House framing 2x4 vs 2x6

[mclear]

We are currently building our new home. Our architect planned for a 2x6 for the exterior framing. At what point do you think it is worth it having 2x6's vs 2x4's. I was having this conversation today with our project manager. It is estimated that with the extra cost for lumber, the extension jambs for the windows we might be pushing between $8000-$10000 more for the 2x6's.

We live in Northern NJ so we get both summer sun and winter cold. I am glad that we went with 2x6's and the hardiplank for the exteriors, but it is costing us more $.

[LCHIEN]

the house would be stronger but most importantly there would be 1.5x the amount of insulation (you also have to figure that in the costs) that would save you money, make the house quieter.

OTOH it would have to save you 1000 per year in energy costs to pay off in ten years (but it would last 50-100 years). if you spend $500/month in 8 months of the year for energy related to heat and cool then that's $4000 per year, so it would have to save 25%. While you might have 50% extra insulation it seems doubtful you'd reduce costs by 25% since there are other major sources of heat/cool loss such as windows, roof, doors, etc.

Still it might be worth a study to find out, esp. if your energy costs are higher. in my house seasonal fluctuations tell me A/C energy use in peak months is about 80% of my costs.

[Tom Slick]

In my opinion, and as Loring stated, it's worth it for the extra insulation. If you are staying in this house for a long time it will pay for itself.

[twistsol]

If the insulation is really the only issue, you might want to look into better insulation rather than more. Closed cell polyurethane foam will give you R7.5 per inch, great soundproofing and requires no vapor barrier. 6 inches of fiberglass will give you R19 with gaps. closed cell poly will give you R22 in a 2x4 wall and be air and vapor tight.

Personally I like the look of deeper window and door jambs so if you can afford it do both. 2x6 and closed cell poly.

[parnelli]

We are currently building our new home. Our architect planned for a 2x6 for the exterior framing. At what point do you think it is worth it having 2x6's vs 2x4's. I was having this conversation today with our project manager. It is estimated that with the extra cost for lumber, the extension jambs for the windows we might be pushing between $8000-$10000 more for the 2x6's.

We live in Northern NJ so we get both summer sun and winter cold. I am glad that we went with 2x6's and the hardiplank for the exteriors, but it is costing us more $.

The current recommendation by the DOE and building science council suggests going more to a 24" spacing to save energy than increasing the wall thickness. IIRC it was 2x4 @24 for single story and then having to bump up to 2x6 for multistory.

The decrease in wood surface area conducting heat from in to out (or vice versa) provides a greater energy savings than simply increasing thickness.

I think the recommendations are the above 24" spacing along with ridgid foam on the outside of the house between the sheathing and siding.

If you google advanced framing or check out the building science website you'll find lots of info. You could also try the free trial of fine homebuilding. Great mag

[Tom Slick]

Another slight benefit is 2x6 lumber is typically straighter than 2x4 so you get a straighter wall. That's not a $8k benefit though.

[mclear]

We plan to stay in this house for a while. We subdivided the lot off of my wife's grandfather's land. Due to the location of the hill and family issues it took 7 years to get the subdivision completed and approved.

We are building 3 bays for the garage, 1 bay is for the workshop. I am having 2- 220 lines run as well as separate lines for most of the outlets for the shop. I figured that I might as well build what I want.

We opted for the extra for the hardiboard for the exterior as well. The latest decision is the central vacs and what type of hardwood floors. We are looking at Brazilian Cherry (I know that this is not very rainforest friendly, but it is a nice color and durable floor.)

[natausch]

The only major disadvantage to Brazillian Cherry is it will darken over time, so be cautious about how long you have throw rugs in place for the first year.

[jackellis]

I just finished building a house at Lake Tahoe where heating is the major utility expense. We have in-floor heating, 2x6 studs at 16" centers (required by seismic codes), blown-in fiberglass insulation. I had the insulation contractor foam gaps in the framing to stop air infiltration, which is a significant source of heat loss. No one has complained of headaches or other symptoms of sick building syndrome so we get an adequate supply of fresh air as things stand.

I wish I had required rigid foam under the sheathing and rigid foam on the inside perimeter of the gypcrete interior floors to further reduce heat loss. Still, it stays warm and comfortable, with no drafts. Our peak heating season bills run around $120 per month, including gas for hot water and cooking. We keep the warm water loop to the floor heating at 85 degrees, which is as low as I can get it. There's around 3700 square feet of conditioned space, some of which is kept at 55 degrees when unoccupied.

