Wall panels are the staple of our prefab panel offering, and are involved in all of our prefab packages.

Collective Carpentry wall panels are always designed with high performance building principles of energy efficiency, durability, health, comfort, and embodied carbon in mind.  They typically far exceed requirements from local building regulations, and always take into account local climate factors, client desires for insulation performance, and optimization for the prefabrication process.

While we are well known for our flexibility in collaborating on the wall panel design, and in building any custom wall panel that meets our standards for the above high performance building principles, we have also found three main approaches to be the most successful, cost-effective, and efficient wall panels we can build:

1. The “I-Joist” wall

The I-joist wall uses an open framed structural wall followed by an airtight (seams taped) plywood layer and a cavity of densepacked cellulose encapsulated by 9 ½”, 11 ⅞”, 14”, or 16” I-joists, and finished with a ⅝” layer of wood fiberboard insulation, an airtight, monolithic, vapor open housewrap, and a layer of ¾” to 1 ½” rainscreen strapping.  

In this wall, the structure sits on the outside edge of the building’s footprint, while the I-joist is an “outrigger” that hangs outward from the building.  This wall is efficient to build, and typically only marginally more expensive than our Gutex wall panels for a much higher R-value.

Inboard to outboard:

• 2×4 or 2×6 framed structural wall on 16” or 24″ centers (batt insulation optional, on-site, and by others, R-14 or R-22)
• 1/2″ or 5/8″ plywood, taped airtight (primary air and vapour control layer, and for racking strength)
• 9 1/2″, 11 7/8″, 14” or 16” I-joists, with densepack cellulose (thermal bridge-free continuous insulation layer), R-35, R-44, R-52, or R-59
• 5/8″ Agepan DWD wood fiber insulation board (optional, to hold cellulose), R-1.14
• Pro Clima Mento 1000 airtight monolithic WRB (secondary airtightness, weather protection) / Pro Clima Mento Plus airtight reinforced monolithic WRB (to hold cellulose), taped airtight
• 3/4″ – 1 1/2″ vertical rainscreen strapping (& optional ¾” to 1 ½” horizontal rainscreen strapping)

Total R-value: R-35 to R-82

While our wall panels are designed with windows, exterior finishes, interior services, and interior finishes in mind, these items are not included in Collective Carpentry wall panels and are installed on site by others, with the exception of windows and doors which are sometimes installed on site by the CC install team, on a case by case basis.  ¾” plywood bucks and approved headers and additional structure for windows and doors are always installed in the shop, integrated into airtight layers, and included in CC wall packages.  All window rough openings are prepared with cedar sill shims and a peel and stick sill pan treatment.

2. The “Gutex” wall – closed panel

The Gutex wall uses a “closed” structural wall (2×6, 2×8, or 2×10) filled in the shop with densepack cellulose insulation and has a smart vapor retarder on the interior, a layer of plywood on the exterior, and a layer of wood fiberboard insulation outboard, followed by an airtight, vapor open, monolithic housewrap and a layer of ¾” to 1 ½” strapping.  An optional 1 ½” service cavity can be installed in the shop, or installed on site by others if the depth requirement is greater.

This wall requires a more complex installation due to the lesser ease of fastening through bottom and top plates with structural screws, but can provide a less thick overall wall dimension and an R-value more reasonable for more temperate climates.  With a smart vapour retarder on the interior, the vapour control strategy can be more suitable to challenging climates.  

Inboard to outboard,

• 1 ½” (2×4 on the flat in the shop) or 3 ½” (2×4 on edge, by others on-site) (strapping for services, typically uninsulated, but optional to insulate on site, optional), R-6 or R-14
• Pro Clima Intello Plus airtight reinforced smart vapour retarder (primary air and vapour control layer, holds cellulose)
• 2×6, 2×8, or 2×10 framed structural wall on 16” or 24″ centers, with densepack cellulose, R-20, R-27, or R-34
• 5/8″ plywood (for racking strength)
• 2 3/8″ (60mm) wood fiberboard tongue and groove insulation board (thermal bridge-free continuous insulation layer), R-8.5.  Option to increase thickness to 4 3/4″ with no lead time increase, or other sizes with increased lead time.
• Pro Clima Mento 1000 airtight monolithic WRB (secondary airtightness, weather protection), taped airtight
• 3/4″ – 1 1/2″ vertical rainscreen strapping (& optional ¾” to 1 ½” horizontal rainscreen strapping)

Total R-value: R-29 to R-57 or greater

This wall can also be constructed with the layer of plywood on the interior in place of the smart vapour retarder, with no sheathing between the outboard side of the structural wall and the wood fiber insulation.

