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BEST PRACTICES

As homeowner demand for conservation grows,

more options are becoming available for build-

ers to learn how to trim down their business

practices. Builders looking for ways to be green

can turn their focus to how lumber is utilized.Software systems, consulting firms and the

National Association of Home Builders are

assisting trade professionals in ways to tighten

up their processes from start to finish, including

eliminating lumber waste.

lumberyardEfficient building;

jobsitetotheResources are available to help builders trim their practices, and their waste By Maureen Alley, managing editor

Builders who focus ontrimming the materialselection process can

reduce lumber waste by5 to 10 percent.

The amount of lumber waste from a typical

2,000-sq.-ft. home is astounding and pre-

sents an opportunity for builders to step

up to the plate. “The average 2,000-sq.-ft. home

contains 13,127 ft. of lumber board. In terms of

waste, approximately 1,600 lbs. of solid-sawn woodand 1,400 lbs. of engineered wood is wasted,” says

Carlos Martín, Ph.D., assistant staff vice president,

construction, codes and standards for the NAHB,

who makes it clear that lumber conservation can

greatly contribute to green building practices.

Photo courtesy of iLevel by Weyerhaeuser

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BEST PRACTICES

Trimming material selectionsBy focusing on the material selection process, builders

can reduce waste by an average of 5 to 10 percent. One

way builders can limit their material purchasing is by

taking advantage of software systems available at manylumberyards. These software systems are intended to help

the builder purchase exactly the amount of lumber needed

and nothing more.

iLevel by Weyerhaeuser offers its Javelin software and

a waste analysis which walks through a builder’s purchas-

ing and delivery processes. “We use Javelin to create an

efficient specification of our products. The next step is to

look at how they are getting the material. Typically this is

done through a [purchase order] system where they put

the POs into the lumberyards they are buying from. If you

walk through that process, you’ll find that there’s a lot of

waste added to it from all different ends of the business

— anyone who touches that process adds waste because

each person is adding a little extra just in case they need

it,” says Bill Rieger, structural frame specialists, iLevel by

Weyerhaeuser.

The final step of the iLevel waste analysis is its

NextPhase program. “It allows the builder to precision-

enter the package. The way a typical framing package is

shipped today is it’s rounded to the nearest 2-ft. incre-

ment. So if you need a 17-ft. piece of material, you’ll get

According to the National Association of Home Builders, theaverage 2,000-sq.-ft. home wastes 1,600 lbs. of solid-sawn

wood and 1,400 lbs. of engineered wood.

NAHB offers six practices builders can use (see pg. 25) to cutdown on material waste and increase recycling.


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an 18-ft. [piece of material],” Rieger says. The NextPhase

system is able to offer accuracy within 1 ⁄ 16-in.

John Olson, vice president of Generation Homes in

Fresno, Calif., used the Javelin software for the first

time while partnering with iLevel to build the iLevel

Performance home, a 3,600-sq.-ft. home in Reedley, Calif.

“The end result is we were able to build the home in the

same amount of time [it normally takes]. We did have a

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Javelin software from iLevel by Weyerhaeuser fine-tunesproduct specification for accurate material purchasing.

Software systems are intended

to help the builder purchaseexactly the amount of lumber

needed and nothing more

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BEST PRACTICES

slowdown at the beginning due to educating myself, fram-

ers and all the individuals who touch the components. If

we were to do another home following this [process it]

would be equal to what we normally do. And if we do a

third, we would be ahead of what we normally do. It’s like

anything new where it takes a little bit of time for people

to get used to it — crews have been doing it one way for so

long,” Olson says. Overall, Olson had a positive experience

with Javelin and iLevel and would use both again.

Another software system that helps builders mini-

mize waste and ensure structural integrity is BC Framer

by Boise Engineered Wood Products. “It’s a stand-alone

product we’ve designed specifically for the specification

of Boise engineered wood products. Its focus is to give all

the information needed to get an accurate material list to

analyze the load so it has the proper structural integrity as

well as length requirement,” says Matt Prince, engineered

wood product software manager, Boise Engineered Wood

Products.

BC Framer has the

ability to draw in the

walls and the framing

area or the boundaries

to determine where the

joists and beams go.

“The user has the ability

to add loads to the joist

and beams to determine

the products that will

most adequately meet

those needs,” Prince

says.

To ensure accurate

calculations and minimize lumber waste, Boise offers

its BC Calc program. This program allows users to enter

design parameters such as product lengths, span and load-

ing conditions, and anywhere holes need to be placed. The

program then will provide a range of products to meet

those needs.

Prince adds that builders enjoy the capabilities in terms

of layout offered by Boise’s software programs. “The

product creates a layout or framing schematic that isvery informative. It’s color-coded, provides a layout, a list

of materials, and framing details that provide assembly

instructions,” he says.

Value engineering helpsValue engineering — analyzing cost vs. value and alter-

native materials — is a process by which companies like

FMI Corp. help builders and designers to green their prac-

tices. “On the custom builder side, we look at methods of

construction and design elements. We lean the builders

through a value engineering process,” says Clark Ellis,

principal, FMI Corp. in Raleigh, N.C.

FMI focuses on two areas of the building process, the

first being efficient use of material. “You first have to make

sure you have the right amount of material. Then we do

value engineering with the builders. This is when you ask,

‘why did we run the floor joists from front to back in this

Boise Engineered WoodProducts offers its BCFramer software. Thissoftware is specificallydesigned to specify

Boise products to createaccurate material lists.

“Anyone who touches the process

adds waste because each person is

adding a little extra in case they need

it.” — Bill Rieger, structural frame

specialist, iLevel by Weyerhaeuser.


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plan.’ If the plan is deeper than wide and you run them front

to back, you will need more beams. But if you turn them side-

to-side, they will span a smaller distance and you can possibly

use fewer joists,” Ellis says. “Those are things you have to get

down into the field for — this is where software systems getclose but not close enough to understanding codes and prac-

tices in the field.”

Ellis adds that the green movement is relatively new and the

return on the effort is still unknown. “We are helping our clients

figure out what green is and consult them on how to reach their

green goals. It’s a struggle for builders to know how to do it and

to communicate it to their customers,” he says.

Six green tipsNAHB offers six practices builders can utilize for reducing

waste and increasing recycling. “The first is design efficiency.

Optimal value engineering is essential. Builders must find the

most efficient material they need to satisfy code and safetywithout overdesigning the structure,” Martín says.

“[Practice] two is to enhance the durability. Pick materials

that are going to last such as treatments and finishes that

won’t need to be replaced. This is focusing on long-term

waste. Three is to reuse materials at the construction site such

as using an extra floor piece for molding or cabinetry. Four,

use recycled materials to reduce global society waste.

“Tip five is to recycle on-site such as putting plastic in

one container and organic material in another. Then find

appropriate recycling facilities for those materials. And six,

use efficient materials. Use products that have had a lifecycle

assessment performed on them. This means that you’re mak-

ing sure all the energy and resources of this material’s lifetimeis minimized — you’re getting the most efficiency out of the

material,” Martín adds. Builders interested in more informa-

tion on this program should visit nahbgreen.org. ◗

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“We are helping our clients figure out

what green is and consult them on how

to reach their green goals.”

— Clark Ellis, principal, FMI Corp.

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