When I build my own house I'm going to use screws. Other contractors laugh at me when I say that, but screws will hold in a hurricane when nails are just adding hazard to a debris field. Using impact drivers and torx drive framing rated screws will add many man-hours to the framing for sure; but that is just the cost of going above and beyond. When I build decks and fences I use screw guns and they hold up really well, never had one fail yet and some have seen 90mph winds.
Mr. HE
When we built my late sisters and husbands house, I talked them into going screws, lagbolts and industrial adhesive at all joints. That house was *solid* deluxe when we got through. nails were basically just holding clamps until the screws and lags went in.
And it was only a few hundred in materials over just nails! I bet that house is 5 times stronger than most stick frames.
And they built as they could afford it, one income/check to pay at a rental and normal bills nearby the homestead, the other income to pay off the three acres, get the grading done and well and septic in (that took the most outside cost), then buy materials to build. Took about a year and a half to get to the point they could move in, that freed up all that rental expense. The house was still real unfinished then but inally livable, wiring done, had running water a roof and walls,, then by around three years in, two story house on three acres complete, with separate woodshed, all paid off free and clear, 0 interest paid on any note. Total wood heat, nothing else. Pay and build as you go is REAL cheap compared to buying outright with some decades long mortgage. I went up on weekends and helped a lot on that job.
Ha, this is funny..so, one long night until early AM my BIL and I are finishing the plumbing, running water inside! That was the point we had to get to so sis would move in, and they could drop the rental place. Getting ready to head out I go ....Theres no mirror in the bathroom!
girls gotta have mirrors...no mirror..so I grabbed some scrap plywood, drew a picture on the plywood of a woman brushing her hair, and nailed it up over the sink...
she loved it!