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LUMBER
Lumber is probably one of the most misunderstood products in terms of quality of product and what to look for. You can shop lumber around, but the problem you run across is what kind of lumber are you purchasing. It's a difficult thing to understand unless you're around it for quite a while. Not everyone will give you kiln dried wood. One of the difficulties is you do not want your wood to dry out and start to twist once the drywall is attached to it. Sometimes when you see a bow in a wall, that is what has happened. Lumber sometimes won't even dry out for 2 years or so and in most cases your warranty is over. Another concern you should have is whether you are getting the similar problem when it comes to the truss system. You see, in Michigan, you normally cannot order trusses and lumber separately. They have it set up together. So one company will give you a break down on your lumber package which is high and the truss system will be low. Or vice versa, leaving you in the blind, so to speak. 2 x 4 construction opposed to 2 x 6 construction is a big item with many people. Normally I build a 2 x 4 construction system, but I build it in a special way. I end up with R-17 to R-18 in the walls and a very sturdy wall package. I also build with 2 x 6 construction. In these walls we put R-19. In a busy market you will need to give your lumber company a couple of weeks lead time. You like to have your trusses on the job when you start. Your carpenter needs to measure the trusses to make sure they are going to fit. Make sure you coordinate everything correctly with your carpenters. You do not want $35,000 worth of lumber waiting around a building site without the carpenters around putting your house together.
Just consider the cost of losing this lumber package. It doesn't happen very often, but sometimes it does. My advice to you is to check out insurance for your lumber package. I have never lost (got my fingers crossed) any lumber, and you can bet you do not want to either. There are several reasons I use Iverson Lumber Company and now Mans Lumber Company.
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