Top 8 Reasons to Use TallWall and Windstorm OSB Sheathing Panels
Discover reasons to use TallWall/ Windstorm construction for your projects.
Builder Insights / Blog
Tag / wall sheathing panels
Five most Time-Consuming Call-backs: Wall Systems
The dreaded call-back from an unhappy customer often takes up time and money that eats into your profit margins. However, successfully dealing with these issues can boost your customer service and improve word-of-mouth business. Turn your clients into raving fans with these call-back fixes.
Controlling Against Moisture Damage for Wall Sheathing
Moisture can cause many structural problems and create a very unhealthy home for your family when mold and mildew begin to form. Building a home that deals effectively with moisture requires due diligence from design to installation and on to maintenance. The home must be built in such a way as to prevent leaks which are the biggest cause of damage and it must also eliminate condensation which occurs naturally in every home.
With Blower-Door Tests, Timing is Everything
If you have been administering your blower door test at the end of your build, then you may be missing out on an essential opportunity to make your building envelope even tighter. Doing two blower-door tests; one mid-way through your build and one at the end, will give you a unique opportunity to fix cracks and holes before they get covered over by insulation and sheetrock.
Building Terms Explained: Shear Walls
The term ‘shear’ is used in construction in several different ways. Shear can be used when referring to a lateral load or force that is applied during high wind events or earthquakes, but it is also more generally used to describe stress on a wall system that occurs due to an applied load.
Taller Wall Sheathing Makes Walls Stronger
Innovative manufacturers like West Fraser that think outside the box have flipped the structural sheathing panels for vertical installation and increased their height. Longer wall sheathing like TallWall enables an overlap at the joists which eliminates hinge points to increase wall strength. Longer sheathing also reduces the number of seams which improves energy efficiency and makes for a stronger, smoother, flatter wall.
Building for High Wind Events
While it’s more difficult to build structures that resist higher impact storms from EF-3 to EF-5, modern technologies and a better understanding of shear and uplift forces is making it possible to construct homes that survive even violent storms.
8 Strategies for Better Energy Efficiency in a Retrofit or Addition Part 2
Eight strategies for getting the most out of your retrofit budget. Ensure that your home is as energy efficient as your budget will allow by spending your money where it makes the most difference.
8 Strategies for Better Energy Efficiency in a Retrofit or Addition Part 1
Homes built as recently as the 1980s are riddled with gaps in the building envelope and have far too little insulation to measure up to modern energy efficiency standards. Retrofitting an old home will make it more comfortable, will reduce energy costs and will make it kinder on the environment. The question is; where do you get the most bang for your retrofitting buck? Here is a basic guide to help you to decide where your money is best spent.
Critical Nails for Wall Sheathing Installation
Far too often builders and framers say “it’s just wall sheathing” and don’t pay enough attention to how sheathing is installed. Slapping it up and saying “good enough” can lead to some very expensive repairs that can damage a builder’s reputation, something the Ol’ Sage wants to help you avoid!