> What is this "Baselayer"?

Similar to long johns, our baselayer is focused on keeping you comfy. It's the framing, insulation, control layers as well as the mechanical system.

You can think of the baselayer as a fully functioning building with no finishes.

Medium Timber Framing

We've looked at the 3 common approaches to building with wood:

1. Timber Framing
2. Stick Framing
3. Pole Building Framing

Each of them have something we value but missed the mark in one or more ways.

We decided to take the parts we liked and optimize it for performance, precision and cost.

• Timber framing's wood joints offer a more resilient build
• Stick framing is cheap by using Off-the-shelf materials
• Pole building framing sets the stage for performance

By combining these aspects, we reduced the thermal bridging to under 5%. For comparison advanced stick framing is 15% with regular stick framing sometimes getting as high as 30%.

Our prefab posts can be built off site or onsite with minimal tooling (less than $200). This prefab work actually improved the precision issues we see with using standard lumber in stick framing

Because of how we orient the posts, we don't need to drill for wires wires or plumbing either. This means our walls need little modification once framing is done.

Insulation

We use 3 types of insulation:

1. TimberHP's wood fiber insulation offers great r-value but because it's density, it manages temperature fluctuations much better than foam.
2. Havelock's sheep's wool: This is a great product for keeping the air clean while also functioning as a humidity buffer.
3. Rockwool is used just for fire blocking. We use just what we need to and no more.

Because these are all rigid insulations, they are precut and fit perfect into the wall assembly, meaning little work to fix it in place is needed.

Air Sealing or Control Layers

There are 3 critical aspects of air sealing:

1. Below grade vapor barrier
2. Transitions, gound to wall, wall to roof.
3. Penetrations...

We use pro-clima products for most of our air sealing. They offer the highest performance for vapor permeability all while using non-toxic chemicals. They are easy to work with.

Because of how we build, we always have access to repair any damage done to our control layers. This is something we see all too much of in traditional builds, sadly trades aren't use to air sealing outside of a can of spray foam which should never be used.

Mechanicals

Because of how performant this envelope is, we are able to do radiant cooling which is more energy efficient and self balancing. This increases the comfort in the home.

We also use the best ERV on the market, Zehnder. It's going to continuously bring in fresh air while filtering and dehumidifying if needed.

The Future

We don't plan on stopping here. We are a curious group of builders constantly reviewing and evaluating ways to improve the system. We will continue to reduce the cost, improve the performance and expand the capabilities of our baselayer.

We are also working on supporting additional climates beyond the Sonoran desert.

If you're interested in learning more, let us know as we are planning on sharing all our information freely.

Back to the Path