Ralph,

 

I would bet that the real reason we started ripping trees into little pieces
was so we could get the water out of them (kiln drying on rail cars) so they
were lighter to ship, not to mention that nailing things together requires
much less knowledge of the traditional trades. The energy efficiency aspect
is a relatively recent but very real development with the morphing of
refrigerated room wall construction into today's SIP. Now you can span large
areas between timbers and get between R25 and R38 walls and roofs. Not a bad
idea when you're building a house that can easily last a few centuries. The
real problem is people today people no longer understand the real meaning of
value so they think building things to last costs too much.

 

Rudy

 

  _____  

From: The listserv where the buildings do the talking
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of [log in to unmask]
Sent: Friday, July 25, 2008 11:55 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [BP] Rudy question

 

Rudy,

 

Had a chart with the rabbi's husband tonight, who considers himself a
carpenter of sorts.  He is apparently daydreaming about building a
timber-framed house, which he has the (I think romantic and distinctly
Luddite) notion are more material- and energy efficient than
conventionally-framed houses.  My recollection from arch school is that
western, balloon and stick framing were developed in part to make more
efficient use of trees, by ripping them into smaller lumber.  He was
wondering whether anybody's ever done any calculations about the weight or
volume of lumber consumed in timber vs stud framed houses which are
otherwise identical.

 

Any thoughts on this?

 

Thanks.

 

Ralph  





  _____  

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