DIY Network

Framing and Walls: Unconventional Framing Materials From "Be Your Own Contractor" episode DBYC-103

Figure A

In this segment of DIY's Be Your Own Contractor, three of our do-it-yourselfers discuss what they went through when they selected unconventional framing materials and methods.

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	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D
	Figure E
	Figure F
	Figure G
	Figure H
	Figure I
	Figure J
	Figure K
	Figure L
	Figure M
	Figure N

Steel Framing

• According to Doug Kerr of Los Angeles, CA, a steel-framed house (figures A and B ) is built almost exactly like a wood-framed house in terms of the overall structure, but the process is more labor intensive. Wood framing is typically installed with nail guns. An experienced, well-equipped framing crew can progress very quickly in this task.

• Steel framing (figure C) is installed with metal screws (figure D) which must be installed one at a time. This process is significantly more time-consuming than nailing wood supports. Doug estimates that he personally has installed more than 50,000 screws in the steel framing of his house -- one screw at a time.

• Doug and his wife are living in a small house on the construction-site property as they work on the completion of their custom home. He researched steel framing on the Internet and in books before deciding on this method.

ICF Framing

• Michael Buchtel of Williamsburg, VA also did extensive research on building materials before he opted for framing using insulated concrete forms (figure E). He took a course and got certified to do this type of work himself, then contracted himself to frame a building using ICFs at no charge to the owner -- as a charitable endeavor and to train himself. He helped install ICFs in a half-dozen other homes before he began work on his own custom home.

  ICFs are lightweight interlocking foam panels (figure F) that hold poured concrete as it is hardens and remain in place as a functional part of the wall after the concrete is poured.

  Michael describes them as like "giant Leggo blocks that are filled with concrete." The pieces are fairly simple to lay out and interlock. They are strengthened internally with metal rebar (figure G) before the concrete is poured.

  Concrete is poured into the forms to create a solid structure from the footer of the house to the top of each wall. In the case of Michael's house, 54 yards of concrete was used to pour the whole house. The exterior walls were ICF, but the interior walls were framed using conventional wood framing (figure H).
  

SIPs Panel Framing

• Like Michael Buchtel's honme, the interior walls of Alan Sain's house were framed using conventional wood framing, but Alan chose SIPs panels for his exterior walls.

  SIPs are made of a core of rigid foam sandwiched between two layers of structural board (figure I) to make a single panel.

  The panels come pre-made to size from the factory. Alan's panels were 18 feet long by 4 feet wide (figure J). The panels are secured using glue and long screws provided by the manufacturer (figure K).

  The vertical panels that form the exterior walls are attached to the sub-floor by securing them to 2x6 boards that run horizontally on the sub-floor. The exterior wall-panels come pre-cut to accommodate the 2x6 board (figure L). The panel slides down over the 2x6, with a layer of caulking applied as a sealant. The panel is then stapled, inside and out, to the board to hold it secure. Additional 2x6 boards run through the panels higher up to straighten and align the panels with one another.

  The result is a structure that provide stronger and more energy-efficient construction than conventional timber framing (figure M).

  Using this material helped enable Alan in the creation of vaulted spaces, solid structure and practically airtight construction for his custom home. In fact, the panels are so airtight that Alan had to install a venting system (figure N) to help bring fresh air into the house.

Steel, SIPs and ICFs are most commonly used in commercial construction, but their use in residential framing is increasing.

In the segment that follows, some of the do-it-yourselfers share their stories about the challenges and difficulties that they encountered in framing their houses.