Inboard to outboard:

• 1 ½” (2×4 on the flat in the shop) or 3 ½” (2×4 on edge, by others on-site) (strapping for services, typically uninsulated, but optional to insulate on site, optional), R-6 or R-14
• 1/2″ or 5/8″ plywood, taped airtight, serving as structural sheathing, primary airtight layer, and vapour control layer
• 2×6, 2×8, or 2×10 framed structural wall on 16” or 24″ centers, with densepack cellulose, R-20, R-27, or R-34
• 2 3/8″ (60mm) wood fiberboard tongue and groove insulation board (thermal bridge-free continuous insulation layer), R-8.5.  Option to increase thickness to 4 3/4″ with no lead time increase, or other sizes with increased lead time.
• Pro Clima Mento 1000 airtight monolithic WRB (secondary airtightness, weather protection), taped airtight
• 3/4″ – 1 1/2″ vertical rainscreen strapping (& optional ¾” to 1 ½” horizontal rainscreen strapping)

While our wall panels are designed with windows, exterior finishes, interior services, and interior finishes in mind, these items are not included in Collective Carpentry wall panels and are installed on site by others, with the exception of windows and doors which are sometimes installed on site by the CC install team, on a case by case basis.  ¾” plywood bucks and approved headers and additional structure for windows and doors are always installed in the shop, integrated into airtight layers, and included in CC wall packages.  All window rough openings are prepared with cedar sill shims and a peel and stick sill pan treatment.

3. The “Gutex” wall – open panel

The Gutex wall can alternatively be constructed as an “open” panel, which means that cellulose insulation is not installed in the shop and the structural wall remains open for the installation of plumbing, electrical, and batt or blown insulation on site.  A layer of plywood is installed on the exterior with seams taped airtight, and a layer of wood fiberboard insulation is outboard, followed by an airtight, vapor open, monolithic housewrap and a layer of ¾” to 1 ½” strapping. 

 This wall is simpler to install than the closed panel, and while it offers less work done in the shop, it offers a more “typical” wall in which trades can perform services on site.

Inboard to outboard,

• 2×6, 2×8, or 2×10 framed structural wall on 16” or 24″ centers, with densepack cellulose, R-20, R-27, or R-34
• 1/2″ or 5/8″ plywood (for racking strength)
• 2 3/8″ (60mm) wood fiberboard tongue and groove insulation board (thermal bridge-free continuous insulation layer), R-8.5.  Option to increase thickness to 4 3/4″ with no lead time increase, or other sizes with increased lead time.
• Pro Clima Mento 1000 airtight monolithic WRB (secondary airtightness, weather protection), taped airtight
• 3/4″ – 1 1/2″ vertical rainscreen strapping (& optional ¾” to 1 ½” horizontal rainscreen strapping)

Total R-value (once site insulation applied): R-29 to R-57 or greater

While our wall panels are designed with windows, exterior finishes, interior services, and interior finishes in mind, these items are not included in Collective Carpentry wall panels and are installed on site by others, with the exception of windows and doors which are sometimes installed on site by the CC install team, on a case by case basis.  ¾” plywood bucks and approved headers and additional structure for windows and doors are always installed in the shop, integrated into airtight layers, and included in CC wall packages.  All window rough openings are prepared with cedar sill shims and a peel and stick sill pan treatment.

Interested in diving into more details?  Contact us to request a set of standard details for our panel systems showing assembly bulidups and typical connections both within and outside of our scope.