Building components and method of making same

A building component, comprising:

• a plurality of lengths of lumber connected together to form a rectangular frame around an opening;
• a foam material provided in said opening;
• a reinforcement skin of composite material adhering to said lengths of lumber and to said foam material at one side of said frame;
• said reinforcement skin extending over said lengths of lumber at said one side of said frame and also over said opening, whereby said rectangular frame is reinforced by said reinforcement skin against the action of racking forces on said rectangular frame;
• metal corner connectors interposed between and interconnecting said lengths of lumber at corners of said rectangular frame;
• said corner connectors each comprising a box-shaped intermediate section;
• said intermediate section having opposite vertical side walls, a horizontal top wall and a horizontal bottom wall;
• said corner connectors each including a horizontal flange projecting from one of said vertical side walls and a vertical flange projecting upwardly from said horizontal top wall;
• and
• said lengths of lumber comprising vertical and horizontal lengths of lumber extending at right angles to and in abutment longitudinally thereof with said horizontal top wall and said one of said side walls, respectively, and being in face-to-face contact, laterally thereof, with said vertical and horizontal flanges, respectively.