Building a “Greener” Structure
The Structure
There are so many ways the structure of a home or building can be built. Green building options for the structural frame and envelope are abundant. Houses in Humboldt County are made generally from stick framing.
Commercial buildings are constructed in various combinations of concrete wall unit, steel or aluminum beam and stud design or hybrid with conventional stick framing as well.
The Building Structure is one of the larger sections of the Humboldt County Green Building program. Remember if you feel overwhelmed with building a completely green home, incorporating some green or sustainable options into your structure is still very valuable to our resources.
Some of our suggestions for choosing lumber that has been harvested more sustainably are to look for lumber certified by the Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC). There are many options certified under FSC.
FSC is an international body, which accredits forest product certification organizations in order to guarantee the authenticity of their claims. It requires adherence to 10 principles to assure that wood products come from a well-managed forest. For more information, see www.fscus.org
Healthy Forests Healthy Communities (HFHC)
HFHC is a partnership between forester, manufacturers, retailers, and community organizations, which strives to create jobs and market products from operations that restore the land and rebuild local economies. These wood products are produced in rural communities that historically have suffered from the economic and ecological devastation of misguided forest management practices. Fore further information see www.hfhcp.org
A HCGBP Note: Please look for the Forest Stewardship Council certification on the wood packaging, and also ask your wood dealer to show you their invoice from their supplier, which must state that that particular product is FSC certified (they can black out their cost – it’s just the FSC description in the individual line item that you want to verify).
Note: Just because a brochure or a display shows the FSC logo does NOT mean that the flooring you are buying is FSC – it only means that the manufacturer is licensed to produce FSC flooring – but what they are offering you may not be that FSC flooring.
Steel framing is becoming more and more an option for framers. The green aspects of steel can be more appealing than wood as a green option. 100% recycled steel studs are manufactured in abundance. Job site waste is minimized with metal construction and the ability to meet the new Cal Green Code’s mandatory 50% construction waste diversion plan by easily recycling the scrape metal cuts. A deterrent to steel studs in the past has been their low R-values. (see section on insulation or glossary for R-values)
Green, Reclaimed, and or Sustainable harvested timber framing product vendors.
While these are the closest vendors to our county geographically, there are many other options state and nationwide. Remember these companies don’t just sell framing timbers, they sell reclaimed beams, siding, and flooring materials and specialty trim boards. These companies generally have resurfaced and re-squared the board feet to meet standard millings. See vendor list below
Structural Insulated Panels:
Commonly known in the industry as SIPs, Structural Insulated Panels are experiencing a fast growth in market shares of wall construction for mostly residential and smaller commercial structures. SIPs are made by sandwiching two pieces of oriented strand board (OSB) around polyurethane foam. These panels make assembling a home very quick when proper planning is adhered to. The energy performance ratings on SIPs tend to be very impressive and lead to their application as a green building material.
When researching or talking to a sales staff or contractor about SIPs, ask if the polyurethane is blown with non-ozone depleting hydrocarbons rather than polyurethane blown with HCFCs. Also look for companies that add borate to their foam recipes; this reduces problems with termites possibly boring into the SIP. There are so many companies developing SIPs, make sure also to ask about climates, we all know about our little mold here in Humboldt.
Recycled wafer board or Oriented Strand Board
There are many concerns circulating around OSB. Make sure to purchase a sheet without added formaldehyde. Be hesitant to believe if a sale person tells you it is formaldehyde free as chance are they are not. The reason is that a good portion of OSB manufacturing comes from aspen and poplar trees. These trees emit low levels of VOCs and formaldehyde. On advantage OSB can be produced using smaller and younger trees rather than old growth timber.
Tip: Ask you local contractor to ask the building department if diagonal racking can be incorporated as a replacement for OSB in a sheer wall.
Reminder: OSB cannot be burned; the resins and glues used in production if burned can cause harm to the environment and the human respiratory system. It is also hard to find a recyclable option for OSB, the majority of it finds its way to the landfill.
Note: “wood comprises the largest percentage of the residential C&D waste stream—approximately 42 percent of residential new construction debris—according the National Association of Home Builders Research Center. ” http://www.solidwastedistrict.com/stats/wood.html
It can be assumed that MDF and OSB engineered wood would be a significant component of Construction & Debris (C&D) waste.
OSB can be purchased at most local lumber supply depots in Humboldt County, but it degrades rapidly if left in the direct sun and rain. If you are using this as a sheathing component of the building in our local area it should be covered with a vapor barrier fairly soon after nailing.
VENDERS
Yankin’s Reclaimed Materials
(530) 587-3700 office
(530) 582-7401 fax
email@ info @ YankinsReclaimedWood . com
Note: Yankin’s is a great source for large redwood beams, this company is removing and deconstructing a lot of the old Pacific Lumber Company mill warehouses in Scotia and salvaging the framing timbers.
Resale Lumber Products
4056 N US Highway 101
Eureka, CA 95503-9404
(707) 822-570
Michael Evenson Natural Resources
PO Box 157
Petrolia, CA 95558
www.oldgrowthtimbers.com
email: evenson@igc.org
Office:
(707) 629-3506
Endura Wood Products, Ltd
Portland OR
Phone: 503-233-7090
www.endurawood.com
TerraMai
McCloud, Ca.
Phone 530 964 2740
www.terramai.com
Pinocchio’s
Fort Bragg, Ca.
Phone 707-964-6272
Blacks Farmwood
San Rafael, Ca.
Phone: 877-321-WOOD
www.blacksfarmwood.com
Crossroads Recycled Lumber
North Fork, Ca.
Phone 559-877-3645
A large directory of reclaimed lumber vendors can be viewed here. Remember to try and purchase your building products as local as possible http://www.ecologycenter.org/directory/results.php?sFAQ=wood%20-%20sustainable/reused
Steel Framing Resources
http://www.ssma.com/Green%20Build%20LEED.aspx LEED information on steel studs.
