Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Interior Walls

Wall construction method is very different from US standards. I am pretty impressed!
The entire house is supported by the post and beam skeleton so the interior walls themselves are not load bearing (they support lateral loads during earthquakes not roof weight) although they may house actual load bearing posts.
The interior studs (called "mabashira" in Japanese. These are cut from "Bei-Matsu" or Douglas Fir) are fitted into dado cuts on the floor beams and overhead beams. They are glued and double screwed into position. One side (at least) is then covered with 1/2 inch plywood ("Veneer Ita" in Japanese, and commonly misnamed "Veneer") that is nailed at about every 6 inches on every post, beam, and stud. Both sides then get a final layer of tongue and groove that is glued and double nailed at every stud and post. Rolled Fiberglass insulation is also installed in certain walls depending on the heating and cooling zones in the house.
The final product is an extremely strong wall!!! The house is begining to feel really strong!





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