The "paradigm" or new way of thinking is a replacement for some commonly applied ideas.
1. It has been the practice of framers to frame the studs at 16 inches on center.
2. It is usual to build one of every pair of walls on a corner with a single stud at the left or right, and the matching stud on the next wall will be either tripled(three studs nailed together) or others, it is common to do two studs sandwiching pieces of a third stud together in the middle(I suppose that is what sandwiched means, but best to explain). This tripling meant that there would be a nailing surface on both sides of the inside corner to attach interior wall sheets to at the corner.
3. The third idea is to build headers for doors and windows(especially if they are in load bearing walls) with a double 2x10 or 2x6 etc. with a slab of plywood in between to make a total of 3 1/2 inches thick to match the width of a 2x4.
The New Paradigm:
1. First the studs of a wall have very little insulating value. So, the fewer the studs, the fewer breaks in the insulation and the fewer contacts of interior wall to stud connected directly to the exterior wall to transfer cold. It is now believed that using 24 inches on center will do this, and the wall should be just as strong. I, for one, will be using 2x6 framing rather than 2x4 so pretty strong.
2. The new idea is to make all your corners with a single end stud on each end. On the outside lap of the two studs that meet at the corner at the inside wall flat against the wall. Then a piece of 1x lumber or a wide strip of plywood or CDX etc., is attached on the inside of the overlapped end stud to face the room. This becomes the nailing surface for the interior wall sheets. This leaves plenty of wall cavity in the last pair of studs to fill with insulation and retain the structure. Only the edge of one stud faces the room, so there is little to transfer the cold. This means that the entire cavity behind the corner can be filled with insulation.
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3. The idea does not change in the basics for the headers. You will still make the doubled 2x stock header with the sheet of ply in between(if you like), but since you are using 2x6 framing there will be room on the inside for rigid foam insulation or if you prefer, other insulation. If you feel as I do, that you may need nailing surface, just make up some of the 5.5 inches of cavity with another piece of plywood on the inside of the cavity and screwed through the foam and into the outside 2x header. You could also use an adhesive that is compatible with the foam to glue the entire sandwich together instead of nailing through the foam.
These are all fixes that are supposed to help create a "net zero" house. Well, these are good tips, but I absolutely do not approve of a net zero house. When I was growing up, it was required that the air inside the house must be completely changed every 8 hours.
Reconciling our desire for energy efficiency with the ability to actually breath inside your house is difficult. There are exchangers to warm up cold outside air so it can come into the house, allowing for combustion of gas, wood and other fuels...also breathing...and to help with moisture inside. However, working off grid, this might be too expensive for most, and it is a little high tech for the typical off gridder. Also using electricity for this is a no go. I do not know if they do consume electric, but it would be a no go for me.
In my case I get around the fresh air thing by using fairly inefficient stained glass on some windows, with only a simple exterior plexi covering to shield the lead from harsh weather. Also, I do little to close the gap under the exterior doors. I can always put a bean-filled draft blocker down if necessary. Still, it is often necessary to leave a window open. You could also do a tiny vent pipe that leads from outdoors directly to the intake of any heating device. It was rare to hear of CO or CO2 poisoning in the 60s.
Also, I should be stressed that wood fires are a renewable resource. At least that is true of responsibly harvested wood. Wood is harvested burned and new trees grow in its place. New growth ties up CO2 as it grows.
