May 28, 2020
A field-tested collection of videos, articles, and animated details on practical improvements to the framing process that strips out the less-valuable 'advice' often passed on by others.
Energy Efficient Framing Guide
Animations About Energy Efficient Framing
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A collection of details that make sense for most framers to incorporate into their SOP—based on feedback from framers who do it a lot.
Advanced Framing begins with 24 inch framing layout. It…
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Whether using roof trusses or stick framing a roof frame, if you make space above the exterior walls, your energy performance will thank you.
In working on the Professional Remodeler Model Remodel…
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Just because you draw it doesn't mean they'll build it that way. Know what makes sense, what the framer can execute, and forget about designing in two-foot modules.
We are in high end custom…
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Think LAYERS
A tight air barrier is the best way to build an energy-efficient house. The best place for an air barrier? The rigid outer shell. With multiple layers of exterior coverings, you have a…
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Keep mechanical equipment within the envelope to improve the quality of houses and homes
Any responsible bathroom builder puts a bath fan in the bathroom. Usually over the tub and shower because…
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The biggest crack in the house, revisited
We published an airtight sill detail animation a little while ago…
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Wait, what?
Insulating on top of a slab is a fast way to warm up a slab-on-grade concrete floor. In the case of a house in central Missouri, it is also a way to eliminate the concrete slab from the…
Articles About Energy Efficient Framing
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(image: EPA.gov, adapted from Building Science Corporation)
A carpenter's take on less wood in walls
Advanced framing has been a topic that editors in construction media use to provoke…
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Why insulating on top of a house is better than insulating inside
Ice dams are a huge problem in cold climates.
Primarily caused by heated air escaping the living space, ice dams can work their…
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Less is more, more or less. Here's a lot more info on framing with less wood
Advanced framing has been around for fifty years or more, but somehow it is still new to many framing crews. Probably …
Videos About Energy Efficient Framing
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Videos // Demolition
A drone's-eye view of an ongoing remodeling project
This house was built in 1927. Like many others of that time, it had a stucco exterior and lath and plaster interior with red oak floors. …
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A peek at interior and exterior foundation waterproofing in one single house
We started construction with our initial stucco demolition on December 1st—in Minnesota, that means it is cold outside.…
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Exterior insulation can create transition problems. Here are a few solutions.
This is the third part of coverage on a gut rehab with large addition in Minneapolis, MN. With the…
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Belt, suspenders, rainscreen, and redundancy make this wall awesome for cold climate construction
This dronezone driveby is the fourth in a series on a gut rehab and substantial addition to a 100…
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Interior soffits should be airtight before the drywall goes up
Wait, what?
Soffits should not be like false ceilings, but rather they should be enclosed boxes hidden in your ceiling.…
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When air sealing a house, begin with the biggest holes and work toward the small ones
One big hole occurs in ceilings where dropped soffits are built for ductwork, can lights, or exhaust fans.
Many…
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Five videos about how to install a subfloor over thick insulation without sleepers. The insulation can be over a concrete slab, or not...
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This collection of videos and animations covers basic wall framing as the first stages of a double wall house with 12-inch thick exterior walls. The jobsite was in Scarborough, Maine, climate zone 6A…
