B

etter buildings
C A S E S T U DY N U M B E R 4 6

Advanced Framing
Case Study
Introduction
For some time efforts have been
made to promote Advanced Framing,
also known as Optimum Value
Engineering (OVE). OVE is a series
of choices, not a method of woodframe construction.The basic idea
in OVE is to engineer each
element used, rather than simply
follow techniques used in the past.
Advanced framing is the optimum
use of wood framing; both from a
cost and building science
perspective.

Figure 1: Case study house

Advanced framing is not just a

cost savings approach to building.
It should not be equated with
inferior construction. It also
represents a "green" building
technique because it reduces the
quantity of materials used in a
building without compromising
the intended use of the building.

advanced framing will reduce call

backs by not having the extra
wood in the wall to cause drywall
problems. Drywall problems are
usually caused by the differential
shrinkage of two different pieces
of lumber nailed together.

In practical terms advanced framing

means using less wood to frame
a house. It eliminates wood where
it is structurally unnecessary or
where its use is likely to cause
other problems such as drywall
cracks. Besides using less lumber,

Advanced framing is not a new

idea. It was developed in the 1960s
and fully complies with the National
Building Code. However, because
advanced framing is seldom
considered, builders may have
to rethink some of their standard

framing details. It is important to

note that special wind, seismic or
snow load conditions may require
additional analysis and material, but
this will be specific to a particular
house design and location.

Designing
for Advanced
Framing
Advanced framing spaces framing
materials at their most cost
effective spacingall studs, joists
and roof members at 600 mm
(24 inches) on centre consistently
throughout the house structure.
To have the greatest impact,
consideration of advanced framing
should begin at the planning stage.
By designing in 600 mm (24 inch)
modules, or in even dimensions it
simplifies the framing layout and
uses less material. In addition, more
insulation can be added due to less
wood in the building envelope
resulting in a more efficient and
comfortable structure.
If all floor, wall and roof framing
is coordinated at the same spacing,
the respective members bear
directly over each other. Dead and
live loads are thus transferred
directly through the lower members
to the foundation, resulting in a
more efficient structure that
eliminates the need for some
framing members.
Advanced framing principles
were applied to the design of
a small house to be built in the
Vancouver area.The two-storey
house has a footprint of 69.67 m2
(750 square feet) and a total floor
area of 139.35 m2 (1,500 square
feet). (Figure 1)

Wall Framing
Traditional framing practices use
wall studs placed at 400 mm
(16 inches) on centre even though
wider spacing is allowable when
considered from a structural and
code standpoint. Double top plates
and three- and four-stud corners
are also common.

The advanced framing

approach is to layout all
framing on a
600 mm (24 inches)
basis except where
structural requirements
may require narrower
spacing. Advanced
framing eliminates
unnecessary use of
wood such as lintels in
non-loadbearing walls
and cripples and double
studs around windows
and doors. Aligning
loads from floor joists
to studs below allows
use of a single top
plate. (Figure 2) Fewer
studs result in faster
Figure 2: Alignment of framing
assembly and a better
elements: roof trusses bear
insulated wall because
directly on studs and floor joists
there is less thermal
directly below. No lintel required
bridging and more
for openings within stud spacing.
space for insulation in
the building envelope
cavity. More insulation in the walls
reduces heat loss and possibly
and with unnecessary jack studs,
the size of the heating system.
cripples, and redundant studs
removed, the wood parts of the
When the location of door and
wall can be reduced to about
window openings in the exterior
15 per cent of the exterior wall area.
wall is coordinated with the
modular stud spacing, it can
Today 38 x 140 (2 x 6) framing
eliminate or reduce the use of
is the norm in most regions of
cripples and jack studs, regardless
Canada. A 38 x 140 mm (2 x 6)
of whether the walls are
wall at 600 mm (24 inches) uses
loadbearing.Where it is possible
no more lumber than a 38 x 89 at
to use window sizes that fit
400 mm (2 x 4 at 16 inches), but
between the studs, no added
is structurally superior and allows
cripples or lintels are required.
for more insulation. A 400 mm
At larger openings, a single stud
(16 inch) on centre module
plus jack stud are required.
requires one extra stud for each
1,200 mm (4 feet) of wall length
In a typical house with standard
that also requires more fasteners
framing at 400 mm (16 inches)
and labour to install.
on centre, the area of all plates,
studs, lintels, jack studs and cripple
With proper planning a number
studs can be as much as 23 per
of cripples and jack studs can be
cent of the exterior wall area. Using
removed, especially in non loadadvanced framing techniques, with
bearing exterior walls. In many
studs spaced at 600 mm on centre,
situations they generally serve
no structural purpose but occupy
space that could be insulated.

