These days it is difficult if not impossible to find high quality dimensional lumber and plywood.

What are the options that your suppliers give you?

The best "plywood" is Advantech for it's water resistance and general toughness. (Although it's not "plywood") Most lumber yards carry grade 2 or 3 in dimensional stock, but #1 is available if you 1)can find it and 2) if you want to pay for it.

Posted By Bob I on 11 Aug 2015 04:19 PM
The best "plywood" is Advantech for it's water resistance and general toughness. (Although it's not "plywood") Most lumber yards carry grade 2 or 3 in dimensional stock, but #1 is available if you 1)can find it and 2) if you want to pay for it.

I second that.

I've witnessed AdvanTech OSB sit in the outside elements for a year and there was no edge swelling, rot or de-lamination.

Is the AdvanTech OSB the same product which they used in their ZIP System OSB product as I don't see where they state that on their website?

I was also curious a couple of years ago & called Huber (the manufacturer). Zip does not use Advantech, but uses OSB.

After building my barn, I gave up trying to find decent dimensional lumber for the most part. One thing is to get the framing up and sheathed before it has a chance to move. I built my house with ICF, and used 20 ga. metal studs for the interior walls. The metal studs were actually slightly cheaper than equivalent wood, but there was more labor involved. I've been told that finger-jointed studs are nice, but expensive, and I don't know if they're rated for structural use. None of the lumber yards in my area of SC carries finger-jointed stock, but they can order them. My trusses were very wavy, and I had to cross-strap and shim the ceilings to get the flat surface I wanted- a very tedious job, but my walls and ceilings are FLAT (for now...).

I could have used 7/16" OSB on my roof, but used 5/8 for the added strength and stability.

Posted By jdebree on 12 Aug 2015 07:09 AM
...The metal studs were actually slightly cheaper than equivalent wood, but there was more labor involved...

Surely you meant to write that there was less labor involved?!

It might be hard to beat plywood in terms of water damage and permeability. About the same price as Advantech around here.

Posted By Bob I on 12 Aug 2015 06:55 AM
I was also curious a couple of years ago & called Huber (the manufacturer). Zip does not use Advantech, but uses OSB.

That's what I was afraid of ......


Here in Georgia tree farms have destroyed the quality of yellow pine trees by growing Hybrid Yellow pine in which grow so fast the annular rings are so far apart it makes the wood very unstable and reduces the overall strength of the lumber. Here in the south you don't have a choice, yellow pine products dominate the supply chains. ... Very Frustrating!

I want quality at the lowest cost but at the same time maintain the durability of the assembly, and If I have to pay a SMALL amount more, I will. It seems as though the Advantech sheathing would be the way to go if it holds up as Lbear claims. Guess i need to get some test samples and perform various test.

Guess what I would need to do is sheath with Advantech sheathing and NOT the (ZIP System) than field apply something like R-Guard Cat 5 made by Prosoco, or is their a better value in another brand for a liquid membrane that PERFORMS WELL?

Posted By jdebree on 12 Aug 2015 07:09 AM
After building my barn, I gave up trying to find decent dimensional lumber for the most part. One thing is to get the framing up and sheathed before it has a chance to move. I built my house with ICF, and used 20 ga. metal studs for the interior walls. The metal studs were actually slightly cheaper than equivalent wood, but there was more labor involved. I've been told that finger-jointed studs are nice, but expensive, and I don't know if they're rated for structural use. None of the lumber yards in my area of SC carries finger-jointed stock, but they can order them. My trusses were very wavy, and I had to cross-strap and shim the ceilings to get the flat surface I wanted- a very tedious job, but my walls and ceilings are FLAT (for now...).

I could have used 7/16" OSB on my roof, but used 5/8 for the added strength and stability.

Finger jointed studs come in #1,#2, & #3 structural grades just like milled lumber, as well as crummier grades more suitable to partition walls.  They tend to be straighter than standard milled lumber at any structural grade level.  The also have different ratings for the adhesives, etc- if ordering them up it's important to specify if its for exterior walls vs. interior walls, since some adhesives won't cut it in an exterior wall, even if is structurally suitable for a load-bearing interior wall.

Finger jointed 2x3s are SUBSTANTIALLY straighter than most milled 2x3s- you can actually USE them (for something other than a corkscrew or kindling)!

I have never built a house before, and found metal studs to be a bit more labor-intensive than wood. For one thing, all of the holes for electric and PEX need a grommet. That's easy with the studs, as they have holes punched, but going up or down requires a small hole saw (or punch) and a grommet. In the floor, the grommet won't snap in if the hole in the wood is the same size, so I had to drill a 7/8 hole through the metal, and then go down in the basement to drill a larger hole in the subfloor from underneath. I'm sure that people that work with metal studs every day have tricks that I don't know. I also had to add wood framing around doorways, etc., another step. It's also harder to fasten trim, baseboards, crown, etc.

If you live in an area with a logging industry, google "planing mill." But check first to see if your BI is a stickler about stamped lumber. Also google "reclaimed wood." They don't make wood like they used to. When I had some 3" YP planks resawn, the sap ran 140 years later. Google portable saw mill if you are taking down hardwood trees to clear the site. This part takes planning because the longer the planks dry before going into the kiln, the better the result, and flooring should sit up to a year after drying.

Given the hauling and stacking involved, DIY is the only reasonable approach to the reuse aspect of green building. But you should see what eastern red cedar looks like right out of the planer. Or tulip poplar in 15-inch boards.