SBC Industry News

Since 2010, Keith Myers, truss and panel general manager at Woodhaven Lumberhas been giving presentations and plant tours to building officials through Rutgers University. Over that time, Keith estimates he’s had over 225 students walk through his facility.

Home Innovation Research Labs conducted a survey of home builders in December. Respondents indicated they are continuing to increase their use of off-site construction, and plan to rely on it even more in 2019.

The California Government Operations Agency (GovOps) will award $500,000 in grants as part of the statewide California Mass Timber Building Competition. Grants will be awarded to selected proponent teams presenting viable and repeatable mass timber solutions.

Lumber futures reached a record in May that was 30% above the old all-time high set in the early 1990s. Still, lumber ended the year as one of the worst-performing commodities.

TAL Holdings LLC, an eight-store chain of retail building material centers in Oregon and Washington, has announced an agreement in principle to acquire Gerretsen Building Supply Co. in Roseburg, Oregon.

In a collaborative effort between researchers at ETH Zurich and MIT, a material was 3D printed with a stiffness that comes notably close to the theoretical maximum limit of a stiffness to weight ratio possible according to the laws of physics.

Home Innovation Research Labs conducted a survey of home builders in December. Respondents indicated they are continuing to increase their use of off-site construction, and plan to use it even more in 2019.

Freddie Mac analysis shows that 370,000 fewer units were built in 2017 than needed to satisfy demand. Overall, the now housing shortfall ranges from a low of 0.9 million to a high of 4.0 million housing units, as of the second quarter of 2018.

Home Innovation Research Labs conducted a survey of home builders in December. Respondents indicated they are continuing to increase their use of off-site construction, and plan to use it even more in 2019.

Below are the top 20 most read SBC Industry News headlines of 2018. Not surprisingly, the top stories dealt with lumber costs, market disruptors like Katerra and Entekra, and the floor collapse at Clemson University.

Simpson Strong-Tie products released in 2018 ranged from structural steel seismic connectors to epoxy anchoring adhesives to auto-feed screw driving tools for decking contractors.

ProSales announced today that Wilson Lumber, based in Huntsville, Ala., has been selected as Dealer of the Year for 2018.

The Wendricks Truss Company of Hermansville recently signed up to take part in a rather unique contest.

Students installed engineered wood structural beams onto posts that will be supporting the roof trusses of the building. They are learning how to set up and move scaffolding platforms and accurately measure, mark, then cut the beams with saws and fasten beams in place with nail guns.

Minnesota-based distributor Arrow Building Center (ABC) has been acquired by private investment firms Angeles Equity Partners and Clearlake Capital Group through their portfolio company American Construction Source (ACS), the firms announced today.

Atlas Engineered Products Ltd, a supplier of engineered wood products, continues to grow via acquisitions and has struck a definitive agreement to buy Manitoba based  South Central Building Systems Ltd for $3.4 million.

U.S. LBM Holdings, LLC, a leading distributor of specialty building materials in the United States, has acquired Maine's Deering Lumber. With this acquisition, U.S. LBM now has five locations throughout Maine.

Brian Johnson of Eastern Engineered Wood Products enlisted the help of SBCA Emerging Leader Jared Dix of Apex Truss to participate in a career fair for students from the Richmond, Virginia, area.

A report regarding the floor collapse at a party involving Clemson University students appears to confirm our speculation shortly after the event that the number of people confined to the small space combined with the rhythmic dancing were the likely causes of the floor truss collapse.

Eastern Engineered Wood Products, a wholesale distributor of structural wood products used in residential and light-commercial construction, announces a new Distribution Center in Emporia, VA.