If a home isn’t framed properly, it can collapse. Quality framing is what makes your home safe to live in — it doesn’t get much more critical than that.
The framing of a home is like a skeleton. Framing supports a home and gives it its shape. The framework is how the layout of your home comes to life, but framing errors can cause your home to be unstable and cause you to end up having wavy walls, squeaky floors, or cracks where the ceiling and wall meet.
There are many ways to frame a home, but two common framing techniques used today are stick framing and post framing.
STICK FRAME HOMES
When you drive through a neighborhood, the homes you pass are likely stick frame homes. Stick frame homes are built on top of a cement foundation by using wooden studs that are spaced 16 to 24 inches apart. These wooden studs are nailed together to form roof trusses and interior walls that are used for structural support.
The way your home is framed is critical to its stability, but framing also matters for the look of your home. One advantage to stick framing is it gives builders plenty of opportunities to make customized room shapes.
After framing is complete, insulation, electrical systems, HVAC units, and plumbing systems can be installed in a home. However, if there are flaws in the materials or construction of a stick frame home, the insulation may have to be cut narrowly. Since the wood used to construct stick frame homes is more conductive than the insulation surrounding it, it creates a thermal bridge. Any gaps in insulation at each individual stud mean there are a lot more chances for air leakage.
POST-FRAME HOMES
At New Energy Homes, we design post-frame homes. Post-frame construction uses wood columns on the exterior of the structure of the home. Unlike a stick frame home, load-bearing posts are installed directly into the ground, so only a minimal foundation is needed, saving all that extra concrete in a traditional foundation. Since large posts carry the load of the home, these homes are sturdy and very resistant to bad weather.
Posts are installed much further apart than the lumber used in stick frames, which works well for open living spaces and wide windows. Post-frame construction also creates much larger wall cavities which provides for uninterrupted space for large insulation blankets. This means there is less room for air leakage and thermal bridging, making post-frame homes much more energy efficient than stick frame homes. At New Energy Homes, we use a hybrid insulation package to further minimize heat loss and cut out over half of your heating and cooling costs.
START DESIGNING YOUR HOME
At New Energy Homes, our designs focus on keeping homes energy efficient while still being affordable. Through our carefully selected building materials and our unique structural design, we aim to eliminate at least half of a home’s energy costs.
Contact us today to talk to one of our knowledgeable team members about how to get started designing your new home project.