Green Building Library
Project Showcase
Foundation and Framing
The ground floor and garage nestle into the hillside.
PEX tubing has been laid over R-10 rigid insulation.
The slab edge gets R-10 insulation, too. The top surface is tapered to allow concrete to cover it.
This was a thermal weak spot, so another layer of R-10 was added on the exterior of the exposed slab edge.
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All wall studs, rim joists, rafters, headers and several beams are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council to come from well-managed forests. Much of the certified lumber came from the nearby forests on the Warm Springs Reservation and were processed in the Warm Springs Forest Products mill. Pre-cut studs were supplied by Roseburg Forest Products.
The ground floor hugs the site, rooting the building in the site and tempering the wide temperature swings common in Central Oregon.
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A channel was created along the bottom plate. The channel will be filled with spray foam creating a thermal break and superior air seal around the heated concrete floor.
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Careful attention to framing details makes sure that all insulation is maximized and wood is minimized. This intersection of an interior and exterior wall is done in a way that allows the insulation installer to easily fill this cavity from the inside. This practice is called advanced framing.
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Advanced framing includes wall studs placed 24 inches on-center, window openings located on the 24-inch module, minimal cripples and jack studs around windows, insulated corners and insulated headers. This photo also shows another view of the offset bottom plate channel that will accept spray foam.
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Mark Chauncey and Joe Stone of SunTerra Homes lift the gable end wall.
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Fiber-cement panel siding is attached directly to the studs. This eliminates the cost and resource consumption of plywood or OSB sheathing. Even with the higher seismic requirements in Oregon, this product provides sufficient shear strength when nailed properly. Even greater racking resistance will be added with the spray foam insulation.
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