Mountain communities should strive for Environmental Stewardship as a means of protecting and respecting their outdoor passions.
Jakub Galczynski continues to learn and implement more responsible construction strategies. Cold-climate mountain homeowners might consider their energy use, material off-gassing, stable home temperature, and environmental footprint. High Performance Walls create stable interior temperatures and are less dependent on large Mechanical needs. As the climate becomes less predictable in the future, leaning toward a self-reliant home can be seen as a preventative measure in addition to helping our enviornment.
Stardard Exterior Wall
A Standard Exterior Wall is built with 2×6 studs, sandwiched between exterior and interior material. Every stud is considered a ‘thermal bridge’ and allows hot and cold temperatures to transfer between materials. The Building Science community often relates this to hot water poured into a ceramic cup vs thermos. Initially it might not seem like a lot of energy lost, but it happens at every 24″ of stud spacing. The average thermal bridging that happens is about 25% of the exterior wall surface area. Windows and Doors further decrease This wall is standard in affordable and high-end construction US Construction. In most cold climates the insulation value is minimum to residential code (R-27).
Below is a list of Alternative Walls ( in no order ) that qualify as High Performance. :
- Staggered-Stud Wall
- Double-Stud Wall
- Continuous Exterior Insulation Wall
- ICF Block Wall
Staggered-Stud Wall
The Staggered-Stud Wall is one of the more affordable ways to construct a High-Performance Wall. The strategy here is to use a 2×8 sill and header for the exterior wall. The interior studs remain 2×6 and are staggered to create a thermal break.
Double-Stud Wall
The Double-Stud Wall is to be built with two walls at the exterior and leaves an air space between them. The two walls and air space are filled with insulation. Removing thermal bridge and adding insulation depth make this a High Performace Wall. This exterior wall is thicker, which sacrifices interior space.
Continuous Exterior Insulation Wall
The Continuous Exterior Insulation Wall is identical to the 2×6 Standard Exterior Wall, apart from added rigid insulation to the outside. This rigid insulation minimizes thermal bridging to the 2×6 studs and interior. Jakub Galczynski has designed walls with exterior insulation.
ICF Block Wall ( Insulated Concrete Forms )
Exterior walls consist of stacked foam blocks filled with concrete. These walls have no wood studs that result in thermal breaks and/or air leaks, due to foam and thick concrete core. The assembly is a competitive +/- R-52 (equivalent) wall, compared to the Standard Exterior Wall (R-27). The biggest drawback is the lack of Builder ICF knowledge. Jakub Galczynski has designed a home as ICF Construction and highly recommends using an ICF Specialized Builder, to ensure cost efficiencies. This exterior wall is thicker, which sacrifices interior space.