New home constriction questions

[Keith93611]

Sorry if I posted this in the wrong place... Newbe!!!

I am building a new home and need some help with a few things, I am looking at doing one of the following things and looking for the best bang for the buck. I live in Dallas Texas area and will be building a single story Brick exterior. The addict will have R50 insulation and Radiant barrier, I am upgrading the insulation in the walls to high density R15 and a 16 sear dual speed HVAC unit.



The question is to use Tyvek wrap or use OSB radiant barrier the cost is pretty close. this is the home i will in for a long long time.....

[RTF]

OSB radiant barrier is designed for use on your roof, where as Tyvek is a house wrap that controls moisture and lets the structure breathe.

[Keith93611]

Thank you for the input.. what im trying to do is get a moor efficient home, I was told that using a OSB Radiant barrier would help raise the R factor and reduce air movement and it would reduce the cost of heating and colling the home.

[RTF]

I'm of the school of thought that the structure needs to breathe. Proper construction of wall systems will proivde optimum benefits. House wrap restricts air & moisture penetration and allows walls to breathe, thus inhibiting mold and mildew growth. By using insulation with higher R values, you will realize slightly better conditions. By using a high efficiency AC unit you will save money on power bills. It is my feeling that the OSB radiant barrier would not perform as well as the house wrap, it would restrict too much air flow. Further more is it rated for wall sheathing?