Frame a Wall
Practical Advanced Framing vs. Traditional Framing

Another way we help our clients is by introducing new techniques that save money.  This is one of them.  Practical Advanced Framing. Most new homes are frame a wall with 2x4 studs on 16" centers with 2x10 or 2x12 headers over the windows and doors. But by using some minor tweaks in your framing technique, you can yield substantially higher insulation values in your walls.

NAHB Report June 2008

I found a great report that was made possible through funding from the Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH), under the Department of Housing and Urban Development. It is called:

Building a Home with Advanced Framing:
An Examination of It's Practical Use in Residential Construction

This is a good read for anyone considering the new advanced method.

Practical Advanced Framing

Matt Risinger has been building houses since the late 1990's. He is astounded by how little the housing business has changed in the last 50+ years and how most new homes today are framed pretty similarly to the way houses were framed in the 1950's. 

I will let Matt explain further.

Frame a Wall Using Insulated Lumber

Below is another new and super cool idea.  It has somewhat to do with insulation, but it also talks about how structurally strong this type of building material can be.