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2x4 vs 2x6 exterior walls
Posted on 3/27/21 at 2:17 pm
Posted on 3/27/21 at 2:17 pm
I am making my house plans now and im stuck on what i want for the exterior wall assembly. Most i know have 2x4, osb sheathing, and house wrap with either rockwool or spray in closed cell. the primary thing im hung up on is the framing.
In the baton rouge area, is there any real advantage to going with 2x6 exterior walls?
It seems like 2x4 houses are doing fine and i dont want to pay extra for lumber, insulation, etc and lose 2" off of every wall for nothing.
In the baton rouge area, is there any real advantage to going with 2x6 exterior walls?
It seems like 2x4 houses are doing fine and i dont want to pay extra for lumber, insulation, etc and lose 2" off of every wall for nothing.
11
Posted on 3/27/21 at 2:25 pm to bigbuckdj
The 2x6 allows to to move the framing from 16” to 24” on center plus you can add more insulation
Posted on 3/27/21 at 2:30 pm to wickowick
Thanks, I understand that. I guess im just wondering if anyone thinks it is worth the additional insulation and lumber costs to add it down here.
Posted on 3/27/21 at 2:46 pm to bigbuckdj
My dads house has 6" walls with studs still on 16" centers. It would take a bomb to knock it over.
The extra insulation is easily worth it IMO. Hes able to easily keep his house very cool through the worst of the summer and never turns the heater on at all.
Eta: built it himself in the 80's with no intention of ever selling, so it was a no Brainer for him. If I was possibly going to sell the house I probably wouldn't bother.
The extra insulation is easily worth it IMO. Hes able to easily keep his house very cool through the worst of the summer and never turns the heater on at all.
Eta: built it himself in the 80's with no intention of ever selling, so it was a no Brainer for him. If I was possibly going to sell the house I probably wouldn't bother.
This post was edited on 3/27/21 at 2:49 pm
Posted on 3/27/21 at 2:47 pm to bigbuckdj
Depends. What’s your objective? If it’s more R value, what type of insulation are you using? You mentioned rock wool and closed cell foam. Huge difference between these two. If you went with closed cell, you can get 2” (R14) or 3” (R21). If that’s the case, why would you even opt for the 2x6? If you go with rock wool, I think you’d get ~R15 and ~ R23 from 3.5” and 5.5” depths, respectively.
Posted on 3/27/21 at 2:50 pm to bigbuckdj
Typically 2x6s are cheaper than 2x4s on a per thousand basis. Of course it's 50% more wood. But in a lot of cases 2x6s will sell for 30-40% less. So although it's more cost, it's not that much more. Plus as stated, you can use fewer of them. And it's usually a bit cheaper to frame. Fewer steps.
I am about to build a house also and will definitely use 2x6. But I'm gonna wait until November to purchase my lumber.
I am about to build a house also and will definitely use 2x6. But I'm gonna wait until November to purchase my lumber.
Posted on 3/27/21 at 2:58 pm to No Colors
Old man always said your best bang for buck was "just get a bunch of 16' 2x6's"
Posted on 3/27/21 at 3:25 pm to bigbuckdj
Matt Risinger on YouTube has videos on this 2x4 vs 2x6 topic. Lots of new engineered products out there for framing. Also not sure what that Advantech Zip sheathing costs but I would definitely be looking into it. I really like RoxWool so I’d look into using it as fire resistant insulation for kitchen & mechanical rooms plus use it for bathrooms & bedrooms as much as possible for sound proofing. Last but not least I’d look at installing an HDTV antenna in the attic and run conduit for coax & Ethernet cable’s
Posted on 3/27/21 at 4:21 pm to Cracker
I always said I wished I had went with 2x6 framing material. However, being in the house I’m not sure it would be worth it. I have a brick house with 2x4 walls and open cell foam insulation.
For 4K sqft, my electric bill is not very high (<$200 in summer, <$100 in winter, avg $130ish). Gas heat, but even my gas Bill prob averages $75, with it being over $150 1-2 months a year.
If those funds used for the 2x6 framing are going to cut into something else from the cost, say higher SEER A/C units or better insulation, or even better finishes, I probably wouldn’t do it.
For 4K sqft, my electric bill is not very high (<$200 in summer, <$100 in winter, avg $130ish). Gas heat, but even my gas Bill prob averages $75, with it being over $150 1-2 months a year.
If those funds used for the 2x6 framing are going to cut into something else from the cost, say higher SEER A/C units or better insulation, or even better finishes, I probably wouldn’t do it.
