The Downside Risks of "Stick-Built" Construction. |
17 hurricanes and major storms ravaged Florida and the Eastern Seaboard in 1995 alone, wrecking "stick-built" homes. Insurance
companies have responded by specifying concrete walls in new construction. Blue Maxx Wallsystems can withstand winds of 150 mph.
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Exploring the Hollow Wall Syndrome. Or, Finding the Wolves in the Wall. |
Remember The Three Little Pigs? The ones who built their houses of straw and sticks were ultimately devoured by the huffing and puffing
wolf. Only the pig who built a solid wall survived!
 Today, non-insulate stone and concrete walls are standard in countries where wood is scarce, and modern insulation
against both cold and heat are not deemed essential.
And yet, where temperature extremes dictate the use of insulation, the hollow, "stick-built" wooden wall, sheathed with an
outer veneer of metal or wood siding, brick or stucco, is common.
Built by conscientious craftsmen of first quality materials, these walls can function as designed for many years.
But problems built into a "stick-built" wall, either through careless workmanship or suspect materials, can return to haunt the homeowner.
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The Insulation Void Wolf: |
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Spaces between insulating bats, called voids, create permanent cold spots and allow drafts.
The Blue Maxx Wallsystem is monolithic by definition. It provides for a continuous concrete and insulation barrier, with drastically reduced air
infiltration, unbroken by air spaces or even studs that break the insulation barrier of a conventional wall every sixteen inches.
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The Nail Pop Wolf: |
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Wood studs can warp, shrink, twist (creating drywall nail pop!), and can be attacked by dry rot.
Blue Maxx Wallsystems do not depend on lumber for their structural integrity. And our high-density plastic strapping can't warp and twist to
pop nails and screws.
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The Leaky Foundation Wolf: |
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Poured concrete and concrete block foundations chronically crack when back-filled, resulting in a damp, musty-smelling basement.
Below grade, on foundation walls, a waterproof membrane is applied as an integral part of the Blue Maxx Wallsystem. Plus, the sheer
strength of steel reinforced concrete resists cracking even under the pressures of backfill. The result is a dry, cozy basement.
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The Vapor Barrier Wolf: |
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Conventional walls have plastic film applied to the inside of the wall, under the drywall. If this poly film is accidentally torn or punctured during
construction, water vapor enters the wall from inside the warm house where it then condenses, causing rot to attack the wood.
Blue Maxx provides a monolithic insulation barrier two and a half inches thick to hold warm, moist air inside the home. |
