Is installing Windstorm horizontally a good idea?
Thinking about installing your Windstorm panels horizontally? Is it even possible? You best check in with the Ol’ Sage Builder before starting that project, he’ll set you right!
Builder Insights / Blog
Tag / Windstorm
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.
Let-in Bracing the Old Way
Every now and then it seems we get a glimpse back in time, and this user submitted photo showcases a blast from the past let-in bracing.
Raising the Roof: Raised-Heel Trusses
Raised-heel trusses provide a cost-effective way to meet more stringent energy efficiency codes. It’s not surprising that four out of five modern homes are built with pre-fabricated trusses as they offer a lot of advantages; a more uniform pitch and size, increased spans mean fewer internal load-bearing walls and they can be installed quickly, with less labor.
Raised-Heel Trusses Save You Money and Time
One way to work smarter is to build using raised-heel trusses. From the APA: “Also known as energy-heel trusses, raised-heel trusses deliver cost-effective energy performance especially when combined with continuous plywood or OSB sheathing.”
Why Taller Wall Panels Are The Future of Building
As the cost of building materials increase and building codes demand more effective envelopes, construction professionals are looking to taller wall sheathing to fill in the gaps. OSB wall sheathing already makes for a sustainable and cost-effective option but with taller OSB wall panels, the efficacy of the building envelope is increased by creating fewer seams while labor costs, waste and installation time are reduced.
How Windstorm Helps you to Seamlessly Meet Hurricane Wind Codes
High wind events place an enormous amount of shear and uplift forces on a building. Now you can easily meet hurricane wind codes, while eliminating or reducingthe hardware expense of hurricane straps and the hassle of cutting
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.