Straighter, Stronger, Longer

Far more residential framing materials exist today than existed five or 10 years ago. These materials are designed to ensure homes remain strong and stable for decades to come, and are built in ways that produce the least possible amount of waste. Engineered wood has much to do with changing the framing game, but nonwood products are having their impact, too.

In a struggling housing market it makes sense to eliminate waste, maximize time and watch expenses. Manufacturers of residential framing materials are responding to this need as they continue to develop better, more useful and cost-effective products.

Take Simpson Strong-Tie, for example, whose prefabricated shear wall called Strong Wall provides architects and builders with an advantage by controlling materials and manufacturing. The Strong Wall is designed to pack concentrated strength into walls with multiple or large openings such as on either side of a garage door.

“On the west people probably are designing to seismic needs, and on the Gulf Coast they’re designing to wind loads. In a wall where you need to design to specific shear, you can use the Strong Wall to achieve it in a smaller area.

And it’s prefabbed so you know the materials, nails and bolts are put in right,” says Tom McClain, product manager, Simpson Strong-Tie.

“This is a great product where you want strength in limited space. And for architects and designers, it opens up possibilities by giving them more flexibility,” he adds.

Another steel framing product designed to deliver structural strength and design flexibility is the LiteSteel Beam from LiteSteel Technologies. Applied properly, the cold-formed steel beam can help architects realize their vision, says Jeff Hoffman, vice president, business development, LiteSteel Technologies America. “In a custom home which might require deep and heavy sections of engineered wood, the LiteSteel Beam can perform the same function in a smaller section and a smaller span. Architects also like the look of the product, which fuels the imagination,” he says.

“Additionally, architects are more sensitive to the needs of builders and homeowners in terms of costs, which is another area this product offers solutions. When the market was booming three years ago, if you told a builder you could save him money on basement beams, he’d tell you to go away. But now if you say you can save time and money, they want to chat,” Hoffman explains.

Brookstone Homes in Oconomowoc, Wis., is building homes with sensitive price points, and is using LSB for basement beams. “LSB is delivered with the framing package, so there’s no delay in getting it from the steel fabricator.

Second, Brookstone is dealing with a guy he already likes in the pro dealer, Bliffert Lumber, who is the builder’s partner. They trust those guys to get what they need. Then you have the weight savings compared to engineered wood or a steel W beam, and you can save 40 percent of the weight. LSB can be hand-set and not require $175 for a crane to set the beam for you. That’s time and money savings,” Hoffman says.

One more advantage is the ability to work LSB like wood using standard power tools with steel-cutting blades.

Engineered Lumber

Engineered lumber, like LiteSteel Beam and the Strong Wall might cost more but they deliver many advantages compared to standard framing lumber. Longer spans, straighter lines and enduring stability are a few reasons to consider engineered lumber. The recession is another.

“This period of downsizing in housing supply and consumption has allowed the opportunity for builders in particular to make a closer review of what they are using, and to try and set themselves apart,” says Robert Fouquet, vice president, sales and marketing, Ainsworth Engineered. “When we were at 2 million starts, there was no time for soul searching. Builders were not focusing on what else to use, and now some of their favorite product lines suddenly are not available.”