off-set studs on wider top/bottom plates will allow Sonopan sound insulation panels to be woven in the wall, breaking both vibratory & internal standing waves. great for bedrooms that adjoin living areas, and to isolate bathroom noises nobody wants heard. fairly cheap solution, with minimal sqft loss or complexity. for extreme cases, it's good to have solid mass sandwiched between the offset framing, like ICF.
1000% agree on everything you said about the design process! I've mentioned in other videos about a $8m home that was designed without an HVAC system. Criminal. As far as the errors and omissions you mentioned, I'm literally just a dumb carpenter who's done a bit of design work, and I would never make any of those mistakes! I consult with anyone who's willing to talk to me, asking for suggestions! Do you need an in-house designer? I'm willing and able to move down there right now. 😁
I drafted the plans for a house I had built. The builder reviewed the plans and suggested some changes that I made. Then it went to the county who noticed a couple of items that they wanted changed. I made those changes. The building process commenced. A week or two into the framing, I get a call from the builder asking me to come to the build site immediately, "We have a BIG problem!" What I had designed (in my ignorance of building codes) and had NOT been noticed by the builder and the county inspector, was I had a pocket door in a structural corner. Yes, the best made plans of mice and men sometimes go awry....
Pocket doors are not fun to frame. A lot of framer do not like them and they charge more to install. I choose to make the build bigger to avoid them, but that does not always work.
In reference to the flash and batt question, are you also opposed to using 1" of foam board insulation fit between the rafters to leave 1-2" air space for the roof to vent, and then pack the rafter cavity with rockwool.
I have seen that method, however I do not vent high altitude homes, it creates too much risk with ice damming where cold and warm temps meet under the sheeting. Cold condensing surfaces is the worst thing to avoid. When temps are cold 9 or more months of the year, I build differently.
Its interesting to hear you mention the cost of Permalock. I looked in my area in Connecticut and there is only one company that deals with them in New England. After calling Permalock. I heard back from the install company and they told me the material alone would be 100,000 not including labor yet. No one would give me a per square price. I even inquired from Permalock about taking the training and get certified myself but no response. With the rough information you are sharing material alone for just the metal roof will be $65,000 and then ice water, etc on top of that. So his 100,000 isnt too far off. Maybe 10-15,000 more than if I was able to purchase the material myself.
right! also, there's no debate in building science ...just improper installation of closed-cell, esp in structures not designed or retrofitted properly for tight ACH. exterior walls need a breathable rain-screen, roofs need a vented double deck, and an ERV is a must. losing elec for a few days is rare, but won't cause immediate issues that fast, and then you still have an egress window for every room anyway. the savings in HVAC sizing alone is worth it. plus you get hepa filtered air, no dust/allergens, fewer pests, far lower energy bills, a smaller/cheaper PV system (if wanted, and nulls the power outage argument too), etc c'mon Keith! plenty of room for ya in the present day! ;P
So much good information! I can’t thank you enough for all the lessons you’ve taught me so far!
off-set studs on wider top/bottom plates will allow Sonopan sound insulation panels to be woven in the wall, breaking both vibratory & internal standing waves. great for bedrooms that adjoin living areas, and to isolate bathroom noises nobody wants heard. fairly cheap solution, with minimal sqft loss or complexity. for extreme cases, it's good to have solid mass sandwiched between the offset framing, like ICF.
I have seen this, and it works as long as you have less than 2 ft OC studs to hold the drywall.
49:00 I've been involved with two homes over the years where a spring was discovered under the home site. Very expensive to resolve!
And a nightmare
Thank you for all you do. So excited to work with you when I build in 2026/2027.
Great. Let's make it happen
1000% agree on everything you said about the design process! I've mentioned in other videos about a $8m home that was designed without an HVAC system. Criminal.
As far as the errors and omissions you mentioned, I'm literally just a dumb carpenter who's done a bit of design work, and I would never make any of those mistakes! I consult with anyone who's willing to talk to me, asking for suggestions!
Do you need an in-house designer? I'm willing and able to move down there right now. 😁
Thanks for the comment, that's a great offer.
Thanks for sharing!
You're welcome.
I drafted the plans for a house I had built. The builder reviewed the plans and suggested some changes that I made. Then it went to the county who noticed a couple of items that they wanted changed. I made those changes. The building process commenced. A week or two into the framing, I get a call from the builder asking me to come to the build site immediately, "We have a BIG problem!" What I had designed (in my ignorance of building codes) and had NOT been noticed by the builder and the county inspector, was I had a pocket door in a structural corner. Yes, the best made plans of mice and men sometimes go awry....
Pocket doors are not fun to frame. A lot of framer do not like them and they charge more to install. I choose to make the build bigger to avoid them, but that does not always work.
In reference to the flash and batt question, are you also opposed to using 1" of foam board insulation fit between the rafters to leave 1-2" air space for the roof to vent, and then pack the rafter cavity with rockwool.
I have seen that method, however I do not vent high altitude homes, it creates too much risk with ice damming where cold and warm temps meet under the sheeting. Cold condensing surfaces is the worst thing to avoid. When temps are cold 9 or more months of the year, I build differently.
Is the Roofing product you use to seal the framing base plates to the slab/stem wall "Carlisle's X-Tenda Coat Reinforcing Mesh" ? This must be it.
research KM Coatings
Its interesting to hear you mention the cost of Permalock. I looked in my area in Connecticut and there is only one company that deals with them in New England. After calling Permalock. I heard back from the install company and they told me the material alone would be 100,000 not including labor yet. No one would give me a per square price. I even inquired from Permalock about taking the training and get certified myself but no response. With the rough information you are sharing material alone for just the metal roof will be $65,000 and then ice water, etc on top of that. So his 100,000 isnt too far off. Maybe 10-15,000 more than if I was able to purchase the material myself.
That's not too bad. You can figure the cost per square by dividing the total bid cost by the total number of squares (10'X10' sections).
ERV and MUA (makeup air) are two different systems that have different functions. Need to bone up on that please.
right!
also, there's no debate in building science ...just improper installation of closed-cell, esp in structures not designed or retrofitted properly for tight ACH. exterior walls need a breathable rain-screen, roofs need a vented double deck, and an ERV is a must. losing elec for a few days is rare, but won't cause immediate issues that fast, and then you still have an egress window for every room anyway.
the savings in HVAC sizing alone is worth it. plus you get hepa filtered air, no dust/allergens, fewer pests, far lower energy bills, a smaller/cheaper PV system (if wanted, and nulls the power outage argument too), etc
c'mon Keith! plenty of room for ya in the present day! ;P
I guess I am an old pioneer builder. I see to many failures in homes less than 10 years old verses homes I have restored that are over 150 years old.
What is your opinion on Anderson windows 100 series. Just for a 1500 sq ft home in Cottonwood Arizona, 3400 elevation.
They are slightly better than standard builder grade windows.