On November 22, 2019 the APA (American Plywood Association) published a “Product Advisory: Performance of Flexible Structural Sheathing” in their November APA Update eNewsletter. In this Product Advisory they attack the structural sheathing products industry. Prior to this APA advisory, SP-1172, which has essentially identical information, was published in October of 2015 and then republished as SP-1186 in July of 2018. We would like to address this product advisory and offer the following information so you can make an informed decision on your product purchases.

Who Is the APA (Stands For: American Plywood Association)?

The APA membership is comprised of members, whose mills produce the majority of the structural wood panel products manufactured in North America, plus a host of engineered wood products that include plywood, OSB,  glued laminated timber (glulam), cross-laminated timber (CLT), wood I-joists and structural composite lumber.

The sole purpose of the APA is to represent the best interests of engineered wood products in the building materials industry.

What the APA is Not:

Based on their own disclaimer the APA is not an accredited testing organization nor do they stand behind the results of their testing. “The information contained herein is based on APA-The Engineered Wood Association’s continuing programs of laboratory testing, product research, and comprehensive field experience. Neither APA, nor its members make any warranty, expressed or implied, or assume any legal liability or responsibility for the use, application of, and or reference to opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations included in this publication.”

Alternative Structural Sheathing Products: 

For over 50 years Alternative Structural Sheathing products have been accepted and used in the building industry accounting for more than 5,000,000 new homes.

Our Technical Product Evaluations:

Alternative Structural Sheathing products utilize professional third-party testing facilities that are licensed, insured and accredited within the building code industry. In addition, our 3^rd party testing partner provides sealed engineering reports backing up all their test results that are applicable in all 50 states. We take great care and stand behind all of our published testing results which are available at https://www.drjcertification.org/clients/ox-engineered-products

For additional information regarding the APA Advisory SP-1186 Click Here

As winter creeps closer and Telluride, Colorado, gears up for a 2019-2020 season of a predicted 371” of snowfall, contractors at Chandler Homes are relieved not to have the impossible burden of packing the ski lift gondolas full of building products for a new home on the slopes.

Situated in the Rocky Mountains, not far from the ski town of Telluride, this job site sits at 11,000 feet above sea level, accessible only by a rough, unpaved road four months of the year. Builders, owners, and other stakeholders such as DCI Engineers are forced to access the custom, single-family home by gondola for the remaining eight months, meaning the exterior work must be completed while the road is accessible.

Transportation issues are coupled with heavy snowfall–Telluride is covered with snow for 40% of the year–and high winds.

Initially, traditional OSB sheathing was slated to be used on the new build, with a weather-resistant barrier and continuous insulation added later. However, a process involving multiple steps didn’t make sense in a location that could only be accessed four months out of the year.

Ultimately, the engineer on the project opted for OX Engineered Product’s OX-IS insulated sheathing structural insulation panels. This 4-in-1 product met the code requirements for structural sheathing, continuous insulation, and weather- and air-resistive barrier performance.

Lee Bybee from OX Engineered Products notes, “At 11,000 feet, the weather is challenging to say the least. The engineer recommended using our product for the high shear and wind strength it provides. The insulated panel also adds to the required insulation for the wall and provides an easier environment to heat.”

Another advantage offered by the OX-IS product was its speed of installation. “That small window that the builders have each year to do construction on the exterior of the house, they really wanted something that could be installed very quickly. That’s where we shine,” says Bybee.

At only 1/2” thick, the structural insulation panels also dispel myths about strength. Bybee states, “The lightness is often seen as a negative on the front end and a positive on the back end. Once people understand the product does provide structural value, they like the fact that it’s much more lightweight and easier to handle and work with throughout the construction process.”

Being one third of the weight of traditional OSB, the structural insulation panels reduced transportation costs and allowed the builders on the Telluride project to haul product up to the job site much more quickly.

Builders and the clients also appreciated OX’s new, limited 30-year system warranty that comes with using the panels in conjunction with construction tape.

