We tried out the bare naked T-stud on a project a couple months ago, so I have some thoughts to share. ?Like me, my client’s background is in high tech, so he was eager to use this product and frankly I was too. ?At the time (August) the timber industry was in chaos because of the fires in the west and prices for commodity premium timber products were almost double what they had been. ?So the T-stud was about 20 percent more than the equivalent premium 2x6, but no one could get 2x6’s at the time, so the decision was pretty easy. ?The application here was knee walls for top story where the insulation advantage was important. ?

Of course there was some confusion. ?The framers were initially puzzled, but quickly got the hang of it. ?The electrician gasped “Wow this is cool, I can run Romex without drilling tons of holes.” ?The plumber was less enthused scratching his head how to drill for angled vent stacks. ?The real twist was the building inspector needing all kinds of documentation and insisting that “If you want to run Romex through these, you either have to drill, or staple the Romex to the back of the in-facing stud.” ?That’s when the electrician lost enthusiasm - getting a staple on the back of the stud is not so easy. ?Local inspectors can be a real PITA on new stuff like this. ?The spray-foam insulation crew had no issues doing their usual thing. ?Overall it worked great and the additional R-value was a welcome enhancement. ?

As for angling the cripple for windows, I can’t remember the last time we didn’t angle the sill cripple.

If you like Matt Risinger’s videos, you should check out the Essential Craftsman series. ?Soup to nuts home build from buying the land to building the house - a project totally funded by Patreon and YouTube advertising. ?The host, Scott Wadsworth, is a dead ringer for my father and a great teacher. ?He’s an excellent example of an experienced craftsman giving back to the community. ? ??