Pricing on lsl studs
Salibonz
| Posted in Building Code Questions on
I am planning on building a house with 2×4 studs staggered 24 oc. I’m not entirely sure that this is possible since it is a 2 story home. For that reason I am considering 2×4 lsl studs because it can handle the load. Problem is I can’t seem to find a price for 2×4×104 5/8 lsl studs. I called a reputable lumber yard and they were clueless on lsl studs( basically said why? Just use standard studs) at the moment I am waiting for a call back, but am curious are 2×4 lsl less than 2×6 studs?
GBA Detail Library
A collection of one thousand construction details organized by climate and house part
Search and download construction details
Replies
Staggered stud walls (that is 2x4s on a 2x6 plate) are hard to insulate unless you dense pack. Not really worth the effort unless you need better soundproofing.
Generally it is simply easier to go with a 2x6 load bearing wall though for the main floor. You can do 2x4's for the upper floor. This falls into the category of picking your battles.
P.S. A 2x8 24"OC wall with R30 batts is higher assembly R value than a 2x6 plate staggered stud 2x4 wall and way easier to build.
I am trying to be cost effective and at the same time reduce thermal bridging. Rather than fram with 2×6 I can use 2×4 24 oc and dense packed cellulose and get a better thermal break. Problem is can 2×4's support a 2nd story and roof loads at that span. That's why I am considering lsl studs as long as it is cheaper than a douglas fir 2×6 stud. In that way my lumber price will be decent, insulation would be better thermal break better and with lsl walls would be straight. That's if the price is right. Any idea what they cost, I appreciate the help thank you.
Once you go LSL means you are outside of prescriptive build and need an engineering stamp. I would figure out what you can build within your code, the cost save of smaller lumber is simply not worth the extra fees.
The reason you won't find 2x4 LSL is they are simply not used. LSL are used for tall walls so that is pretty much 2x6 or 2x8 only. I guess you can rip one in half to make your own 2x4 LSL if you really want to go that route.
Unless you are building a certified PassivHouse, thermal bridging simply doesn't matter, what matters is whole assembly R value. There are many ways of improving the assembly R value that are simpler and cheaper than what you are proposing.
As someone in the middle of building my own house, I can tell you that framing lumber is one of the cheapest parts of the entire project. My house is 3000sqft and I've spent less than $2000 framing the entire interior (exterior shell was priced separately since I out sourced that). I have a mixture of standard 2x4 16oc, 2x4 24 oc, 2x4 staggered stud, and 2x4 double stud walls. I can tell you the staggered stud eats up a ton of 2x4s. I was shocked how fast my pile of lumber went doing my two forty foot walls. Also, if you price out lumber, 2x6s are typically less than 50% more than a 2x4, so if you are using twice as many 2x4s you actually end up spending more. To complicate things more in some markets, such as my own, 2x8x12s are within $0.30 of 2x6x12s (not per board foot, total). So in my market it would be completely stupid to use 2x6s over 2x8s. I sadly didn't realize that before I started my build so I went post-frame which I semi-regret, but if I could do it over I would definitely just do 2x8 at 24"oc OR 2x4 double stud wall on a 2x8 bottom plate. I would then fill in the cavity with cellulose or fiber glass batts
Ok, yeah I'm thinking I'm just going to go with standard 2×6 and outboard insulation, maybe comfortboard 80 or halo exterra
This!
Framing lumber is cheap and larger framing lumber is not that expensive. Build simple thick walls, don't complicate your life.
"I am trying to be cost effective and at the same time reduce thermal bridging."
My observation is that most people who haven't done the math have an intuitive sense that thermal bridging is much worse than it really is. As freyr_design suggests below, try modeling different assemblies before assuming that one is going to be better or worse.
The same goes for cost-effective, you really need to price out what is available locally before you can assume anything. My guess is you'll find that LSL is cost-prohibitive but I don't know your local market.
no. almost no engineered lumber is cheaper, I think lsl are probably in the range of 4 times more, but you can google if yourself and verify. You cannot support a second story with 2x4 studs at 24 o.c. spacing. see TABLE R602.3(5). Unless you get an engineer to sign off on it. I don't think advanced framing practices come into play here because its not a factor of lining up your studs and joist is about the actual strength of the stud. advanced framing and lining up joist and stud is required when you use a single top plate.
just do a double stud wall with either 2x4 at 16 oc spacing or 2x6 at 24 if so inclined. First you should model your house in Beopt and get a better idea of your savings with different assemblies. That is basically what Beopt is built for. watch some youtube videos on how to use it. dont use zip r if you are trying to save money (from your last post).
If you want better quality studs without such a cost premium (and possible availability issue) with LSL, try special ordering #1 graded studs. Any lumberyard should be able to order in #1 studs, which will (should :-) be better than the more common #2 structural grades. You don't run into any issues with building to code by going up a grade with your lumber either.
Bill