Building Enclosure Blog

Do you need High Performance Building Construction Details?

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Abstract: If you are looking for High-Performance Building (or Passive House) construction details, consider foursevenfive.com (https://foursevenfive.com). Although they “sell tape,” they also have a growing library of construction details for high-performance buildings. Best of all, since they sell specialized products, they can answer your questions should you have any (and I know you do!).

Do you need high performance building details?

Intro, loneliness, and friends

This article is not a sponsored post, and no, 475 is not paying me to speak about them in glowing terms. Let’s be honest; I don’t think they even know the Building Enclosure Blog exists… But, never mind that, all I truly care about is that you are here! And do I have a treat for you!

I needed help

A while back, I was looking for architectural details for high performance (low energy) buildings. Because, who wants to reinvent the wheel? Somebody introduced me to 475 High Performance Building Supply. You can find them at https://foursevenfive.com.

475’s mission is to:

  • supply essential materials, building components,
  • and knowledge,
  • that will lead a transformation of the North American construction industry,
  • toward making durable high-performance, Passive House and zero-energy buildings. 

And while they are essentially a building material supplier, they also support customers with building code recommendations, hygrothermal modeling (hot and wet models, as my mentor used to say), and knowledge resources. According to 475, their “core customers are intelligent and trusted professionals – architects, engineers, consultants, developers, prefab and contractors – who are concerned about sustainability, long-term performance, and building science.”

It took me a while to understand it all, but to simplify, 475 is what you would get if your favorite local family-owned mom and pop hardware store had babies with buildingscience.com, and those babies decided to change the world after going to MIT. Smart, funny, well connected, willing to help, and able to build stuff. Best of all they speak Engineer! Who wouldn’t want a friend like that!

While that is all good and well, friends are fine, but I was more interested in the details… 

Show me the details!

I was not disappointed.

475 has detail libraries that address the following:

  • Masonry Retrofit
  • Wood Retrofit
  • 2x Framing
  • Double-Stud Construction
  • I-Joist Outrigger Construction
  • Metal Frame Construction
  • Mass Timber Construction
  • Concrete Construction (Beta)
  • and recommendations for Straw Bale Construction resources.

Unfortunately, you have to pimp out your email address to access these resources, but ultimately, it is for a good cause, so I didn’t mind. (Also, I’m hoping they will keep my information safe, unlike some other companies I know… Seriously LinkedIn… Again?!)

Now, if this was one of those big budget blogs I’d be showing you many examples of the beautiful details fully annotated, illustrated, and intellectually titillated. Unfortunately, my time is up and you will just have to go find them yourself at 475. Give a man a fish, and all that.

In closing

Now that you know, pay 475 a visit, and please let me know what you think. Also, let me know if you know of other detail resources I need to know about, so that I can let others know what you and I know so that they can also, you know, know. (Grammarly did not like this sentence – not enough “variety”).

That is it for today. Thank you for reading! See you soon.

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