Exterior insulation idea
Hello. I am planning a pretty good house build and I am wondering about an exterior insulation idea that I see as a sort of compromise between cost, performance, and ease of build. The idea is to install 2×2 fir battens off layout from studs vertically around the entire house. The spacing of the battens would be just right to fit a 1.5″ Comfort Board inside. Being off layout from the studs will help with thermal bridging and the exposed wood between the ComforBoard will provide a clear and visible place to nail siding. Does this sound like a decent method? The place where I am not sure of is around the windows, how do people address the windows openings when using exterior insulation? Thanks for the considerations.
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I'm not an engineer, Joe, but I believe that your furring strips will need to be fastened to the studs and not just the sheathing to support the weight of your siding. And, I feel like your are trying to reinvent something that doesn't need reinventing. Continuous insulation over the sheathing breaks the thermal bridge and allows you to fasten the furring strips to the studs. And, you have insulation and furring strips in your assembly, but no air space for drainage and drying. Here are some articles to read that should be helpful:
https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/article/how-to-install-rigid-foam-sheathing
https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/article/all-about-rainscreens
https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/article/thermal-bridging-2
https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/article/calculating-the-minimum-thickness-of-rigid-foam-sheathing