What’s in a House Frame?

You probably don’t think too much about the framework that supports your home. At Clarum Homes, we give it a lot of thought because traditional stick framing is extremely inefficient. Our ongoing goal is to transform the way in which homes are built, which means many divergences from the “norm.”

In a traditional frame, there is too much wood. This not only boosts the lumber costs, but it will also lead to a higher utility bill since wood is a poor insulator. We can build a strong house with 40% less wood while increasing the R-values of its walls by over 50%.

Why high-efficiency framing is better

When we build a high-performance passive home, there are many things that we implement in both the design and construction process to ensure responsible resource use and waste reduction. The result is a home that is comfortable, healthy, and highly energy efficient.

To create the high-efficiency frame for the Palo Alto Passive Home, we’re using studs that with 24″ spacing as opposed to the traditional 16” centers. We also eliminate extemporaneous plywood, studs, and headers from the process.

Clarum also uses engineered wood products for the joist, the rim, beams and sheathing. You can see these in the photos we’ve included here. These are a more sustainable choice compared to traditional saw-cut lumber. More parts of each tree are used in their production and the quality is always high and consistent.

By taking this approach, the Clarum Homes team is able to greatly to reduce the volume of forested products in the home. Additionally, we are able to reduce the amount of unused lumber at the job site.

High-efficiency framing that includes the use of insulated headers greatly reduces thermal bridging in the home, which means lower utility bills to heat the home. It also results in quicker installation due to their reduced weight.

If you would like to read more about high efficiency framing, here is a link to an article in Fine Home Building that provides a greater level of detail with diagrams.

Check back for our next post where we’ll be showing the installation of our 12” thick SIP’s panel roofing system!