Steve didnt answer his phone!

larry merlau

Member
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Location
Delton, Michigan
so i will ask my question here, on a ten ft high sidewall, considering our climate and todays new improved insulation, whats your prefernce on 2x4 stud wall vrs 2x6?
 
2x6 costs a little more.
Provides for a better R factor on insulation.
 
I concur with the exceptional astuteness of those who have posted before me.

2x6 is a little more up front, but with the added insulation factor, that cost will be made up in a few short years in heating and cooling.

Karl
 
yeah i can see the heating factor but i dont have a/c:( but i quess if you look at the dollars its gonna be about $400 which with todays heating costs it wouldnt take to long to recoup and i am only doing it once.. reason i thought on 2x4 is that friend just built a large garge and used 2x4:dunno: i called him but he didnt answer his phone either,, maybe i need a bath:eek:
 
Larry, have you priced a pole building? When I was looking at building a shop, I couldn't touch a conventional building for the price of a pole building. The extra cost of materials for finishing the inside of the pole building was small compared to the amount of concrete required for 42" footings on a 32x24x10 building.

Of course the ultimate would be SIPS. Or is that $IP$?
 
When did you call? My cell must not be working, but we were gone all day Saturday and part day Sunday.

Here is my take and it is up to you to figure $$ & cents cost comparison.

You can use a 2x6 stud with osb sheething and get close to a R-22 in your walls. You can get high density batts that are R-21 and pick up close to ! on the o.s.b.

Or you can use 2x4, then osb followed by tuff-r insulation board. and be close to R-19. High density batts are R-13 pick up close to R-1 on the osb and tuff-r insulation board I think is around 4-5.

I have built houses using both systems Larry. My dad's house is 2x6 with o.s.b and it heats real well in the winter.....I'm thinking by the time you fart around with the Tuff-R board and with that cost, your 2x6 stud construction will serve you well.

Some clients don't want the extra wide extension jambs you need for windows and doors when I build for them using the 2x6 and they prefer the 2x4 method instead.

Different strokes for different folks.
 
Here's a twist for you Larry ... One of the most energy efficient houses I lived in was in Iroquois Falls in Northern Ontario. It was built in 1916 and the design was this :

  • 2x6 sill and plate
  • 2x4 studs on 16" centres, staggered inside and out so that no stud ever touched another and no outside stud touched an inside wall
  • sawdust insulation
  • 1" cedar board inside covered with lathe and plaster
  • 1" cedar board outside covered with tin.
This house was very cheap to heat and I can only imagine how cheap it would have been with fiberglass instead of sagging sawdust!! The reason it was so good was the continuous air space through the walls

cheers
 
larry, if cost isn`t a major factor then 2x6 with spray foam would be my first choice....there`s tons of what-ifs.....the staggered stud arangement that john speaks of will prevent thermal bridging, what are you doing for exterior finish? how about foundation/floor and roof/ceiling? reason i`m askin` is that 2x6 walls insulated well sitting on top of a slab on grade with builder quality windows-n-doors and a marginally insulated attic space will be less efficient than going with 2x4 walls and upgrading the windows-n-doors and attic/slab insulation.......then again you`ll have to weigh how long you`ll spend in the shop and heating costs....are you planning on a wood burner or forced air? perhaps radiant heat?......a building is a system, and it needs to work as a whole, wood heat requires different construction than radiant.....
sooooooo, instead of asking about the merits of 2x4 vs 2x6 walls lets start with what do you want this building to do?
tod
 
there`s tons of what-ifs.....the staggered stud arangement that john speaks of will prevent thermal bridging, what are you doing for exterior finish? how about foundation/floor and roof/ceiling? reason i`m askin` is that 2x6 walls insulated well sitting on top of a slab on grade with builder quality windows-n-doors and a marginally insulated attic space will be less efficient than going with 2x4 walls and upgrading the windows-n-doors and attic/slab insulation......

Tod makes excellent points. From what I've read, putting 1-2" of styrofoam UNDER the slab is a very, very good idea. Keeps the thermal mass of the floor inside your insulated/conditioned space. Helps moderate the temps both in summer and winter.

best,
...art
 
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