Building system employing prefabricated wall panels

A method of erecting a wall in a building having preexisting floor and ceiling structures, comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a plurality of substantially dimensionally identical, substantially rectangular, wall panels each including a pair of facing sheets secured to and held in spaced relationship by spacer means, the facing sheets each having front and back surfaces interconnected by top and bottom end surfaces and by first and second opposed side surfaces, the facing sheets of each panel extending in overlying relationship with their associated side and end surfaces being aligned and cooperating to define top and bottom ends and first and second sides of their wall panel, the spacer means of each wall panel extending between the back surfaces of the associated facing sheets at positions spaced inwardly from the aligned side surfaces of the facing sheets whereby first and second sidewardly facing channels are provided along the first and second sides of each wall panel;
• (b) providing elongate preformed ceiling and floor runner structures, wherein:
• (i) the ceiling runner structure is adapted to be secured to the ceiling structure, is adapted to receive the top end region of at least one of the wall panels, and has a pair of depending portions adapted to extend from the ceiling structure to positions overlying top portions of the front surfaces of both facing sheets on such wall panel;
• (ii) the floor runner structure is adapted to be secured to the floor structure, is adapted to receive the bottom end of at least one of the wall panels, has supporting formations adapted to support the bottom end of such wall panel at a position above the floor structure, and has a pair of upwardly extending portions adapted to extend from the floor structure to positions overlying bottom portions of the front surfaces of both facing sheets on such wall panel;
• (c) installing at least parts of the ceiling and floor runner structures on the ceiling and floor structures, respectively, along locations where a new wall is to join the floor and ceiling structures;
• (d) providing juncture members each being adapted to extend between the installed ceiling and floor runner structures and each being adapted to be received in one of the side channels of one of the wall panels, with opposed surfaces of the juncture member frictionally engaging the back surfaces of the facing sheets of such wall panel, each further being adapted to be positioned within communicating side channels of two abutting wall panels bridging the plane of juncture between the abutting wall panels and with opposed surfaces of the juncture member frictionally engaging the back surfaces of the facing sheets of both abutting wall panels;
• (e) installing a first one of the panels to form a first portion of a new wall joining the floor and ceiling structures at such locations, by;
• (i) positioning the bottom end of the first wall panel in engagement with the supporting formations of the installed floor runner structure;
• (ii) positioning the top end of the first wall panel in engagement with the installed ceiling runner structure;
• and,
• (iii) positioning the first wall panel longitudinally relative to the installed ceiling and floor runner structures at a desired location such that the first side of the first wall panel forms one end of the new wall;
• (f) installing a first one of the juncture members in the second channel of the installed first wall panel, the first juncture member being installed such that it extends between the floor and ceiling runner structures and such that it is frictionally received between the back surfaces of the facing sheets of the first wall panel to rigidly support the second side of the first wall panel, the installed first juncture member being positioned such that it has portions protruding from the second side channel of the installed first wall panel, the protruding portions of the installed first juncture member being positioned to be frictionally received between the back surfaces of the facing sheets of a second panel;
• (g) installing a second wall panel to provide an extension portion of the new wall, by;
• (i) positioning the bottom end of the second wall panel in engagement with the supporting formations of the installed floor runner structure:
• (ii) positioning the top end of the second wall panel in engagement with the installed ceiling runner structure;
• and,
• (iii) positioning the second wall panel longitudinally relative to the floor and ceiling runner structures to introduce the protruding portions of the installed juncture member into the first side channel of the second wall panel with the protruding portions being frictionally received between the back surfaces of the facing sheets of the second wall panel, and to bring the first side of the second wall panel into abutting engagement with the second side of the installed first wall panel;
• (h) installing, in the manner described, as many of the dimensionally identical wall panels as are needed to approximate the desired length of the wall being erected without exceeding such desired length, by cutting a final wall panel to the required additional width to complete the desired length of the wall being erected, and by installing the cut portion of the final wall panel in the manner described to contiguously complete the new wall;
• (i) the step of providing dimensionally identical wall panels having spacer means therein includes the step of positioning the spacer means at such locations relative to the sides of their panels as will permit the additional panel width needed to complete the new wall to be cut from a selected wall panel without the line-of-cut intersecting the locations of the spacer means;
• and,
• (j) the step of positioning the spacer means includes the steps of:
• (i) providing each panel with a pair of elongate outer spacers which are inset from the sides of the panel and which cooperate with the back surfaces of the associated facing sheets to define the first and second side channels;
• (ii) providing each panel with at least one elongate inner spacer located between the outer spacers, the at least one inner spacer being located at different distances from the opposite sides of the panel such that if the required panel width for the final panel as measured from one of the panel's sides causes a proposed line-of-cut to intersect the location of such at least one inner spacer, then such line-of-cut can be repositioned by measuring the required panel width from the opposite panel side, and such repositioned line-of-cut will no longer intersect the location of such at least on inner spacer.