Library

Since 2003, deck researchers and representatives of the code community have worked to improve and expand the deck provisions in the International Residential Code (IRC). I believe the deck-related provisions of the 2015 IRC, coupled with best practices in the American Wood Council DCA6-2012,...

To most of us, the term “turn signal” means the directional indicator you use when changing lanes in traffic or turning. Beyond it being courteous and prudent, using them is the law. Ignore the need to use your turn signals at your own peril—you may get blind sided. Like...

Vertical deflection resulting from live and dead loads – of both roof and floor framing components – is an important serviceability consideration in the overall design of the building. And while this could be a topic in and of itself, this article is instead going to focus on two...

You will search in vain, through the pantheon of sales leaders in the truss industry, for an equal to Richard H. Marriott. You will find contenders, like Charlie Harnden or Dave Chambers, though they left us too soon. You will find a handful of other 40 year veterans, like Dick, but none who...

Preparing to write this month’s column, I’d been thinking about several topics, and eventually decided that the theme would be the Fourth of July. But then…(bang, clatter)…I was ready to start writing…(bang, clatter)…and all I could think was—when...

The long overdue rebirth of domestic wall panel technology is finally upon us, as U.S. manufacturers have begun to innovate. For the last 30 years, they ceded the upper end of the market to the Europeans, and focused on manual framing and sheathing solutions. For the last 10 years, they have...

My wife reached out to me recently, frustrated with a new furniture company. She was attempting to purchase several items for the house and found a few she thought were perfect. After thirty minutes of attempting to checkout with the sales associate, it was determined that she could not purchase...

There is nothing like the scheduling of orders to bring out the worst in people. Timely delivery of orders naturally creates a division between salespeople on one side of the issue and production on the other. Management normally plays the role of referee, with a tendency to favor the...

For the past several years, my research at Virginia Tech has examined the safety of workers who are constructing metal plate-connected wood truss roofs at height. This work can be very hazardous without proper fall protection systems and procedures in place. Falls from height are the result of...

There is a certain obsessive compulsive behavior that motivates some fabricators when it comes to stacking completed trusses and preparing them for shipment to the customer—but did you ever think of the benefits of tight, stacked, aligned trusses? One of the most difficult parts of a...