Jack studs are usually the easiest

to eliminate because they generally
do not support significant loads,
especially for small windows. As
well, there is usually no need for
as many cripples as are usually used.
Most framers automatically place a
cripple at either end of the bottom
windowsill plate regardless the
spacing of framing.When cripples
are needed, they only have to
be of 38 x 89 mm (2 x 4) material.
However, it may be necessary to
consult with a structural engineer
for specific design conditions.
(Figure 3)

but it is not a problem today with

the standard use of 12.5 mm (12 inch)
gypsum board.

For the home in this case study,

the location and size of door and
window openings were coordinated
with the stud location on at least
one side of the opening wherever
possible. Conventional framing
practice would have used 204 studs
for the exterior walls on both levels
for this house. Advanced framing
practices will reduce this to 152 studs
which represents a 25 per cent
reduction, for a cost saving of
$151.50 for the lumber alone.This
saving does not even include labour
savings due to less material
handling.

A single top plate can be used

where the joists or trusses above
are aligned directly over the framing
members. Metal connector plates
may be needed to tie the top plates
together.Where single top plates
are used, the stud length and wall
height must be considered to
obtain the most cost effective use
of gypsum board finishing materials
and to avoid excessive trimming.

A concern sometimes made is

that the wider spacing will create
drywall problems.This may have
been a problem in the past when
9.5 mm (3/8 inch) drywall was used,

It is also worth noting that extra

framing can cause drywall cracking
or nail popping as a result of
differential shrinkage or movement
of the individual pieces of wood.
This is especially noticeable at
corners, where shrinkage and
warping of studs in opposite
directions can place stress on
the drywall joints that are weaker.

Wall Plates

The bottom and top plate can be

reduced in size.This will use less
lumber and improve the energy
efficiency of the structure.This
works especially well with 38 x 140
(2 x 6) wall construction, because
for most applications 89 mm
(312 inch) wide plates provide
adequate structural support.

Thus a 38 x 89 mm (2 x 4) bottom
plate can be used under a 38 x 140
mm (2 x 6) stud which would be
cantilevered out 50 mm (2 inches).
Once this is done, 50 mm (2 inches)
of insulated sheathing can be applied
to the outside, over the rim joist
or the foundation.This makes the
outside wall flush and thermally
protects the building envelope.
(Figure 4)

Exterior Wall
Corners
A three-stud corner, and in some
cases four studs are commonly
used in standard framing practice
although it is not structurally
necessary.The load on a corner
stud is about one-half that of a
regular stud, so two-stud corners
are more than adequate to carry
structural loads.The third or fourth
stud typically serves as backing for
the interior wall finish material,
usually 12.5 mm (12 inch) thick
gypsum board.The corner can be
formed from the end studs in each
of the two wall panels that meet in
the corner. Eliminating the extra
stud(s) means more insulation can
be installed in the corner to reduce
thermal bridging.

Figure 3: Unnecessary jacks and cripples

eliminated; fully insulated exterior corner; openings
aligned with stud spacing module.

Figure 4: 89 mm (312 inch) bottom plate

in a 140 mm (6 inch) wall.

Drywall clips can be used to

support the gypsum board. (Figure 5)
The gypsum board is attached to a
one-corner stud, while the sheet
on the adjacent wall is kept in place
by drywall clips that are attached
to the same stud.This also reduces
the potential of call backs to repair
drywall because a floating joint has
been created.
In the case study house, which has
a simple rectangular plan with four
corners, a total of eight studs are
eliminated at the corners by using
a two-stud corner framing detail.
The calculated overall R-value of
the 38 x 140 (2 x 6) exterior wall
for this house framed using
advanced framing (ignoring
windows and doors) is about
RSI 3.03 (R-17.2) when glass fibre
insulation is used.The overall Rvalue of the same 38 x 140 (2 x 6)
wall if framed with conventional
framing practices is only about
RSI 2.81 (R-16.2) because when
compared to glass fibre insulation,
wood is a poor insulator.The RSI
value of wood is only about 0.21
(R 1.25 per inch).
Thus, in addition to the lower
material cost for the advanced
framing because of reduced lumber
usage, advanced framing can
incorporate more insulation to
provide a better insulated building
assembly.

Interior Wall
Framing
The primary function of nonloadbearing interior partitions
is to divide interior space and
provide a desirable degree of
privacy. Because structural loads
are small, the size of the framing
members may be smaller, such as
38 x 64 mm (2 x 3 inch) wood
studs, and if the 600 mm (24 inch)
module is used, this will result in
significant reduction in lumber used.

