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Experiences with using your own lumber in permitted structures

Started by Mooney, January 17, 2013, 08:34:08 AM

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Mooney

Hey Guys,

I'm working on an article that I've been told is a bad idea for several years... which of course is why I think it deserves to be addressed  :D

Using Dan Cassen's new book (specifically chapter 5) as a starting point, he and I are writing a general introductory article about the proper way to use your own sawn lumber in structures you don't have to hide from the county.  ;)

We know that we'll have to give a general outline, and then provide as much info about specific exceptions/regions that do things a bit differently, etc. We're also planning on including a "For More Information" section.

So, what are your experiences? If you have any with this subject, please share. We want the article to shed light on an often obscure subject, enough so that people have a general idea of the process, and know where to go next for specific rules in their area. Your input will be very valuable in determining what we decide must be included. Thanks in advance for any input!  :)

JohnM

Great subject!  I don't have any answers (for better or worse we're kind of free do our own thing up here) but I'm interested hear the responses. :P

JM
Lucas 830 w/ slabber; Kubota L3710; Wallenstein logging winch; Split-fire splitter; Stihl 036; Jonsered 2150

WDH

In my county, all construction and framing lumber has to be grade stamped.  That does not make the lumber any better than what you can saw yourself, it is just that it is the rules.  Much home produced lumber is better than what you find in the Big Box Stores, but that does not matter.  This puts the small producer at a decided disadvantage.
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thurlow

In my county, unless it's a 'dwelling', there are no rules........build anything you want/out of anything you want to use.  You DO have to have a building permit, which costs 10ยข per square foot;  all the inspector does is make sure that you're "x" number of feet from the property line.  If it's a dwelling, one's own lumber can be used, but at some point it will have to be inspected before it can be occupied (same with plumbing, electricals, etc).  You can also wire, put in plumbing, etc. your-own-self.  btdt.
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dchiapin

my cabin in Colorado is a post and beam structure. All the timbers had to be approved by an engineer licensed in Colorado. I sawed all the wood here in Florida and transported to the site in Colorado. Using SYP the engineer had to do some homework since that is not a normal wood for there, so when he had a question he just made the timber sizes bigger. Sure made for a over built structure.

Ljohnsaw

How and here do you go to get your lumber and timbers grade stamped?w
John Sawicky

Just North-East of Sacramento...

SkyTrak 9038, Ford 545D FEL, Davis Little Monster backhoe, Case 16+4 Trencher, Home Built 42" capacity/36" cut Bandmill up to 54' long - using it all to build a timber frame cabin.

dchiapin

in the south you contact Southern Pine Inspection Bureau for pine lumber
You might try American Lumber Standard, there is tons of information on their website, so you should be able to find someone to grade stamp your lumber.

sandhills

Sorry I can't be any help but I'm very interested in what other Nebraskans have to say about our laws (if any chime in).  Sounds like a great topic to me, and something I've always wondered about here.

Solomon

Rubber Stamps are cheap and easy to aquire.    Be sure and use WHITE pine if you dont have a kiln.
Time and Money,  If you have the one, you rarely have the other.

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pnyberg

Connecticut build codes require graded lumber for framing for all structures.  The codes are set by the state but enforced by the towns and cities (there's no county level government in CT).  It's always possible that you could get a local inspector to cut you some slack, but it would be a hit or miss proposition. 

Whenever I get an initial contact from a potential customer who indicates that want to use lumber from my mill for framing anything they're going to get a building permit for, I tell them to talk to the town building department before they take one more step in that direction.  I rarely hear from these people again.

--Peter
No longer milling

flyboy16101

In my county as far as I know they only care that you get a building permit for buildings that will not be inhabbited at all or for a certian percentage of the year. As mentioned earlier all the inspector dose is make sure its on your property. As long as they get there money they dont care but as far as a residence i am not sure.
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Ljohnsaw

Quote from: Solomon on January 17, 2013, 11:24:31 AM
Rubber Stamps are cheap and easy to aquire.    Be sure and use WHITE pine if you dont have a kiln.
That's funny.  Actually, I got a message back from my County Planning department and my property falls into the sparcely populated category (duh) and I fit under the provision of R301.1.1.1 that states I can use owner-provided lumber with no mention of grading!  One more phone call/question for clarification and I will be good to go. 8)
John Sawicky

Just North-East of Sacramento...

SkyTrak 9038, Ford 545D FEL, Davis Little Monster backhoe, Case 16+4 Trencher, Home Built 42" capacity/36" cut Bandmill up to 54' long - using it all to build a timber frame cabin.

Larry

Arkansas has adopted the national building code.  The state delegated enforcement to local government but they didn't send along any money.  Most cities and towns have code enforcement.  A lot of counties do not have the money (or will) to hire code enforcement folks.  This gives some rural people the mistaken impression we do not have building codes.  We don't have code enforcement cops.

I get a little concerned custom sawing.  Somebody comes up with the bright idea to use 2 X 6 erc floor joists, spanning 12' on a deck.  Of course 2' on center.  Probably gonna get told I'm not interested in sawing for them.

It all works well until a substandard house falls down and hurts somebody.  Than the lawyers earn their money.
Larry, making useful and beautiful things out of the most environmental friendly material on the planet.

We need to insure our customers understand the importance of our craft.

hamish

Basically with all the different standards especially umungst different counties/jurisditions...........the chapet will be a quick read.

