Universal Cottage-basic framing question:maximizing windows on 34' side

[Wild Blue Jondr]

Hi All,

First of all, thanks for such a great resource with this forum and site! I'm hoping to get under way with my universal cottage build this summer, and my first question put very basically is: how many windows is too many for the longer external walls that are bearing most of the load?

I live in Vermont and I am trying to research how to modify the design to get as much glass as possible on the 34' side which will be southerly facing on our site.

I am hoping to stick with standard 2x6 framing, and I'm wondering, can I follow standard window framing methods and just space as many windows as possible? or does there come a point where it would be more practical and structurally sound to use a different framing method?

I realize this is an engineering question that could depend on many specific factors, so even a nudge in the right direction would be appreciated.

Thanks!

[Don_P]

You're getting into the wall bracing requirements section of the code, a review of the wall chapter of the codebook will be a start in the right direction. From there it would get into the provisions of the WFCM wood frame construction manual that gets deeper into prescriptive and then engineered solutions.

[akwoodchuck]

Good passive solar design is about so much more than lots of South facing glass...usually a moderate amount of well-placed and super-efficient windows coupled with thermal mass is the ticket...even the best windows lose heat in a northern climate when the sun ain't shining....use restraint when punching holes in your walls is my $.02

[rick91351]

Good passive solar design is about so much more than lots of South facing glass...usually a moderate amount of well-placed and super-efficient windows coupled with thermal mass is the ticket...even the best windows lose heat in a northern climate when the sun ain't shining....use restraint when punching holes in your walls is my $.02

Lot said there Alaska Wookchuck!  This house was turned to where when the storms come usually 'sounds sort of strange' but our worst snow storms come out of the south. Some time with crazy winds.  Warm moist air out of the south hits the cold mountain air.  We have killer snow storms out of the south.   Frigid cold winds out of the north. So we turned the house so the least amount of surface and windows to the south.  We took a chance because we have a lot of view windows to the north facing a large mountain. Never seems as if the wind velocity out of the north is like out of the south....  Keep the least amount in to the weather!

Our engineering on the front of this went nuts with LVL's and timbers and very little 2Xs in the wall. GOT TIMBERS and 18" foundation bolts with hurricane hardware....  Sort of just what Don_P said, when you start making holes the engineers go to work.....