Creating Furred Walls

The information in this article applies to:

QUESTION

I would like to have furred walls in my basement, how can I do this?

ANSWER

Furred walls are useful for finishing a basement area and to provide room for insulation. This can easily be represented using Chief Architect by using the furred wall setting.

In Chief Architect X7 and newer program versions, you may find it more effective to simply define a new wall type with multiple framing layers. For more information on this process, see the article on defining a new wall type in the Related Articles section below.

To build a foundation

1. If a foundation is not created, select Build> Floor> Build Foundation from the menu.
   
   
   • Specify the settings you desire in the Build Foundation dialog and click OK.
     
     
   • Choose the option to Derive new foundation plan from the 1st floor plan and click OK.
   
   
   
   
   
2. Using the Select Objects  tool, hold down the Shift key on your keyboard and click on all walls you want to have furred.
   
   
   • This technique is called Group Select. It allows you to change all the walls at once instead of changing them one at a time.
   
   
   
3. Click on the Open Object  edit tool to display the Wall Specification dialog for the selected walls.
   
   
   
4. On the Structure panel, make sure the Frame Through option is selected, and then click OK.
   
   
   
   

To create furred walls

1. Click Build> Wall> Straight Interior Wall to draw interior walls parallel to the exterior walls you want furred, but do not create an enclosed space or close the room.
   
   
   
   

   If you create an enclosed space that has room definition inside another enclosed space, an invisible wall or room divider will appear to connect the island room. This can cause the furred designation we specify later to not work properly.

   
   
2. Using the Select Objects tool, hold down the Shift key on your keyboard, and click the interior walls to group select them, then click on the Open Object tool to display the Wall Specification dialog.
   
   
   
3. On the Structure panel, select the Furred Wall option to mark these as furred walls.
   
   
   
   
   
4. Now that the walls marked as furred, close the gap in the room. Notice that no invisible walls or room dividers display.
   
   
   
   
   
5. Using the Select Object tool, select each interior wall and move them so they bump up against the foundation walls.
   
   
   
   
   
6. If an opening, such as a Door or Window , is placed into a wall on the foundation level, we can see that it now cuts through both walls.