The price of raw lumber from store to store varies quite a bit and since we know verry little about various grades we are looking for some advice on where and what to purchase in terms of wood for a new cottage construction. What kind of qestions should we be asking and how dry should the wood be? Is it crucial to buy dry wood as opposed to green wood for framing, sheathing and trusses? The truss companies that I have been in contact with use green wood. Is this the norm?
Answer:
For trusses and framing some use greener wood than others and that is why we do a lot of bracing. Your local building authority will have a lot to say about what you use and if that's a problem, any local home builders' association will be happy to list them off for you. I don't know where in the world you live and in some areas, lumber choice is a major problem while in others, like my own (Canada) it is quite straight forward.
Courtesy of Ren Molnar, Construction Consultant at HomeFocus.com. I can also be reached at (613) 748-3003 and Home Focus – The Radio Show is broadcast live 8 to 10 A.M. (Ottawa, Ont. time) on Saturdays on www.cfra.com. In the interests of retaining credibility and in fairness to all, I do not recommend prices, people nor companies for various projects.