Check with you local building authorities, be it city, county, state,province,territory, or federal body.  There are too many different governing rules out there along with the caveat that some accepted county rules do not follow the basic federal rules with in essence makes then nul and void, in the big picture.
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red oaks lumber

when the ubc (uniform building code) first became law, wisconsin was everything needed a grade stamp. after a couple of years myself and a very good inspector kept lobbying  the state and finely they relaxed the ruling for "native' lumber. non graded lumber can be used in non-structual areas(walls,headers ect.)
2 yrs ago my parents were putting on an addition on their house, my dad asked me if the project needed to be inspected. i called my good friend the inspector and asked about inspection. he told me once the first "dwelling" was inspected you could put a million dollar addition without ever needing inspection. go figure :)
the experts think i do things wrong
over 18 million b.f. processed and 7341 happy customers i disagree

Tronvik

Just finished building a house In charleston sc. I milled all the pine floors,walls and ceiling. Asked the inspectors a number of times about my wood. They had no problems with finish materials, never asked about framing. Did not have time to mill finish and framing wood. I was told sc has a native species law that allows you to prove the strength of you own milled wood. That being said I also built a woodstove flue heated kiln, that was on site during the build. Nobody including the inspectors could believe how well the floors and beaded board turned out. The only problem I had was even setting the electrical boxes out 3/4" they were not all flush with the wood.(my framers were terrible) so I had to use plastic slip-in box extenders,this was so electrical was isolated from a combustible. I can also say that all of the 16000 15ga nails in my nails are there ;). I would not use non kiln dried wood in any house, or air dried and kiln sterilized. Made the floors in my old house and had a bug burrow out 6 months after construction. When we tore that house down I could see it ate about 36" of wood before it came out. We finished our 1638 sq build in September of 2012 and took 17 very long months(living with mother in law  :-\)
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m wood

In my neighborhood(western NY) there is the city...town...county...and state codes,  most of them adhere to the state code as it is written.  my land is in the township jurisdiction and for a recent project of mine, my architect told me that my lumber had to be stamped by a state licensed engineer.  Just so happens that the county engineer has a private practice and works regularly with many drafters...i called him, but something like a $500 retainer made me rethink it.  Never even discussed this with the bld inspector, just made myself some new discreet plans.

excellent topic, one that gets glossed over a lot, i think!
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rimshot

I built several garages from fresh cut ruff sawn but I will never forget the nice house I built with the stuff.  The Balsam and White Pine studs were great but Spruce and Red Pine are worthless because they wanted to twist.  I cut the stuff in the Fall and got it milled and stuck and stacked.  In the Spring, I framed up the house as I had also layed up the foundation the previous Fall.  Well, I was doing this on the side and managed to finish the last of the drywall & paint
and carpet were completed in the following Fall.  I managed to rent to a buddy that same Fall and he heated the place with wood.

Well, that nice wood heat kept the place dry and warm over the Winter.  But it also kiln dried my framing lumber at every nail in the dry wall pushed out of the finished drywall.  I got stuck redoing all the popped nails heads and provided another coat of paint.  i learned lots in those days but never had that problem again.

imshot

LT 10 with a 10 h.p. and a converted boat trailer to provide mobility for a once permanent mill.

pri0ritize

I live in Washington State. We've got state and county codes that we have to worry about. I'm currently building a house and I had done research on using my own milled lumber for the framing and structure. What I originally read was that was not possible. After I finished the framing I was talking to the structural engineer about some of the variations that I had to do and he mentioned that I could have used my lumber for the framing if I would have had him notate that on the plans. Seems like you can pretty much do anything here with an engineering stamp.
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losttheplot

Where I live (The regional District of Nanaimo) there is a "green building incentive" available.
The district will refund the cost of a timber grader, up to $250, for anyone who builds with lumber grown and milled on site.
All structural lumber must be graded, if it's used in a building built under permit.

DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU THINK !

WH_Conley

My BIL built his house straight off the mill. Did not cover the interior walls, just put a couple 2x4's across from stud to stud. All framing was exposed. Heated it with a wood stove one winter. If the weather was too cold he would stay with his parents. Come spring he insulated and dry walled it. Had to trim a couple of bowed studs. You have to know it is rough sawn, can't tell by looking.
Bill

Jay C. White Cloud

Hi Mooney,

I build all over the country, and vary involved in the "green building," and "DYI-permies," movement.  As a traditional timber wright we see it all.  If you want to chat about your article some evening give me a PM. 

Regards,  jay
"To posses an open mind, is to hold a key to many doors, and the ability to created doors where there were none before."

"When it is all said and done, they will have said they did it themselves."-teams response under a good leader.

beenthere

Quotei called my good friend the inspector and asked about inspection. he told me once the first "dwelling" was inspected you could put a million dollar addition without ever needing inspection.

And that can only be banked on with your friend the inspector. Keep that inspector as your friend. :)
Other inspectors can take a completely different position, and not only inspect the addition for code but make the old house meet present day code as well.
Been many instances where the old wiring wasn't code, so re-wiring the old house had to be done.
Getting to where insurance companies are also getting their nose in there as well and requiring improvements before they will write a policy.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

hackberry jake

Thanks for that info about arkansas larry. I didn't know that. I live in a very rural county. We don't even have one stoplight in the whole county. I asked someone that builds houses for a living about the building codes for my county. He said "If it has a roof, you have to pay personal property taxes on it". That was all he said.
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trapper

In wisconsin you can take a course and grade your own lumber

It is called Wisconsin local-use dimension lumber grading.  Tried to ger a picture of the certificate but my picture posting skill got lost.
Allows your sawyer to grade your lumber for you to build your own house.
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