Posted on 3/27/21 at 4:26 pm to GeauxldMember
This is all exactly the info I was looking for, thanks everyone. It seems like maybe 2x6 on 24” centers with rock wool might be a good cost/efficiency compromise.
I actually watched several of Matt’s videos. He said in one of them that he was using 2x4s with zip sheathing on his personal home.
It seems like there’s a lot of good options in 2x4 and 2x6 construction to make it more energy efficient and durable.
I’m building on family land. I’d like this thing to last a really long time and be energy efficient.
I actually watched several of Matt’s videos. He said in one of them that he was using 2x4s with zip sheathing on his personal home.
It seems like there’s a lot of good options in 2x4 and 2x6 construction to make it more energy efficient and durable.
quote:
Depends. What’s your objective?
I’m building on family land. I’d like this thing to last a really long time and be energy efficient.
Posted on 3/27/21 at 4:35 pm to LSUtigerME
quote:
If those funds used for the 2x6 framing are going to cut into something else from the cost, say higher SEER A/C units or better insulation, or even better finishes, I probably wouldn’t do it.
Yeah I guess this was my primary concern. That seems to be the case against spray foam.
Posted on 3/27/21 at 5:12 pm to wickowick
quote:
The 2x6 allows to to move the framing from 16” to 24” on center plus you can add more insulation
24” seems like a lot of space for Sheetrock. Like lean against it and it burst. Not sure what to think about that. My current house is solid sheeting but I’m gonna be building within a year and know that is way too expensive to do nowadays
Posted on 3/27/21 at 6:47 pm to bigbuckdj
My builder only does 2x6 exterior walls 16 in on center for the r-value. I live in Ohio and my gas bill in the winter and electric bill in the summer has never been above $150. We have about 3000 sqft. I think it would be worth it.
Posted on 3/27/21 at 9:07 pm to bigbuckdj
He's doing engineered 2x4s and foam board insulation on the outside. If you aren't doing insulation on the exterior wall then you should go with 2x6.
Posted on 3/28/21 at 1:14 am to bigbuckdj
I have 2x6 walls and I feel like the HVAC is remarkably efficient. This past winter with the snowstorm, I felt like we barely ran the heat to stay warm. The water finally froze on external walls when the temps reached 9F.
Posted on 3/28/21 at 10:04 am to bigbuckdj
I think spray foam has eliminated any need to go to 2x6 walls.
2x4 wall with spray foam is better than 2x6 wall with any other insulation material.
Also, in Baton Rouge, you would be better off saving the money on the wall and spending it on a higher seer rating on your air conditioner.
In south Louisiana you need your a/c to run a certain amount of time to remove humidity.
If you were to make you walls 10' thick and insulate them so much that no heat could ever get through them, and your a/c never needed to run, you would end up with extremely humid air inside your house.
In a hot humid environment there is a maximum amount that you want to have your walls insulated.
In a cold dry environment, there is no maximum amount of insulation, other that the money you are willing to spend.
Valid point except that every time you have a corner, window, or door, you will end up with closer spacing due to the need to frame them out.
2x4 wall with spray foam is better than 2x6 wall with any other insulation material.
Also, in Baton Rouge, you would be better off saving the money on the wall and spending it on a higher seer rating on your air conditioner.
In south Louisiana you need your a/c to run a certain amount of time to remove humidity.
If you were to make you walls 10' thick and insulate them so much that no heat could ever get through them, and your a/c never needed to run, you would end up with extremely humid air inside your house.
In a hot humid environment there is a maximum amount that you want to have your walls insulated.
In a cold dry environment, there is no maximum amount of insulation, other that the money you are willing to spend.
quote:
The 2x6 allows to to move the framing from 16” to 24” on center
Valid point except that every time you have a corner, window, or door, you will end up with closer spacing due to the need to frame them out.
This post was edited on 3/28/21 at 10:10 am
Posted on 3/28/21 at 10:36 am to footballdude
With spray foam, and ACs, you really want a variable speed system that will also run at low speeds to pull humidity from the air even if the temp doesn’t warrant the ax to run
Posted on 3/28/21 at 10:55 am to footballdude
I’m leaning toward 2x4s at this point. I don’t like the 24” centers and My lumber cost is already going to be astronomical. I’d rather not pay for the 16” centers in a 2x6. It seems like there are several options to get high r values with a 3.5” cavity and I can spend my extra dollars on better windows/better ac system. My nature is to really over build things but I don’t think my wallet will support this one.
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