Home Framing Techniques | Maryland's eastern shore

How We Frame It

lt was exciting to watch our dream home start to take shape. We were able to communicate with the construction staff about any issues as they arose so that corrections could be made on site.

The Shivelys, Covell Homeowners

How We Frame It

Our Enhanced Building Techniques Mean A Stronger, More Efficient, More Comfortable Home

A beautiful home has to start with good “bones," and our framing techniques are literally the backbone of the Covell Standard. We don't just build the way it’s “always been done” We embrace building science and strive to build homes that achieve both structural soundness and energy efficiency demands, and we're always looking for new ways to improve. Our Enhanced Framing Techniques focus on better ways to insulate, improve structural integrity, and support design flexibility, so we can customize exactly the home you need.

Wooden struts on ceiling | Build on Your Lot | Covell Communities | Chester, Maryland 21619

How We Build Better And Smarter

Our enhanced framing techniques are designed to combat some previously overlooked sources of heat and energy loss in traditional construction, and replace them with simple, effective practices that add insulation value to the vulnerable spots in your home, keeping it warmer in winter, and cooler in summer, and lowering your energy costs.

ENERGY FOCUSED HEADERS

In a typical framed wall roughly 25 percent of the home’s exterior frame contains structural pieces that conduct warm air directly into or out of the home, creating costly energy loss through a process known as “Thermal Bridging.” The graphic at right shows these structural blocks creating a path of least resistance for energy loss, allowing your home’s comfortable heated air to leak out on cold days and then reversing course on hot days, allowing humid outside air to breach your home’s cool air-conditioned space. Filling the space with more high resistance insulation provides a better level of blocking of energy loss, by reducing the size of these exterior wall “headers.” Unlike traditional construction, we size the headers only to what the home actually requires, which allows us to add critical insulation to the home’s exterior walls. What once was a major source of thermal bridging and energy loss now actually contributes to the overall insulating value of the structure, lowering your energy costs and keeping your home comfortable year-round.

How heat enters a home diagram | Build on Your Lot | Covell Communities | Chester, Maryland 21619

City skyline

Photo By: John Doe

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LADDER BLOCKING

Another area we’ve targeted to improve our homes’ insulating performance is the way we frame walls where they intersect. These areas require both points or “blocks” for attaching drywall, and the means to stabilize the interior wall. We accomplish this and improve the home’s insulating value at critical exterior points by installing horizontal, flat blocking on the interior side of the frame. This allows insulation to be installed continuously behind it, eliminating cold spots and reducing your energy costs.

CALIFORNIA CORNERS

You may have heard the term ‘cold corner’ before or maybe even had one or two in a previous home. It describes a corner area where two exterior walls meet. Traditionally this area was framed completely solid with lumber, with no insulation. It was a major source of lost heat and in many cases allowed cold air into those corners. We use a technique called the ‘California Corner’ to add insulation to those areas and avoid cold corners.

Maximum Open Space, Greater Design Flexibility

We choose roof and floor systems that offer maximum strength, stability and support and also provide a multitude of other

benefits - including flatter floors, greater energy savings, quicker turnaround, and less wasted lumber. One difference our homeowners notice: fewer load-bearing walls mean we can literally move walls for you, so your floor plan reflects the way you live.

OPEN WEB FLOOR TRUSSES

The trusses that support your home’s floors should be structurally sound, above all else. We use an open web system that is constructed off site. Among the benefits:

The open web design allows space for HVAC, electrical and plumbing installations to be contained in the ceiling, eliminating the need for awkward bulkheads in small spaces, and allowing ample room for future alterations. It also eliminates the restrictions and potential dangers of drilling or cutting holes into solid joists to run wiring, etc.
The web floor system allows for an increased span between load-bearing walls, supporting wide open floor plans, and opening up a host of design options and greater design flexibility. We can literally move walls for you (well, most of them).
Creating the trusses off-site means we only use exactly what we need, so there’s little to no jobsite waste. By reducing the number of bearing walls, beams, columns and footings, the longer spans and higher strength capacities eliminate unnecessary material costs as well.
Engineered products achieve greater dimensional precision. For floor trusses, this translates to flatter floors.

TJI FLOOR SYSTEM

TJI engineered floor systems offer maximum span and strength capabilities, meaning fewer required load-bearing points and greater flexibility with your design choices. Because it’s manufactured to tighter dimensional tolerances, just as the floor trusses, it provides a flat floor surface, unlike dimensional/- sawn lumber that has ‘crowns’ or humps along their length. Off-site fabrication allows for minimal cutting/jobsite waste when being installed.

RAISED HEEL ROOF TRUSSES

A key to successful insulation is maintaining its “fluffiness” and loft, particularly in areas that connect with the home’s exterior. In a conventional roofing truss, insulation is packed down and pinched into corners over exterior walls, where it’s needed, preventing it from doing its job properly. A raised or energy heel truss design allows the insulation to remain at its full height and thickness over exterior walls. Here are some of the benefits:

In winter repeated heating and cooling at the home’s corners can lead to the formation of ice dams, which can damage a home’s water resistance. A raised heel cut truss system removes the chance for ice dams to develop.
The trusses raise the roof line up and allow thicker trim detail wraps around the house. Without the energy heel, the space above the second-story windows shrinks and can make the home feel and look smaller.
Using trusses built off-site rather than individually cut rafters decreases the amount of time spent framing the home on the jobsite – allowing your home to be completed more quickly.
Fabricated roof trusses also allow for maximum open space, with fewer load-bearing walls required, opening up more design options and greater flexibility in customizing the home’s second floor to fit your needs.
Creating the trusses off-site means we only use exactly what we need, so there’s little to no jobsite waste.