Framing a house using engineered wood has many advantages. Glue laminated beams are stronger than their conventional solid sawn counterparts. (Laminated veneer lumber comes in smaller dimensions for headers and ridge beams.) Engineered I-joists span greater distances and their stiffness prevents squeaky floors. Oriented strand board sheathing prevents racking and provides good nailer for siding.

Bob outlines the steps involved in framing up the house. Once the first floor joists were in place, the crew started in on the subfloor using ToughPly, a thicker plywood product from Georgia-Pacific. A single layer of ToughPly can be used under hardwood, tile, or carpet, and its quick-fit tongue and groove design saves time fitting the panels together. Next the crew framed the sidewalls with Riverside CDX plywood sheathing harvested from sustainable forests in British Columbia. While only slightly thicker than standard OSB or plywood, it's three times as stiff for a greater load carrying capacity and its favorable weight to strength ratio makes its easier to work with.

Bob discusses the home's framing with Ryley. Since much of the framing will be exposed special care is taken with the construction. Ryley demostrates a few of the techniques and raises a large section of the cabin.

Bob tours the newly opened up first floor of the house and the turns his attention to the little family room addition. The wall has been bumped out a couple of feet and at an angle. Bob flashes back to the construction of the new addition. The carpenters began by framing the deck with pressure-treated 2 x 10s anchored to the existing frame and set on concrete footings in the ground. The framed the walls with conventional 2 x 4s and attaching plywood to stabilize the structure. Then they framed knee walls to supports the windows that will fill in the corner of the addition. The second floor is now supported using LVLs attached to a 6 x 6 clear fir post which transfers the weight of the upper floors to a new footing directly below with the addition is framed around it. The effect when finished is similar to a greenhouse.