General

Thick walls mean tying together inner and outer rough openings. We are always tinkering with our framing techniques to try and improve them, but one that has worked well for the double-stud wall is to wrap the rough openings for doors and windows with Zip System sheathing and tape. It connects the inner and outer…

The ProHOME includes a clever approach to creating 20-in.-deep rafter bays for extra dense-pack cellulose insulation. For the most part, the roof framing of the ProHOME is standard:  2×12 rafters and 3.5-in.-by-16-in. Eastern Parallam PSL ridge beams provided by Weyerhaeuser make up the brunt of the framing. In addition, 6×6 Parallam posts on either side…

Dense-packed rafter bays need rigid vents.   The roof slopes in the ProHOME are dense-packed with 20 in. of cellulose. To provide adequate roof ventilation there is a ¾-in.-high air channel in each rafter bay directly under the roof sheathing. Dense-pack cellulose and cheap Styrofoam vent baffles don’t mix, so we use 7/16-in. OSB to…

Hanging a floor system off balloon-framed walls isn’t too different from platform framing. The floor system is comprised of Weyerhaeuser’s TJI joists, Microllam LVLs for ledgers, Timberstrand LSL Rim Board, and Huber’s Advantech flooring. Microllams are used where joist hangers are needed to support the TJIs and the LSL rim board is used along the…

How we start framing with permanent power installed Ideally, we want to have the permanent power operational before we begin framing. But, the utility meter needs to be installed on the building, at least in this area of the country. That poses a bit of a challenge: How can the meter permanently be mounted when…

Insulation is critical, but a continuous air barrier is just as important. A few years ago, we began using 15 mil-thick plastic as part of our under slab air and vapor strategy. Plastic that thick may seem like overkill to some, but I’ve remodeled multiple houses where the scope of the project required removing concrete…

The 2017 ProHOME is a part of an eight-house development of affordable, net-zero homes. In 2015, we set out to build the first ever net-zero community of homes in Vermont that could be priced as close to the surrounding existing market as possible. A local site contractor owned a 2.5 acre parcel of land which…

This framing method helps create a more energy-efficient thermal envelope and air barrier. On many of our homes, we balloon frame the exterior walls. This way, the studs carry past the floor system, instead of the more traditional method that has the floor system sitting on top of the wall. The reasoning for this is…

Radon is a no stranger to this area of the country. Not all homes have a radon problem but it’s impossible to know if a new home will have a problem until it’s complete. Trying to remediate the problem after a home is finishes is cumbersome and ugly. It’s better to prep for radon now…