Even where 38 x 89 mm (2 x 4)
framing must be used to
accommodate services or door
trim, the 600 mm (24 inch) spacing
reduces the quantity of lumber
used.
Openings in non-loadbearing
interior partitions such as passage
doors and closets have no particular
structural requirements.Thus, the
opening may be single-framed with
one stud at each side and a block
across the head. No lintel or jack
studs are required, nor are cripple
studs required over the head. It is
advisable to install horizontal
blocking using cut-offs (waste)
on either side of the opening using
single studs to provide additional
strength and rigidity.This will help
eliminate the twisting of the stud
that may occur, and to provide
extra strength that may be needed
for hardware. (Figure 6)

Figure 5:Two-stud exterior

corner with drywall clips

Eliminating
Partition Posts
Where interior partitions meet
the exterior wall a partition post
is typically built into the exterior
wall to provide backing for the
attachment of partitions. Except
where the post is part of an
engineered design, for example
to carry a point load, there is
no structural requirement for
anchorage of partitions to the
exterior wall.The advanced
framing approach is to use flat
horizontal blocking, using cut-offs,
spaced at 600 mm (24 inches),
between the adjacent studs of the
exterior walls, to which the
interior framing can be attached,
and also as a backing for interior
drywall.This allows the stud cavity
to be fully insulated (although
blocking will affect insulation
depth), and leaves no uninsulated
spaces, as often happens in these
areas. (Figure 7)

Figure 6: Opening in interior partition.

Horizontal blocking provides
backing to hardware.

Figure 7: Interior partition wall at exterior wall.

Horizontal blocking supports interior partition
framing, insulation runs across behind blocking.

Floor Framing

Lintels

Depending on the loads and spans,

floor joists can also be spaced at
600 mm (24 inches) on centre.
This reduces the number of joists
by about one third compared
with 400 mm (16 inch) spacing.
Increasing floor joist spacing must
be carefully assessed in order to
ensure that adequate floor stiffness
is maintained. Floor sheathing
thickness will also have to be
upgraded to yield equivalent
performance.Typically, this means
using a 19 mm (3/4 inch) thick
subflooring instead of 15.8 mm
(5/8 inch) subflooring.

An analysis of the plans before

construction begins may determine
that with some minor changes
one could save on materials by
eliminating materials and by placing
lintels in alternate locations. Lintels
can be eliminated in gable end walls
where there is no load or where
trusses are parallel to the wall in
which the lintel is located. Other
areas where lintels can be eliminated
are if windows are placed within
a single stud space in the wall.

In the case study house the spans

allow the floor joists to be spaced
at 600 mm (24 inches) on centre, so
14 joists could be saved. However,
the cost savings of $150.00 are
matched by the additional cost of
the thicker plywood needed, so
it was decided not to select the
wider spacing as an option.The
economics have to be assessed
for each situation.
Non-loadbearing partitions that
run parallel with the floor joists
do not require double floor joists
under them.They can be supported
on 38 x 89 mm (2 x 4 in) blocking
between adjacent joists.The blocking
must not be spaced more than
1.2 m (4 ft) apart.

It is also possible to move the

lintel up above the top plate in
a two-story design when used in
conjunction with the rim joist, thus
eliminating one ply from the header.
The applicability of this detail will
require a review of the loading and
span of the lintel.
In this case study house, four windows
are located in non-loadbearing walls,
so no lintels are required for them.
Three windows that do require
lintels will be framed with a doubled
rim joist over the window, avoiding
the use of a separate lintel, thus
reducing the amount of lumber
needed.This approach also allows
more insulation to be placed in the
wall cavity, as there is less lumber,
but does not result in a reduction
of insulation space in the floor joist
space, as the full depth can still be
installed in the joist space.

Standard carpentry practice is to

use a uniform 38 x 235 mm (2 x 10)
framing member for all lintels.Thus
each 1,200 mm (4 foot) window in
this case study design that avoids
a lintel over the window represents
a material saving of $6.27, plus less
labour time for materials handling.

Conclusion
Conventional wood-frame design
and construction practices have
not changed greatly over the last
25 years.Traditional construction
generally uses much more material
and labour than may be required
due to perceived increased
structural rigidity, convenience
or for assumed code compliance.
Material and labour waste is
common.The additional materials
and labour may serve no purpose
and add appreciably to the cost
of a project.
By careful review of the design and
structural requirements, this small
house can be framed with 52 fewer
studs, less plates, and 3 fewer pieces
of 38 x 235 mm x 2,400 mm
(2 x 10 x 8 feet), for a material
savings of $232.35. This would also
mean labour savings as there is less
materials handling and assembly
involved. In addition, the improved
effective insulating value will mean
lower energy costs for the house
over its life.

Reducing Built-up
Posts
Savings for case study
In a 38 x 140 mm (2 x 6) wall where
a built-up post is required to carry
a built-up beam in the floor above,
typically a 38 x 140 mm (2 x 6)
built-up post is used. However, a
38 x 89 mm (2 x 4) built-up post
may be enough to carry the loads.
Using 38 x 89 mm (2 x 4) framing in
this application would save material
and allow for insulation to be installed
behind the post, thus reducing
thermal bridging in the wall.

Element

Material saving

Studs

400 board feet

$ 151.60

Lintels

26 board feet

156 board feet

$ 55.33

48 board feet

$ 19.15

Plates (single top plate)

Cost savings

6.27

Plates (89 mm (3 2 inch)

sill plate)
Total

$ 232.35