It's unfortunate that homes are not labeled for their energy efficiency, because when you buy a poorly built house from someone else, it is usually not cost-effective to retrofit things that can be built-in during initial construction at nominal cost. One of the things I was most concerned about when we built our place was the potential for living in a home I could not afford to heat (design and construction took place when natural gas prices were hitting record levels). Our gas bills run around $1,000 per year for a climate with almost 8,000 heating degree days per year. In the SF Bay Area, we had around 2,200 HDDs per year in a house half the size but our peak gas bills could easily run up to $200.

Since it occasionally does get warm in New Jersey during the summer, I suggest you look into a whole house fan and/or adequate attic ventilation instead of air conditioning. Most of the heat that makes you uncomfortable comes from the solar collector on top of your home (dark roof). Keep the attic cool and it's much easier to keep the house cool. also look into what's known as a "cool roof", which is shingles that reflect UV radiation. They're relatively new and they apparently come in traditional roofing colors.

[atgcpaul]

FWIW, I'm currently reading "Norm Abram's New House". When it came time
to choose 2x4 or 2x6, he chose 2x4 although the trend in Boston was 2x6. He
said the advantage of 2x6s was having fewer penetrations and thicker insulation.
He would have been able to achieve R19 with 2x6.

However, he used foil-faced foam over the studs in conjuction with 4" batts to
get R20.2. He added that the real benefit was not the higher R value but that
the foil foam sheets reduced the amount of penetrations--more than if he had
used 2x6 with no foam sheets.

Paul

[toolguy1000]

I just finished building a house at Lake Tahoe where heating is the major utility expense. We have in-floor heating, 2x6 studs at 16" centers (required by seismic codes), blown-in fiberglass insulation. I had the insulation contractor foam gaps in the framing to stop air infiltration, which is a significant source of heat loss. No one has complained of headaches or other symptoms of sick building syndrome so we get an adequate supply of fresh air as things stand.

I wish I had required rigid foam under the sheathing and rigid foam on the inside perimeter of the gypcrete interior floors to further reduce heat loss. Still, it stays warm and comfortable, with no drafts. Our peak heating season bills run around $120 per month, including gas for hot water and cooking. We keep the warm water loop to the floor heating at 85 degrees, which is as low as I can get it. There's around 3700 square feet of conditioned space, some of which is kept at 55 degrees when unoccupied.

It's unfortunate that homes are not labeled for their energy efficiency, because when you buy a poorly built house from someone else, it is usually not cost-effective to retrofit things that can be built-in during initial construction at nominal cost. One of the things I was most concerned about when we built our place was the potential for living in a home I could not afford to heat (design and construction took place when natural gas prices were hitting record levels). Our gas bills run around $1,000 per year for a climate with almost 8,000 heating degree days per year. In the SF Bay Area, we had around 2,200 HDDs per year in a house half the size but our peak gas bills could easily run up to $200.

Since it occasionally does get warm in New Jersey during the summer, I suggest you look into a whole house fan and/or adequate attic ventilation instead of air conditioning. Most of the heat that makes you uncomfortable comes from the solar collector on top of your home (dark roof). Keep the attic cool and it's much easier to keep the house cool. also look into what's known as a "cool roof", which is shingles that reflect UV radiation. They're relatively new and they apparently come in traditional roofing colors.

can you point me to any articles or references on how degree days (heating and/or cooling) are computed? i'm trying to verify the efficiency of this boiler control unit:

http://www.accentshopping.com/product.asp?P_ID=153787

any info would be appreciated.

[Mr__Bill]

can you point me to any articles or references on how degree days (heating and/or cooling) are computed? i'm trying to verify the efficiency of this boiler control unit:

http://www.accentshopping.com/product.asp?P_ID=153787

any info would be appreciated.

http://www.degreedays.net/calculation

[jackellis]

can you point me to any articles or references on how degree days (heating and/or cooling) are computed? i'm trying to verify the efficiency of this boiler control unit:

We tend to set the thermostats in each zone at pretty low temperatures. 55 degrees for rooms that are typically unoccupied (guest bedrooms) and 60 for others. We use a wood stove to heat the room we spend the most time in. Typically we're very comfortable at those settings. I also set the hot water temperature for the heating system as low as possible - typically around 85 degrees. I haven't added up the numbers yet but I would estimate we use around 800 therms per year for heating, cooking and hot water. I'd estimate about 500 of that is for heating.

I did not see any reviews for the device you're looking at, which makes me suspicious. On the other hand, there's a long discussion about it here.