Canada is a great place to buy lumber. I plan to buy most of my lumber there and truck it down here in order to avoid the high prices at US lumber yards. The liberals down here have helped mess of the lumber industry due to their odd passion for trees and their desire to hug them. It's ironic that Canada has so many liberals, yet permit vast harvesting of their forests. Perhaps if we can get the US liberals to misconstrue a forest as a helpless unborn baby, we'll see a bonanza in forest clearcutting and reduction in lumber prices.
Do you have your own trailer(for
moving the lumber, of course
) Dan or do you rent? My partners and I are thinking about getting a few lots for Spring construction and would be very interested in what kind of savings you are seeing.
We are planning on taking a crew down to the islands sometime and I am looking into some new modules for concrete construction. Apparently you can stack these things together like leggos (stick building does not pass muster in hurricane country as you well know) and pour the concrete into the modules.
Have you heard anything about these?
Building material in the islands is unbelievably expensive. Stone masons there are eighty bucks an hour!
Verne
p.s On the other hand,,,that's only
half what my attorney charges...
Verne,
I'll be renting a moving van to transport the lumber. Presently, Canadian lumber costs 60% less than US lumber. The savings are substantial, amounting to $60,000+ per house. The US Customs office told me that as long as I don't sell the lumber, and transport it myself...it's duty free. Overall, it's an excellent way to reduce construction costs.
It's a good idea to use reinforced concrete for construction in hurricane areas. Lumber can be used if it's designed for hurrican forces and built per the 2001 International Building Code. Most of the wood structures in Florida that were designed/built per the 2001 IBC survived the hurricanes without damage. I like concrete a lot. It's my favorite building material because you can get really creative with it. The styrofoam forms I think you mention are great because they provide good insulation and ease in construction. If the rebar is sufficient and placed correctly, structural collapse won't occur during hurricanes, earthquakes, etc. The most important thing I can suggest is to have a good, ethical, well experienced structural engineer as a consultant for any building project. They can save a lot of money in the long term. If you need one, the website
www.seaint.org is an excellent resource to help locate one in your area.
Dan