Coastal Contractor Online – Jul/Aug 2007 – Solving the Uplift Puzzle
As building codes struggle to simplify prescriptive guidelines for wind-resistant structures, new measures for handling uplift emerge. Click here to read the full article
Builder Insights / Blog
Tag / Construction
Why houses that leak air suck (and what a builder can do about it)
Builders of wood-framed houses may not always pay enough mind to the question of air leakage through walls in the finished product. And they can’t be blamed, given that building codes and prevailing economic considerations tend to keep their attentions focused elsewhere. But there’s plenty to be gained by builders who opt for more airtight …
The Case for Higher Single-Family Housing Starts
An economist who specializes in the wood products industry explains why he believes most forecasts for housing starts are too low. By Paul Jannke The U.S. housing sector is in its worst downturn in more than 50 years. With five months of data in, single-family housing starts are poised to average just 370,000 units at …
Future of Wood: Long Shadows
In many ways, the future of wood will be shaped substantively not by what we do, but what our forefathers did decades ago. By Craig Webb Not long ago, I visited a sawmill just west of the Continental Divide that’s making a business out of our ancestors’ mistakes. Intermountain Resources’ operation in Montrose, Colo., expects …
Inadequate Panel Spacing – a common but costly mistake.
Ambient Temperatures and moisture conditions cause a constant state of expansion and contraction in every substance there is, whether solid, liquid or gas. This explains why bridges have expansion joints, why sidewalks have expansion joints and why you have to space structural panels such as OSB and plywood by 1/8” at joints to give them …
Does TallWall really save on labor and material costs? Let us count the ways.
The advertising for TallWall OSB seldom fails to mention how it can save builders material and labor costs over traditional 4’x8’ OSB wall sheathing. But is this true? And if so, how much will you save per house, and by doing what? Let’s tear the argument down to its basic components.
Structural Performance of Wood-Frame Buildings in the Aftermath
Below is a published report on the aftermath of hurricane Katrina. The team consisted of APA and IBHS (Institute for Business and Home Safety) members, and offers excellent insight into the structural performance of wood-frame buildings in the region. Click here for a PDF of the full report
10 Estrategias para aumentar el ahorro de energía eléctrica en su hogar
Por Nigel F. Maynard Olvidemos por el momento el movimiento ecológico. El tema ocupa hoy un lugar central, pero esa importancia resultó en declaraciones falsas y en una increíble cantidad de “lavado verde”. Lo que define a algo como “verde” es subjetivo, lo que torna a este tema espinoso y enigmático, tanto para consumidores como …
The Healthiest Housing Markets for 2009
Builder, in conjunction with Hanley Wood Market Intelligence, debuts its metric for determining markets with the best and least potential. By Boyce Thompson With most economists and builders expecting a national market decline this year, this may not seem like the best time to be selecting the “healthiest” markets in the country. Virtually every market …