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All framing materials for the Demo House are FSC certified, and provided by our sponsor Kott Lumber.
Kott engineered the plans for us , supplying detailed framing documents including a cut list for each framing member. We were also provided with a wood order to match, along with pre-cut lengths whenever possible. This gave us multiple points towards LEED certification.
You went to a lumber yard for help choosing the right wood for framing and they suggested framing a house with rough sawn lumber? How big is this lumber yard? Clearly you weren’t at Lowes or Home Depot, but was this someone peddling homemade framing lumber from the back of his barn? Did it come with a complimentary basket of carrots or load of manure? Sorry, couldn’t resist :)
Rough sawn timber is sometimes cheaper and I’ve used it, but only for a shed or as finishing wood. We have a page about wood for framing that may offer more insight than what you’ve just gotten, have a read here –
What are the Best Wood Types for Framing Homes?
CLS wood is an acronym for Canadian Lumber Standard, and it is manufactured using Kiln-dried fir, Pine or Spruce, depending on the part of Canada it came from. A CLS stamp on wood is pretty common to see in the US because Canadian framing lumber is very high quality (the maple syrup, toboggans and snowmen are also top shelf).
When lumber gets delivered it usually sits in the rain anyway so being green isn’t your biggest problem, it may be the lack of a stamp. Are you getting a permit for your addition? First maybe check with your local municipality and ask ‘Can you use rough sawn lumber for house framing’ And let us know what they say.
And, glad you like the site, thanks!
We recently built a LEED Platinum demonstration home with FSC certified lumber and cellulose insulation, so the total lifecycle emissions modelling shows it will release only a fraction of the carbon emissions of standard homes built today. Read all about the materials used for construction here –
Zero Carbon Homes - The S1600 Prefab Eco Home is affordably Close
Engineered lumber will usually make use of wood that may otherwise be wasted, so that is always a great idea. And further to that, whether you are using engineered or solid wood, sourcing it from sustainably managed forests that carry the FSC certification will further reduce your embodied energy. All the materials in your home will have an impact, and insulation is also a big factor, that's why we chose dense packed cellulose for the walls and ceilings.
What will reduce the energy consumption and carbon footprint dramatically with our demo house, is that it is seated on a solar air heated slab on grade. But the solar panels have not yet been installed, so those energy savings are not included in that calculation. The panels will also produce domestic hot water in summer months, so only after a full years cycle with the solar air heating panels will we know the true performance, but without a doubt it will much lower as the solar panels are expected to supply about 80% of the heat load.
Using Wind bracing instead of sheathing will definitely reduce lumber costs when framing a house, which is a very good thing given wood is currently about 150% up in price since pre-covid. This page about ways to cut back on lumber when building houses will probably be of interest to you as well -
How to build high performance houses using less lumber
How to do wind bracing best, and meet Building Code requirements, depends on where you live. Snow loads and typical weather conditions, as well as severe challenges such hurricanes or tornadoes are the driving forces behind the structural requirements of building codes.
I would suggest you check with your local building inspector to find what you are allowed to do regionally. That can also help simply by knowing what you local inspectors are looking for. As for doing the actual wind bracing, best to clear it with inspectors first, but there are two methods I have personally done in the past, with wood as well as metal. Once a wall is framed, you can lay down a 1x6 as you say, or save a bit more and use 1x4 furring strips. Lay it on the framed wall, mark its location with a pencil, then cut those lines to the appropriate depth with a circular saw. You can chip those out with a chisel. Note, if you make a whole bunch of little cuts it is very easy to chip it out.
That is the slightly labour intensive way, even easier is if you use metal like is used for corners when drywalling. That way you just chalk a line on a diagonal, cut it to the necessary depth with a circular saw, and just slip the metal in and nail it down. That’s quite a bit easier than using wood, just make sure it will fly with your local inspectors.
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