Introduction

By utilizing traditional building methods, this framing method maximizes insulation and minimizes heat transfer.

Building sustainably doesn’t always involve new and innovative building products. Sometimes it takes a traditional building method, modified to improve energy efficiency. That’s exactly what we did when designing the framing for our Sustainable Retreat.

We wanted to keep it simple and efficient, so we built double 2×4 walls. This double-walled framing technique adds lots of insulation and removes the heat transfer that happens through the studs. This path to sustainable home building succeeds by using a skill anyone can learn, instead of experimenting with a new material.