Replies

1. 
   Chad_Sutter | Feb 20, 1999 02:06am | #1

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   John,

   If your worried about thermal conductance at the studs why not build a wall with staggered 2x4 studs with 2x6 top & bottom plates; that way the studs won't carry through from one side to the other and you can weave your insulation around them. Also, consider adding a layer of rigid insulation (extruded poly styrene or poly-isocyanurate) to the exterior face of the wall between your sheathing and your house-wrap/infiltration barrier. This would be between your sheathing & your siding. I design buildings this way and have several up for very cold climates where the client is seeking optimal thermal properties with what is still basically standard framing.

2. 
   John_Fuhrman | Feb 20, 1999 02:06am | #2

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   Is the following wall design good or bad? I'm looking for a tight wall with no air infiltration. I'm not nut's about poly.,ADA etc. they seen awkward and I question their intactness with time. I'm considering a standard 2x6 24"oc with a twist.When 2 framing members touch 1 of them is a 2x4 flush to the inside. You never let 2 2x6's touch. This gives you a 2" air space between the back of the 2x4 and the exterior sheathing. Now we fill the cavity with foam- including behind the 2x4. This eliminates air infiltration that would occur if we had 2x6's adjacent to one another.Good idea? Bad idea? Yes, I know this is an expensive design and no, "stress panels" won't work because the wall is too broken up. Thanks for the feed back.