ATTENTION: Building industry professionals
Do you want to save thousands in lumber and concrete on your next project by building greener?
Did you know that virtually every home built in the United States in 2008-2009 wasted a literal truckload of lumber, concrete, and framing hardware?
That’s right. Many tons of building materials were installed that had no useful purpose. I’m talking studs, beams, joists, footings, shear walls, holdowns; items that might just as well have been tossed in a landfill.
Forget about green, our building practices are, at times, downright black.
What’s even more scary is the flip-side: Most buildings also contain hidden under-designed elements. Beams, rafters, and walls that, exposed to heavy snow, earthquake, or wind, could fail. You’ve seen the news clips and the disaster photos.
How is it possible that with so much emphasis on build-green and this nation’s restrictive building codes we’re still so far off the mark?
Simple. Construction professionals don’t understand basic structural concepts. If they did…
… they wouldn’t use a 6x10 where a 4x6 would work. They wouldn’t stack 4, or 6, or more studs under a beam when one would safely hold the load (see above photo. Courtesy BIAW, Building Insight, April, 2009). And they certainly wouldn’t use five post and pier lines when three would do the trick.
And on the flip-side, they would use a ridge beam rather than a ridge board. And they would beef up long, slender posts. And they’d make darned sure that footings were sized and installed correctly.
Who am I and how can I make the above claims?
I’m Tim Garrison, President of ConstructionCalc, Inc. I’m also a licensed engineer, author, and software producer. It is my mission to empower - to help builders, designers, and code officials understand how structures really work - what is needed for strength and what isn’t.
 In my 25+ year career, I’ve written three books and published 75 articles in nationally-distributed magazines such as Journal of Light Construction, Nation’s Building News OnLine, and Green Builder Magazine. I hold a masters degree in engineering and have engineered over 1,000 buildings and bridges.
But, perhaps, the most important aspect of my background is the most easily overlooked: I have actually built things.
Starting in high school, I built homes during summers. Then I worked my way through college as a framer. Later, I became a partner in a construction company. During that startup I worked on jobsites right alongside tradesmen.
The point is I have a seat-of-the-pants knowledge of how a building’s parts and pieces go together. And I have seen builders make the same inefficient and / or dangerous mistakes over and over.
How do we fix this?
Through education and smart design.
It’s hard to fix something if you don’t know it’s broken. Most of us have been doing the same things for so long they’ve become engrained. We keep repeating tasks using outdated methods and obsolete materials.
I write and teach about how buildings really work and what can be done to maximize their efficiency. My company, ConstructionCalc, sells software tools that enhance smart design.
If you’re ready to elevate your building knowledge; if you want to really build green; if you’d like to start saving thousands on every job...
… please read the powerful, free information on this website. I only ask that you provide minimal contact information so that we can stay in touch.
A great place to start is the slide portion of my presentation entitled Green Framing Saves Big. There I discuss two nationally-published magazine articles: one I wrote for Green Builder Magazine (note, this link takes you to my original article, not the sanitized version that was published) and the other by Ted Cushman at Builder Magazine.
When you join our mailing list you will receive my free e-column, The Builder’s Engineer™. You’ll learn about such things as: Repair of cracked glu-lam and timber beams; Overloaded floors; Settled and cracked foundations; and much more. I know our industry can be a bit dry so I usually mix in a dose of humor with the lesson de jour.
With a little education under your belt you’ll be ready for the second step to more efficient, stronger buildings: the actual design.
Could it break? Would it break? Hope it doesn’t break!
For years builders have been sizing their own beams, joists, rafters, and footings using little more than the back of their thumb. With today’s computers and user-cuddly software, there is no reason to perpetuate that practice.
ConstructionCalc software was written with the non-engineer in mind. We don’t sell big, complicated, Eiffel-Tower-solving programs. Ours are inexpensive and address the everyday items faced on residential and light commercial jobsites: beams, joists, rafters, posts, studs, and footings. We are the hammer and saw of structural software.
But more important, we show you how.
We dislike user’s manuals and expect that you do too. So our software doesn’t come with a manual. How? First, we program in Microsoft Excel. Chances are you’re already familiar with Excel. Opening and running our software is no more difficult than your own spreadsheets.
Second, nearly every input has a pop-up note explaining what goes there, and, in many cases, an example or two. Third, our website has lots of solved example problems. Fourth, our demo programs are copies of the retail versions so you can try out all the functionality for as long as you like before making a decision to purchase. And last, we’re there to help with technical support should you need it.
Thank you for visiting. Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions.
Looking forward to helping you build more efficiently.
Tim K. Garrison, P.E.
President, ConstructionCalc, Inc.
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