18 – Panel junctions and corners
There are plenty of books available on the topic of residential wood frame construction. I do not want to even try to give a detailed description here of all the possible aspects of wood framing. Rather I would like to talk about what might make sense for your framing at the places where panels connect to each other. There are of course a number of types of panels that might be included in any given project. I want to focus on wall panels for this post and perhaps reserve some discussion about floor and roof panels for another time.
Wall panels have a variety of requirements. Of course there are structural issues but in particular I am referring to issues that impact where you might want to have joints between panels, which then imply panel connections. This can be complicated by the fact that you want to have openings for windows and doors as well as places in the middle of a panel where an interior wall might need to connect. There also is a requirement that sheathing material have something solid to attach to at the necessary locations.
When you are framing a wall in a normal stick frame situation the framing members (studs) that are placed at the joints of the sheathing material are usually just centered on the joint such that both sheets of sheathing can attach to a single member as in the first part of the below diagram. It is possible to make prefabricated panels with a joint of this type where the stud is attached to one panel with enough of it sticking out so that the next panel can be attached to it in the field. It is often more convenient to have two studs at the intersection of the wall panels as in the second part of the diagram below. This does require an additional stud but it makes the joint much stronger and the attachment of the sheathing materials more secure.
If your panels have a single stud attached to only one of the wall panels at the intersection point then you will need to attach the sheathing and at least the top plate of the other wall panel to the stud. With two studs at the intersection you will only need to attach the studs to each other. If your panels do not have the inner sheathing installed when you are assembling them in the field then you can easily nail, screw or bolt the panels to each other through the two studs at the panel intersection. This would of course make it more difficult to take your structure apart later if once you install sheathing on the inside.
This is one of the challenges that Michael Janzen faced in the design of his prefab panels in the eBook to which I link here on my blog. Michael wanted to be able to pre-install plywood skins on both the inside and outside of his panels. He also wanted it to be possible to take the structure apart without having to remove the inner plywood skins. To resolve this issue he has detailed an approach where he makes provision for adding a plywood spline that connects the two studs together underneath the inner plywood skin. This is shown in the following detail where the solid red portion is the spline. Screws can be driven through both the inner skin and the spline from inside of the structure.
One problem with double studs at panel edges has to do with air tightness. You end up with seams that go clear through the panels from outside to inside. To remedy this, panels should have a generous bead of construction adhesive run down the end stud so that both end studs are in effect glued together. This will keep out small drafts.
Another option for attaching panels is to do the double stud, but shift them 3/4″ one direction. You’ll get a single stud at the intersection of the sheathing (strength benefit, airsealing benefit). The other stud set 3/4″ inside the panel helps to keep the end of that panel straight and secure.
Brian,
You make some good points…
One approach that I think often makes sense with a panelized structure is to put trim strips on the outside panel joints and possibly some extra strips elsewhere if you want a board and batten pattern. This of course assumes that the panel skin is the finish skin for the outside of the wall. Sometimes the outer panel skin is a sub-sheathing that will be covered by other siding materials. Of course you will want to be careful with your glue if you want to be able to take the building apart later.
Thanks for sharing this helpful info!
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One problem with double studs at panel edges has to do with air tightness. You end up with seams that go clear through the panels from outside to inside. To remedy this, panels should have a generous bead of construction adhesive run down the end stud so that both end studs are in effect glued together. This will keep out small drafts.
Another option for attaching panels is to do the double stud, but shift them 3/4″ one direction. You’ll get a single stud at the intersection of the sheathing (strength benefit, airsealing benefit). The other stud set 3/4″ inside the panel helps to keep the end of that panel straight and secure.
Bruce,
You do make a good point about double studs at panel joints. Another way to seal these joints is to apply some sort of batten strip on the outside surface of the wall. Of course if some other siding material is installed on top of the prefab wall panels this can also cover the joints. The best solution for a particular situation depends on a number of factors.
Thanks for your good comment,
Malcolm
I found your blog on google and read a few of your other posts. I just added you to my Google News Reader. Keep up the nice work Look forward to reading more from you in the future.
Nice post, thanks for writing!
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Lots of great info here, well done.
I can’t find the link to the Janzen e book you mention though?
Patrick,
The link to Michael Janzen’s eBook is the large photo on the upper right of my blog. Just click on it and it will take you to the information about it.
Malcolm
Great ! Are you going to keep writing articles? I read all your posts.
I do intend to write more articles from time to time. I have a set of plans that I have been trying to complete for a pre-fab structure too.
Malcolm
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