Jul 29 2008
A variety of advanced construction techniques are helping homebuilders minimize construction waste, reduce labor time and costs, and improve quality. One method in particular, the use of pre-cut and pre-manufactured floor framing components, is becoming increasingly common as evidenced by a recent June milestone.
Lumber and building material dealers using equipment and services offered through iLevel(R) NextPhase(R) Site Solutions together processed more than one million linear feet of pre-cut framing materials for builders in the month of June alone. That is enough material to build approximately 700 homes.
NextPhase Site Solutions are delivered by select iLevel dealers nationwide. And it represents an important new trend and big growth potential in a tough housing market where builders are looking to gain any possible advantage.
"We can plan cuts for multiple orders and trim materials to size," says David Brown, general manager for Reserve Supply in Syracuse, NY. "We estimate that we now have less than one percent wood waste in the yard, and builders don't end up with waste of a foot or longer lying around after construction."
Brown says the time savings are also substantial. "One of our customers works with a builder who was able to build a floor in half the time compared to conventional framing methods."
"NextPhase Site Solutions help contractors sell their product," says Michael Andrews, a designer at Wood Structures, Inc., Biddeford, Maine. "It's a next step for contractors to become more sophisticated in the marketplace, and to separate themselves from the competition. It helps them be more productive and more marketable."
NextPhase Site Solutions are products, proprietary software, and services that enable a whole-house solution for structural framing. In addition to premium quality Trus Joist(R) and Structurwood(R) products, NextPhase Site Solutions help builders optimize materials used for roofs, walls and floors. Offered to builders through building material dealers, the services enable precision-cut and labeled kits of materials, as well as pre-built panelized components.
There are currently seventeen NextPhase dealers across the U.S., with about one new site being added each month. To locate a NextPhase dealer nearest you, visit: http://ilevel.com/services/np_producers.aspx.