
Nothing special here, just thick cladding and built-out projections. Likely some CI and girts too. Perhaps you should ask some of the senior staff at your office for help.
Could be mass timber (cross laminated timber) - (100mm thick walls+insulation around 160/200mm) to get to those thicknesses.
Feb 14, 23 3:51 am ·
·
ColinZin
Thanks for bringing this out to me! I wasn’t familiar with mass timber framing but based on what I’ve read so far I definitely want to get to know more about this method. I found the following wall section that seems like what’s being used: https://www.greenspec.co.uk/images/web/design/XlamexampleA---break.jpg
I'll repeat that the design looks aesthetic to me. But I do all residential design and almost always use assemblies that go above to well-above code minimum, anywhere from 8" to 18" thick.
It's going to be dependant on the climate you're in. Using CI needs you to calculate the dewpoint of the assembly and make sure it occurs within the CI.
Feb 14, 23 7:36 pm ·
·
proto
Wood Guy has a good book he can recommend :)
Some Larsen truss walls could get pretty thick I'd imagine
Interesting. I've never use a Larsen truss or double stud walls. It's always been continuous exterior insulation.
Feb 15, 23 11:59 am ·
·
Wood Guy
We got the Ecocor system to be the first opaque building element outside of Europe to be Passivhaus certified, a rigorous process, but now you can simply choose "Ecocor Passiv Wall" in the PHPP modeling software. It performs at about R-56 with no discernable thermal bridging. (Passivhaus has a specific way of calculating thermal bridging and we were below the threshold.) It's obviously not the right choice for most projects, but it's the best-performing wall for cold and moderate climates I have seen. Learning how to build and insulate them in a factory setting and install them on site with a crane was interesting.
My friend Bob Swinburne is an architect and with his builder developed a simple version of a Larson truss that I like: they screw 3"x3" plywood blocks to the edge of a 2x6, so one side is flush with the face of the 2x6, like a tab. Then they screw those blocks through the WRB, air control layer and sheathing into the studs. The 2x6 is then offset and thermally broken from the studs, ready to receive batts or blown-in insulation. They get a wall that's easy to build and about R-40.
What kind of wall system is used here?
I’ve been working at a residential design firm for about a year now and we almost always use common wall systems (i.e. 2x4 or 2x6) and of course trusses and/or rafters for the roof system. I’ve been doing much research on my own time about different wall structures but I can’t find any detailed information about the wall structures used in these contemporary gable homes (see picture). The walls and roofs seem quite thick compared to what I’ve seen so I’m wondering what kind of wall and roof systems are used here and where I could find details/sections to study these
Nothing special here, just thick cladding and built-out projections. Likely some CI and girts too. Perhaps you should ask some of the senior staff at your office for help.
Yeah I think this is just an aesthetic thing.
That said - it would be worth your time to research some alternative wall systems for residential.
Could be mass timber (cross laminated timber) - (100mm thick walls+insulation around 160/200mm) to get to those thicknesses.
Thanks for bringing this out to me! I wasn’t familiar with mass timber framing but based on what I’ve read so far I definitely want to get to know more about this method. I found the following wall section that seems like what’s being used:
https://www.greenspec.co.uk/images/web/design/XlamexampleA---break.jpg
I'll repeat that the design looks aesthetic to me. But I do all residential design and almost always use assemblies that go above to well-above code minimum, anywhere from 8" to 18" thick.
What sort of framing do you use to get that thickness? And do you design above code for energy performance reasons?
Probably standard wood framing.
It's going to be dependant on the climate you're in. Using CI needs you to calculate the dewpoint of the assembly and make sure it occurs within the CI.
Wood Guy has a good book he can recommend :)
Some Larsen truss walls could get pretty thick I'd imagine
I do a lot of double-stud walls, including with the builder who wrote this article: https://www.finehomebuilding.com/project-guides/insulation/a-case-for-double-stud-walls. (And Proto is referring to this book we co-wrote: https://www.tauntonstore.com/pretty-good-house.) I used to work at this company, the first in North America focused entirely on panelized Passivhaus performance: https://ecocor.us/enclosure-systems-2/. Their standard wall is 18" thick, using a Larson-truss type system with 2x6 interior walls and 11 7/8" I-joist outriggers, though they now offer other options.
Interesting. I've never use a Larsen truss or double stud walls. It's always been continuous exterior insulation.
We got the Ecocor system to be the first opaque building element outside of Europe to be Passivhaus certified, a rigorous process, but now you can simply choose "Ecocor Passiv Wall" in the PHPP modeling software. It performs at about R-56 with no discernable thermal bridging. (Passivhaus has a specific way of calculating thermal bridging and we were below the threshold.) It's obviously not the right choice for most projects, but it's the best-performing wall for cold and moderate climates I have seen. Learning how to build and insulate them in a factory setting and install them on site with a crane was interesting.
I bet! I like the Larsen truss system. It seems like it has a lot of uses.
My friend Bob Swinburne is an architect and with his builder developed a simple version of a Larson truss that I like: they screw 3"x3" plywood blocks to the edge of a 2x6, so one side is flush with the face of the 2x6, like a tab. Then they screw those blocks through the WRB, air control layer and sheathing into the studs. The 2x6 is then offset and thermally broken from the studs, ready to receive batts or blown-in insulation. They get a wall that's easy to build and about R-40.
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