August 8, 2019
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
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
The biggest crack in the house, revisited
We published an airtight sill detail animation a little while ago…
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
(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…
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…
Less is more, more or less. And now it is codified.
Advanced framing has been around for fifty years or more, but somehow it is still new to many framing crews. Probably because tape measures have…
Videos About Energy Efficient Framing
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. …
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.…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
Five videos about how to install a subfloor over thick insulation without sleepers. The insulation can be over a concrete slab, or not...
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…
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