Reports

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Evaluation of Nailed Roof-to-Wall Connections for Resistance to Uplift

In light-frame wood construction, nails have historically been the primary method for connecting roof members to walls. The connection, known as a toe-nail or a slant-nail, is fabricated by installing nails at an angle through the side of a roof framing members and into the wall’s top plate. Model building codes allowed the use of toe-nails under conventional construction provisions in areas not prone to hurricanes. Recently, proposals to modify the conventional construction provisions to substantially reduce the applicability of toe-nailed connections have been discussed at various code development forums. This study is intended to provide the basis for establishing appropriate scoping limits for toe-nailed roof-to-wall connections in applications under the International Residential Code (IRC).

Fixture Flow Rate Comparison - Cross-Linked Polyethylene (PEX) Piping and Copper Tubing

File Under: Plumbing

Cross-linked polyethylene (PEX) and copper piping were tested at varying source pressures and two maximum runs; 60 and 100 ft to determine if PEX and copper piping systems will deliver sufficient volumetric flow rates to the plumbing fixtures when using the same nominal size tubing.

Advanced Framing: An Examination of its Practical Use in Residential Construction

File Under: Structural Performance

Advanced framing, also known as Optimum Value Engineering (OVE), is not new to home building. It was featured in kit homes offered by the Sears & Roebuck Company in the early 1900s (HUD, 2001), researched extensively in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and featured in a landmark publication, Manual of Lumber & Plywood Saving Techniques for Residential Light-Frame Construction (NAHB Research Foundation, 1971). Again in 1994, OVE framing techniques were revisited, updated, and featured in Cost-Effective Home Building (NAHB, 1994). Currently, provisions for several key OVE framing practices are found in model U.S. building codes (ICC, 2006).

Evaluation of the Lateral Performance of Let-In Bracing and Mixed Bracing Systems

File Under: Structural Performance

This testing program is designed to measure the performance of conventional bracing systems including wood let-in bracing, gypsum wallboard, and wood structural panels. The purpose of the study is to better understand how these bracing methods work as part of a system and in combination with each other. Although these bracing methods have been studied in the past, recent re-evaluation of testing procedures and analytical approaches for establishing prescriptive wall bracing requirements raised new questions related to the interaction of these materials with each other and with the rest of the structure. Some of the new concepts that have been recently introduced include the continuous sheathing methods of wall bracing, partial restraint conditions, interaction of dissimilar materials, and contribution of finish materials to the structure’s performance. This study provides information towards reconciling the traditional bracing methods, their historic use and performance, and the new approaches to analyzing prescriptive wall bracing provisions.

Implications of the Soft Housing Market for Builders, Suppliers, and Manufacturers

File Under:

The objective of the 2008 Soft Market Study was to document the changes that home builders have undergone since the beginning of the market downturn and to provide these findings to:

Home builders – to benefit from the successes of other home builders and increase their likelihood of business survival
Manufacturers and suppliers – to understand how to better meet home builder needs

Field Evaluation of Low-E Storm Windows

File Under: Air Sealing & Building Envelope, Ventilation & Indoor Air Quality

A field evaluation comparing the performance of low emittance (low-e) storm windows with both standard clear storm windows and no storm windows was performed in a cold climate. Six homes with single-pane windows were monitored over the period of one heating season. The homes were monitored with no storm windows and with new storm windows. The storm windows installed on four of the six homes included a hard coat, pyrolitic, low-e coating while the storm windows for the other two homes had traditional clear glass. Overall heating load reduction due to the storm windows was 13% with the clear glass and 21% with the low-e windows. Simple paybacks for the addition of the storm windows were 10 years for the clear glass and 4.5 years for the low-e storm windows.

TechSpec: Cold-Formed Steel Framing

File Under: Resilience, Structural Performance

Steel has a proven track record in a number of industries from automobile and railroad manufacturing to bridge and commercial construction. Over the past two decades, cold-formed steel has seen increased usage as the structural frame for residential and multi-story commercial buildings due to inherent features that overcome the downsides of conventional products. Rigorous building environs, like Hawaii and California have seen the largest increase in residential steel framing where earthquakes, high winds, termites and brush fires wreak havoc on less-durable materials.

Implications of the Soft Housing Market for Suppliers of Building Products

File Under:

During the 2004-2005 housing boom, the U.S. home building industry operated at a level unsustainable by population growth and new household formation – generally agreed to be about 1.95 million new units annually. Low interest rates and aggressive lending tactics increased affordability and drew homebuyers who typically would not have qualified for homeownership into the market. Further, the double-digit annual appreciation rates of homes lured investors looking for high returns into the market.

2005 Consumer Practices Report - Interior Finishes

File Under:

The Home Innovation Research Labs’s Annual Builder and Consumer Practices Reports provide market demand data for building product and material usage in the United States and Canada. Market demand data on repair and remodeling expenditures obtained through the annual Consumer Practices Survey (CPS), an annual online survey of U.S. and Canadian households, results in tabulations that represent the demand for building products and materials purchased by consumers for home improvements, repairs, and remodeling. These reports also provide key information on purchasing and installation practices, as well as demographic information about the respondents.

TechSpec: Advanced Framing Techniques

File Under: Structural Performance

Advanced Framing, also known as Optimum Value Engineering (OVE), refers to a series of techniques designed to use less lumber in framing a house, thereby reducing material cost and use of natural resources, and increasing the level of insulation as a result.