I just finished a 5200 sf P&B colonial with a high-post stick-built barn attached. We framed 17ft 2x6 curtain walls for the colonial frame and used come-a-longs from a second floor joist to haul them up. It went very well. We did go 16" on center because we didn't use sheathing. We applied 2" EPS foam to the exterior and then screwed vertical strapping as a nail-base for CVG 6' spruce clapsboards. We used BIB fiberglass system because it was less than BIB cellulose. With the 2" foam on the exterior, no wind migrated inside the wall cavities. We did a blower-door test on the place when we finished and it pass with flying colors. It was a very very easy place to heat this winter while we finished the interior. They're expecting to heat with 2-4 cords per year! We packed-out the P&B frame with 3/4" pine spacers so that we could easily slide sheetrock behind timbers. We prewrapped these timbers with poly scraps before we applied the pine spacers. We just toenailed the 2x6 studs at the second floor line with 16pgalv nails and used timberlocks at the top plate. We used local materials, changed window locations twice, no formaldehyde, and probably less than the $7 per sq ft panels cost. Plus we got our drainage plane behind the claps!
