Advanced framing techniques
nilst
| Posted in Green Building Techniques on
What is the logic behind the double furring behind gyprock. Wouldn’t 2×2’s with gaps for wiring be cheaper and sturdier and achieve the same airspace
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Replies
Nils,
I've never seen double-furring associated with Advanced Framing, which commonly refers to techniques to reduce the number of wood members in the house by techniques like using 24" spacing, aligning structural members, and using single top-plates. Is there a specific project where double-furring was used?
The recommendation comes from two sources that I remember. Ecohabitation is one site (Ecohome is its sister version in English) Iso-slab, a styrofoam manufacturer, I believe specifies it in one of their technical bulletins. Possibly the website, Build it Solar, might mention it. Speaking of advanced framing, I've seen on a straw bale home building site a dedicated channel at floor level for wiring which obviously would remove the hassle of cutting insulation to fit around the wiring and replacing or modifying the wiring after the house is finished. I've subdivided rooms when the kids were growing up, only to unsubdivide the rooms again after all the adults have flown the nest. There have been times when I was too lazy to rearrange the insulation after repairs. Soon we might not even have to wire in overhead lighting. All we need is remotely switched LED stickons powered by batteries that we only have to change as often as we used to change light bulbs.
Nils,
I think the confusion comes from using the term Advanced Framing, which is the name for a specific approach to wood frame construction, not other innovative framing techniques:
https://buildingscience.com/documents/insights/bsi-030-advanced-framing
To get back to your original question, I agree. I can't think of any significant advantage to using a double layer.