[Greenbuilding] Advanced Framing/OVE in Midwest?

[Bruce Donelson]

>
> The PL Premium Urethane glue we use is very low VOC and has no
> discernable outgassing, but plenty of time to outgas whatever there is
> before the building is closed in.
Hmm. In thinking this over, in standard stick built construction, most
of what little VOC's are emitted by the glue would be pulled outside the
building envelope anyways.
And  diligently gluing and screwing/ nailing the sheets on more or less
turns the whole wall into a box-beam assembly.

Engineers will not usually allow for extra strength for glued sheeting,
because it is hard to determine how much additional strength it will have
when applied in different conditions in the field. The major strength comes
from the nails, which is why so many shear panels have detailed nailing
schedules.

Wavy OSB walls  are usually because the stuff was not appled with a gap
between the panels. We use a nail between the sheets to space them. It gives
them someplace to expand into if they get wet. Some types of OSB absorb
water faster than others: the chip size is smaller, so there is more surface
area to absorb water. We try to get the housewrap on as fast as we can, too.
Have learned the hard way.

Some types of siding are not structurally rated for 24" oc center framing.

Screws are not as strong as nails when seismic and wind loads are concerned.
They are more likely to shear. I suppose that some screws would be better
than others. Nails can bend back and forth for several stress cycles without
breaking if the structure is being deformed. The building can last longer
during a quake befroe it blows apart.

The main factor for strength is where the openings are and how large they
are. A wall made of big windows is much harder to get good shear on than a
wall with only a few windows here and there. A house I'm just finishing has
stunning views to the south and east, so my engineer gave us an interior
shear wall to provide the building with adequate racking resistance.

All of our walls out here are 2x6, we haven't used 2x4 walls since the late
80's. Advanced framing techniques are hard to get some carpenters used to,
but showing some details on the plans, (especially on the same sheet as the
floor plan, can help alot to remind them how it is to be done.

Bruce Donelson
A Better Builder