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What is a wood frame?
Traditional balloon or platform wood frame construction.
Why we like wood frame as a building material:
America was built on wood frame construction; it is fast, cheap and very efficient in its use of materials. The 2x4 stud with the 4' x8" sheet of ply is the ultimate modular building system.
Eco-factor of wood frame building
Wood is the ultimate green material if it is sustainably harvested, like FSC certified wood; the growing tree absorbs carbon dioxide and it is sequestered for the life of the house. It is such a flexible building material that one can build anything, right up to Passiv Haus standards that don't require any heating at all.
Cons of wood frame building
There are few materials that are as misused: with much of suburbia thrown up quickly and with insufficient insulation or quality, with wood from clearcut forests. Greenwash certification systems like Greenglobes and SFI can confuse consumers into thinking wood is sustainably harvested when it is not. Many sheathings and sheet goods have formaldehyde glues.
Where can I get FSC certified wood for building?
Home Depot now sells FSC certified lumber.
How Much:
FSC lumber costs 5% to 25% more than the ordinary stuff, but is not a big part of the cost of a house; building a house out of FSC lumber will probably add 2% to the cost overall. It's worth it.
