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Alternatives to engineered wood wall sheathing Question
In North America, it is common to build wood-frame houses with pieces of lumber making up the frame and OSB boards acting as wall sheathing.
The OSB sheathing reinforces the frame against various skew forces, such as may be created by strong winds. It also provides a surface that supports other elements of the wall (such as vapor barriers and insulation).
Engineered wood has its pros and cons but supposing one was opposed to it, are there any realistic alternatives to OSB sheathing for walls that have comparable cost?
Note: OSB stands for "oriented strand board".
1 answer
Standard approach before the advent of sheet goods was boards, sometimes set diagonally for better bracing.
If they were cost competitive with the use of sheet goods, (whether Oriented Strand Board or Plywood) they would still be commonly used.
They are not cost competitive, particularly with the labor cost of installation included; and they are inferior in the bracing they provide.
If you have an objection to engineered wood products, you'll pay more to support that when building a house, whether it be for boards or bricks or stones or gunnite or adobe or strawbales. And most places with building codes that accept strawbales limit them to infill in a timber frame.
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