Green pine and hemlock construction

[highway]

Good morning all, I am planning a house renovation next year and was wondering if utilizing green rough sawn lumber is a bad idea for stud wall and framing. I have done plenty of this for outbuildings but never for a house project.

Any experience or input would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Ed

[beenthere]

Ed
Were you satisfied with the results after the wood dried out in the outbuildings?

Will you give your studs and framing a chance to dry out in place before capturing that moisture within the walls and such?

How do you feel your house project is different from your outbuildings? Therein might lie the answer.

[highway]

My concern comes from trapping moisture in the walls with the sheathing and interior drywall. There would be no time for the wood to dry before the construction continued with closing in the walls and sub floor. I imagine the old homes were built with green lumber and not sure what the ramifications of that might have been. My colonial cape was built in 1787 and seems to have weathered just fine.

Ed

[beenthere]

Likely in the days of old, considerable more time between putting up green framing and the time the lath was finally put up, and a couple coats of plaster put over the lath.

Now within days the walls are ready for paint, it seems. I'd be concerned with water trapped.. just may lead to mold.

[Ianab]

Softwood will dry pretty quick in place, especially once you get the roof and exterior cladding on. So it would be normal to put up the framing, then work on the roof. Then the exterior cladding goes on. Wiring and plumbing gets done etc. Pretty soon 8 weeks have gone by, the structure has lost most of that moisture, and it's safe to close up the interior walls. 

You are right that enclosing green wood in a structure is a bad idea. If the moisture content is still over ~20% you are asking for bugs and fungus to start working, hidden out of sight inside the walls.

But if you plan out your construction timing so the wood has a chance to dry before it's all closed up, then you can get away with using green wood, and letting it dry in place.

[Remle]

My concern comes from trapping moisture in the walls with the sheathing and interior drywall. There would be no time for the wood to dry before the construction continued with closing in the walls and sub floor. I imagine the old homes were built with green lumber and not sure what the ramifications of that might have been. My colonial cape was built in 1787 and seems to have weathered just fine.

Ed

IMHO the old homes were never as air tight as we now think we need to make them. I doubt that when anyone renovated a home of that era that they found any insulation or building paper of any kind installed at the time it was originally constructed. There fore moisture trapped in the walls wasn't a problem like it would be today using modern methods. Other than a building which will not be finished off on the interior, I would not use green wood. I cannot give you the exact figures, but even the modern home for healthy living purpose should have some daily minimum of air turn over. Those who seal them up so they can save heating cost, IMHO are asking for problems unless they install air exchange handling systems. Sorry did not mean to go off on a tangent, so air drying lumber is a must IMHO before your home renovation begins..

[thecfarm]

I use to work for the low income. There was many homes in Maine with no insulation in them.     And I betcha there are still some too!!! I myself would not want to put insulation,vapor wrap and sheet rock until the wood was dried. I guess no way to build the house and leave it to dry??

[fishfighter]

The camp I'm building is using green lumber. I started last spring and I know it will be next spring till I start closing in the inside walls. Things are drying out real good and I also sprayed borax. To help things dry out even better, I started burning a wood stove and running a couple fans inside. As far as shrinkage, I'm not seeing any problems so far.