Unibilt installs TALLWALL by Norbord on all exterior walls to save our homeowners on their energy bills, year after year.
During one of our recent monthly factory tours, we were asked a great question, “Why is the exterior sheathing installed vertically instead of the way most other builders do it?”
While traditional builders install plywood or osb exterior sheathing in a horizontal fashion (4x8 sheets), Unibilt applies all exterior sheathing in 4x9 or 4x10 sheets, which are fastened vertically-----all seams are on a stud, no gaps for air infiltration. Further the sheathing now ties in the top plate with the floor joist rim plates. Stronger, tighter, and just plain better construction!
Verified testing has shown that air infiltration is reduced by up to 60% with the use of 9’and 10’ TALLWALL installed vertically. The tests have shown that the air leakage encountered with horizontal 4x8 application is equivalent to a 2’x2’ hole in your homes walls----imagine the air leakage in a 2x2 hole in your wall?
TALLWALL is not an option at Unibilt, neither is saving money on energy costs. Both are standard on every Unibilt Home. Great question and an even better answer. Visit the Norbord.com site and see for yourself, such a simple concept, you have to wonder why all home builders don’t use TALLWALL?