Faced with all of the challenges of the location, gondolas and dirt tracks included, having the system warranty built in brought practical peace of mind and allowed stakeholders to focus on getting as much done as possible before the onset of winter.

Is it a silver bullet in cutting home energy costs? It comes close if it isn’t. Just consider all the ways this sometimes shunned and overlooked building component is changing home design and construction. For example:

• Chapter 4 of the 2018 International Building Code (2018 IBC R402.1.2) makes clear the code community’s ringing endorsement.
• Two vast and remarkably different homebuilding markets—California and Canada—have codified it by law into all future building practice.
• It’s revitalized 2×4 framing by making it once again relevant and practical in a world of net-zero energy standards .
• Much smaller, far less costly HVAC systems are now routinely spec’d.
• Alternative energy sources like solar are finally viable because of the R-value punch of exterior wall assemblies.

We’re talking about continuous insulation. Today, continuous insulation is helping differentiate home energy performance across homes of all sizes, types, and budgets. Yet some architects resist the growing weight of evidence. They argue the incremental cost of continuous insulation outweighs all other considerations, including the environment.

To which veteran residential energy conservation expert Charlie Devine replies: “Don’t drop a dollar to pick up a dime.”

48% Savings

Devine is the national accounts and energy adviser to OX Engineered Products, a leading U.S. building product manufacturer. Devine believes continuous insulation’s clear advantages are shortchanged by misleading short-term thinking.

“People talk about programmable thermostats, high-efficiency HVAC systems, and LED light bulbs,” Devine says. “Where can we really squeeze energy demand out of a house? Continuous insulation is the answer. In my state, Minnesota, homes built with a single inch of continuous insulation have reduced heating costs by as much as 48 percent.”

2×4 vs. 2×6

That’s just the beginning. Take 2×4 framing. Not so long ago, the framing standard looked like it might fade away with the rise of 2×6 framing. Not so fast, Devine says.

“It’s true the deeper 2×6 cavity and fewer studs helps improve energy performance. CI levels the playing field for 2×4 builders. If it’s cheaper to add an inch of CI than to spec 2×6 framing, you can bet homebuilders are going to do it,” he says.

West Coast Foreshadowing

In California, the net-zero energy focus of Title 24, with its mandated solar photovoltaic panels, is making headlines. Why should that bother architects in Minnesota, Missouri, or Maryland? “California foreshadows things to come everywhere,” Devine says.

“Building a Title 24 house doesn’t make sense without CI. It’s the only affordable way to meet code,” he says. Adding R-6 structural sheathing like OX-IS to the exterior wall still makes standard cladding standard possible, he says.

Why Wait?

Residential designers in the Midwest aren’t. Devine says top builders in Nebraska and Iowa are all-in on CI. They understand the true cost of OSB isn’t the panel. It’s labor, housewrap, and trips around the house. Structural insulated sheathing like OX-IS simplifies in ways no OSB panel can.

Devine believes we’ll soon look back on CI and wonder: “What took them so long?”

To paraphrase Mark Twain, reports of the death of 2×4 exterior wall construction are greatly exaggerated.

In fact, the outlook for 2×4 residential construction has never been brighter in spite of tough R-20 exterior wall code standards.

That’s good news to scores of local, regional and national home builders that swear by 2×4 construction. Not so long ago, many home builders feared they would be forced to scrap building plans and well-established work flows in favor of 2×6 exterior wall construction.

What changed? How did 2×4 construction go from intensive care to viability in many markets?

Say thanks to next-generation insulated structural sheathing. This game-changing framing advance rewrites the rules of what is possible from 2×4 framing. Overnight, home builders now have a strategy that can save them from a needless and difficult 2×6 framing transition.

Those observations and others are offered by Lee Bybee, a trained architect, MBA, and director of national accounts for OX Engineered Products, a leading U.S. manufacturer of wall system products.

