Framing with Certified Wood

We can’t wait for some aspect of this project to happen as planned. After getting the foundation poured and ICF walls in place, we learned that our trusses – the next vital step in the project – would be delayed. That expected delay (two weeks, at most!) stretched into five as the plant experienced design and manufacturing delays. (Please don’t tell them this wouldn’t have happened if they hadn’t been associated with our project.)

Specifying Certified Wood
While we went with an ICF foundation, we opted for traditional wood frame construction from there. At this stage Upstate House looks just like any other house but with some small but vitally important differences. First, to our knowledge, it is the first house in the nation that is being specked for all SFI® produced lumber and wood products.

EarthCraft does not require that wood products be green certified, although the standard has recently added points for such. We chose to go that extra step because we have intimate knowledge of what certification means.

Consumer Choices in Certification
There are three primary “green” forest product certifications in North America – Canadian Standards Association’s Sustainable Forest Management Standard (CSA/SFM); the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC); and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® Standard (SFI) – www.aboutsfi.com .

As we wanted to draw from local manufacturing facilities to the maximum extent practical, CSA/SFM wasn’t a preferred option. Of the remaining two standards – FSC and SFI – SFI is the most broadly available. While only 5% of forests globally are certified to any green standard, FSC and SFI have emerged as two of the most prominent standards in the world. They differ in some important areas but for those who study such things closely, both are reputable ways for consumers to be assured that the wood they are purchasing comes from operations that have been independently third-party certified to meet certain environmental and social hurdles. I’m convinced that SFI offers a highly credible option that is more readily available and rarely carries a price premium.

Drawing from Local Producers Where Possible
As for specific products we drew the bulk of our framing lumber from International Paper Company’s southern pine mill in Newberry, SC. The mill is less than 50 miles from our site and uses wood grown primarily on private family forests in the area. We opted for engineered wood panels from two different suppliers – for exterior Oriented Strand Board (OSB) we called on Norbord at Joanna, SC, also within 50 miles; and J.M. Huber’s Engineered Wood Products AdvanTech® Flooring produced at its mill near Commerce, GA – also a modest haul of about 75 miles from our project site.

Wood is a rapidly renewable raw material that also uses far less energy to convert than does steel or other competitive framing material. For our major components we used trusses manufactured by Precision Roof Truss in Duncan, SC. By going with truss construction we were able to get superior strength engineered at the plant and save labor and materials at the construction site.

Environmental Gains
Further gains were possible using the engineered OSB panels to provide exterior strength to the framed walls and floors. OSB – essentially a composite sandwich of glue and wood chips – allows low quality wood to yield high quality products.

Through the use of green certified wood products across the board with locally grown and produced products as well as engineered wood panels and trusses, we’re not only building a quality home, but we’re also ensuring that we use the least amount of product necessary to meet our needs with minimum waste.

What About Waste?
And, yes, there is always some waste. We’re even working to minimize that by donating usable scrap pieces to a local construction program at Greenville County School’s Donaldson Career Center. Other smaller pieces will be retained for use in the wood stove that will be used as a supplemental source of heat and pleasure.