Element land planning . engineering . architecture . beyond

Two, Four, Sixteen, Forty-Eight….

Who do we appreciate?  From a Sustainable/Green Building perspective:  the person that figures out how best to lay out the home and the framing package in order to minimize waste and maximize the use of materials.  In this installment (number six), we look deeper into what it means to design a home and it’s window and door locations to reduce waste and redundant framing.  This may sound complicated but it’s really a game of logic and math.

In the 1960’s several modules were commonly used.  Building materials were standardized and many Builders were able to do detailed take-offs in order to buy just the right amount of materials.  As time went by this practice seemingly stopped and, in fact, it was barely covered in Architecture School back in the late 1990’s.  Many reasons abound as to the why of this practice going by the wayside.  Chief among them are the fact that material costs were low and labor was high – it was easier to buy too much material and to not have to pay attention to module design in residential.

Watching your dimensions during the design phase is essential.  If you are working with an existing plan, take a look at the dimensions based on the tips below and see if the home can be tweaked in order to accomplish less waste.  The way that we look at it, if there are a few feet of wasted plywood lying around the jobsite, you just lost square footage you could have had or paid for square footage now in a dumpster.

The first principle has to do with dimensions parallel and perpendicular to the main joist span.  Obviously, right?  Kidding.  The joists in the first floor and second floor of the home (for most homes) will span the same way between bearing points.  Perpendicular to these joists, dimensions should be able to be divisible by two.  Parallel to these joists the dimensions should be divisible by four.  The two foot dimension allows typical spacing to work best and will not have a “wasted” cavity.  In the perpendicular direction, the four foot dimension allows full sheets of sheathing to be used without waste.

The second principle has to do with placement of doors and windows.  One side of the opening should be aligned with a stud – be that 16”, 19.2” or 24” – in its normal spacing.  This will save a stud by not having to use a mid-span stud for the bracing/support of the opening.   If you are really good – both sides of the opening will fall within the typical stud spacing.  This is done by using modular window/door sizes that are dimensionally appropriate.  This should be done where possible – with the need for egress windows (windows in sleeping areas allowing an occupant to get out in an emergency) and accessible doors (doors for disabled persons – which are also necessary for things like refrigerators, washers, dryers and that HUGE couch you just had to have….) – it is not always possible but keeping it in mind will optimize the layout.

The best way to accomplish this and reduce waste elsewhere is to create a framing plan and a detailed take-off list.   A detailed framing plan will illustrate where each framing member will be located and the take-off list will produce the “shopping list” that is needed by the Builder to purchase just enough materials.  These can be time consuming but we think money well spent.  It reduces cost by only purchasing the materials that you are going to use – no reason to donate lumber to your Builder’s next job, right?  It reduces waste by using whole sheets of plywood and other dimensional members.   These two pieces of information along with an onsite cut list will insure this is time well spent.  An on-site cut list is basically the “recipe” to the “shopping list” that is the take-off.  This cut list shows the framer where each piece of sheathing is to be placed and where the studs will line up.  The first time a framer sees this you will hear words or combinations of words that you may have never heard before.  The purpose is not condescension or to show how big a brain your designer/truss engineer has – the purpose is to alleviate waste by figuring difficult areas in 2-D not IRL (sorry, just learned that and had to use it.  IRL=In Real Life).

The tough part of these two principles comes into effect because bath tubs and hallways are not based on these two and four modules but, hey, the whole reason designers and architects exist is to make good decisions on layout and optimize conformance.   And you thought it was only to take your money and annoy your Builder.  We are here for that but it is secondary to laying out a perfect living space for Clients.  Remember, each decision that we make that is beneficial for the environment, whether big or small, is a positive.  If you have any questions or comments about this or any other sustainable ideas, let us know we are here to help.