“Most of the country has converted to R-20 exterior wall assembly,” says Bybee. “However there’s about 50% of the country that still builds with 2×4 construction.”

Why Transition?

Bybee says the push for R-20 compliance nationwide means 2×4 builders and component manufacturers must find a way to preserve their familiar 2×4 construction workflow without sacrificing the latest energy code standards.

Is that even possible?

Absolutely, reports Bybee. In fact, a surprising number of production builders are already doing just that or, more surprisingly, actively considering switching back to 2×4 studs from 2x6s.

Code-Compliant 2×4 Construction

“National and regional production builders realize they don’t have to sacrifice budgets and margins on 2×6 construction. The key is using structural continuous insulated sheathing instead of OSB to meet energy code,” says Bybee.

For example, Bybee’s company manufacturers a structural continuous insulated sheathing product called OX-IS. OX-IS outperforms OSB R-value performance by up to 1,100%, helping make “the wall cavity question” largely irrelevant, says Bybee. OX-IS also performs four-wall assembly functions in a single pass around the home – structural support, water and air barrier, and insulation (up to R-6). OX-IS sheathing is also just a third of the weight of OSB, a huge transportation advantage for component manufacturers.

2×4 2.0

Bybee says his company has relationships with most of the Top-10 national builders on code-compliant 2×4 construction. One builder is even looking to transition back over to 2×4. “We work with a lot of regional guys too,” Bybee adds.

Call it 2×4 2.0. For production-minded home builders and component manufacturers, the way forward with code-compliant 2×4 construction never looked more promising or profitable.

To learn more about energy code-compliant 2×4 construction with next-generation insulated structural sheathing, visit www.oxep.com

One less trip around the house.

What would it mean to cut an entire step out of exterior wall construction? A full day saved? Two days? More?

Cutting project timelines is critical to sales and profitability. Multiply the effect of fewer construction days across all projects in your 2019 pipeline. You may be talking weeks, even months of cumulative production savings.

A new class of one-and-done insulated structural sheathing that complies with the 2018 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC Table R402.1.2 – Insulation and Fenestration Requirements By Component) now helps home builders close projects with unprecedented speed.

New Normal
Complying with the code’s moisture/vapor, air, and continuous insulation requirements makes for a tighter, higher-performing building envelope. But asking framers to make multiple passes around the house may not be the best use of their time, especially when alternative methods have been proven in tens of thousands of U.S. homes.

Charlie Devine of Afton, Minn. has closely observed the slow but determined transition to a more streamlined home building workflow. “You’re seeing many within the building supply chain adapt to a new normal. We can cut construction time by two or three days in many cases,” says the national accounts and energy advisor to OX Engineered Products.

Surprise Benefits
Devine understands why some balk at a one-and-done approach. Structural insulation costs more. However, the extra investment quickly fades when weighed against a traditional multi-pass approach. “When you examine the dollars, structural insulation is the better buy. See for yourself. Run your own numbers. The financial benefits are substantial,” he says.

There are also less-publicized benefits home builders can overlook. Take material weight. “We manufacture a structural insulation product called OX-IS. OX-IS is about 1/3 the weight of OSB. That translates into about 2-1/2 less tons of house weight. Less weight could mean a happier, more productive staff,” Devine explains.

The insulation side is similarly intriguing. “Exposed studs and headers are thermal bridges that undermine HVAC efficiency and owner comfort. Continuous insulation pays for itself from day one by sealing-off thermal bridges,” explains Devine.

Nearly 500 Homes a Week
Skeptics may wonder how a lightweight, all-in-one structural insulation panel can address so many exterior wall performance issues. “OX-IS structural insulation was used on tens of thousands of houses last year alone. Structural insulation has been around for more than 50 years,” adds Devine.

For an industry eager to meet aggressive project timelines, it’s good to know there are proven sheathing alternatives that help streamline workflows. To learn more about all-in-one sheathing alternatives, visit www.oxep.com