Roughly 80% of recent homes in North America are made using conventional wood framing, also known as platform framing. With this particular system, walls are constructed from 2x4s or 2x6s, either on the layer of concrete or on the wood deck that is made on the top of the foundation. Towards the top of this wall, another platform is made that serves either since the second floor or attic floor, based on whether a one-story or two-story home is being built.
The rooftop is framed either with wood rafters or, more commonly, roof trusses. The exterior of the frame is included with sheathing panels, usually plywood or oriented-strand board (OSB). The walls are insulated, usually with fiberglass or cellulose insulation, and then covered on the inside with drywall.
If you have opted for conventional wood framing system, 2x6s are better than 2x4s, simply because they provide more space for insulation. One of the most significant goals of green building would be to minimize energy consumption. Energy use for both hvac could be reduced by giving more insulation in the walls, foundation, and attic or roof. Even in a gentle climate, the additional insulation of the 2x6 wall may be easily justified in contrast to a 2x4 wall.
Wood doesn't insulate as well as insulation, so using less wood and more insulation improves the wall's overall energy performance. In a wall made from wall studs and insulation, the wood studs cause thermal bridging.
A typical 2x6 wall framed 16 inches on-center and insulated with R-19 fiberglass insulation achieves a typical insulating value, or R-value, of R-15.1; in short, the wood framing degrades the insulation performance by over 20%.
Utilizing an advanced framing technique, many builders install the wall studs farther apart - 24 inches on-center, vs. 16 inches. Other advanced framing techniques include building corners from just two studs, eliminating double studs at windows (cripple studs), installing just one (instead of double) top plate on stud walls to aid trusses, and aligning the rooftop trusses using the wall studs.
Used together, advanced framing techniques allow more of the wall area to become made up of insulation and fewer of wood - therefore the average insulating value of the wall is higher. While using example above of 2x6 walls with advanced framing, the typical insulating value is R-16.0.
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