Wall Panels

Bensonwood Panels

Bensonwood wall panels are uniquely designed to make your home more energy efficient, less costly to build, and more flexible to live in.

Most timberframe companies cover the walls of their timberframes with structural insulated panels (SIPs). A SIP consists of an insulating foam core, sheathed by an interior and exterior surface on each side. Because the sheathing and foam are bonded together, they form a "stressed" panel capable of bearing the loads required in a timberframe building.

Once a SIP is mounted to the frame, the interior sheathing forms the visible inside wall. The exterior sheathing forms the base to which siding is applied.

Learn more about SIPs

Because SIPs form solid foam-- or cellulose--filled structures, they offer great insulative properties. But they pose many problems when it comes to running wiring, installing communication cables, installing electrical boxes and fitting mechanical systems.

At Bensonwood, we purpose-build three types of walls: Advanced Foam Insulated Walls, Cellulose Insulated Walls and Open Cavity Framed Walls. All are uniquely crafted to accommodate the requirements of Bensonwood structures.

For example, our Advanced Foam Insulated Walls and Cellulose Insulated Walls have a horizontal channel at the base to allow wiring and cabling. The baseboard that covers this chase houses the outlets, and they can easily be placed anywhere along the wall during construction.

The Advanced Foam Insulated Walls also have 1 in. strapping on the interior sheathing, to which the interior boards or gypsum is applied. The strapping provides a space for wiring to run vertically when needed, thus eliminating the need for slots in timbers or cuts in panels when accommodating wiring or cables.

Our Open-Cavity Framed Wall has no insulation and is most often used for outbuildings and garages that are not heated.

Because we build the panels in our shop, we can install conduit, wiring and electrical boxes before the panels are delivered on site. This significantly reduces the work required by on-site electricians.

Because we are not limited to standard, commodity panel sizes, we can make the panels as large as 9-1/2 ft. by 28 ft. This reduces the number of seams and speeds up on-site installation. We're also able to build curved panels and the intricate shapes and designs that require computer design and machining.

After the basic panel is assembled and insulated, windows and interior finishes such as drywall or boards are installed in the shop to take advantage of shop efficiencies.

Our Panels are Green Panels

Commodity panels generate huge amounts of waste because the window and door openings, and any required angles, are cut from a large panel. Our sophisticated computer-aided design systems and computer controlled (CNC) machining allow us to purpose-build each panel to its location in your Bensonwood home, with angles and door and window openings built in--not cut out or cut off.

We build our panels with Advantech Oriented Strand Board sheathing manufactured by Huber Woods because of its low emission of phenol-formaldehyde. We also use mold-resistant gypsum wallboard. And both our foam and cellulose insulated panels exhibit low or no emissions, to help promote a healthy environment in your home.

Our insulated panels offer superior thermal efficiency for many reasons: large wall sections and carefully detailed joints with factory-applied gaskets ensure an air-tight building envelope, I-studs inside the panels are narrow to reduce heat transfer from interior walls to exterior walls, and the 24 in. on-center spacing of the frame in cellulose panels increases insulation value.

Learn more about air quality.

Specifications

Advanced Foam Insulated Wall (R-value 22)

Thickness	6-5/8 in. (with 5/8 in. interior finish)
Height & Length	Customizable up to 9-1/2 ft. by 28 ft.
Structure	Low-conducting, I-stud and 2 x 4 framing, depending on structural requirements, 16 in. on-center; Advantech interior and exterior sheathing
Insulation	2 component polyurethane foam rated R7/inch
Wiring Chase	Open-Built® base chase 1-1/2 in. deep by 6 in. tall; interior finish applied over 2x strapping layer primarily used for enclosure of timberframes but also used in structural applications.
Interior Finish	Board or gypsum finish can be preapplied.
Horizontal Joints	Butt joint with preinstalled Trelleborg sealing gaskets.
Vertical Joints	Sealed with gasket and foam.
Structural Support	Additional support can be added as necessary.

Cellulose Insulated Wall (R-value 20)

Thickness	6-3/4 in.
Height & Length	Customizable up to 9-1/2 ft. by 28 ft.
Structure	2 x 6 framing, 24 in. on-center, 5/8 in. Advantech exterior sheathing
Insulation	Blown in 5-1/2 in. cellulose insulation from recycled newspaper (National Fiber/NU WOOL) rated R 3.7/inch (The cellulose gets blown in at minimum density of 3 lbs./cu. ft. to prevent settling over time)
Wiring Chase	Open access, with Open-Built® base cover system, 1-1/2 in. deep by 6 in. tall; electrical boxes for switches and light sconces, as well as conduit preinstalled.
Interior Finish	5/8 in. gypsum finish is preapplied.
Horizontal Joints	Butt joint with preinstalled Trelleborg sealing gaskets.
Vertical Joints	Sealed with gasket and foam.
Structural Support	Additional support can be added as necessary.

Open-Cavity Wall

(This wall can be used to create unheated garage and outbuildings, either with or without a timberframe.)