2×4 construction is a very popular and easy method of construction. Builders who use it need rudimentary training in order to do it effectively. Unfortunately, this doesn’t really translate into high quality homes, or homes which are energy efficient and don’t negatively effect the environment during the building process.

As the basic structure has an insulation resistance level of IR-0, a lot more work needs to be done in order to make it insulated, such as using a lot of fibreglass insulation, and then covering the walls with vinyl siding.

It is also basically only suitable for temporary structures. They lose their structural integrity over time, and when confronted with bad weather conditions they’ve been proven to not be structurally sound. We saw evidence of this during hurricane Katrina, which destroyed a truly massive number of homes, the majority of which were 2×4 constructions.