Foundations and Floors

[jm minica]

I would suggest that everyone begin to change their paradigm on framing away from wood, to metal and other composit materials. The transition has already begun, and in the not so distant future, using dimesional lumber will be all but a memory. It's far easier to get a strait, square, and plumb structure using metal(which just happens to be perfectly suited for Hawaii conditions), than wood. Wood composit materials will remain for many more years than dimensional lumber will, i.e. tji's, paralam, glue lam, ply wood, and many other wodd/resin composits. Trex, and similar products are another example of materials that would be well suited for Hawaii. I know some people prefer the natural look of wood, but we really do need to start thinking on some of these things for the good of the planet.
Aloha,
Mark
p.s. these are just my opinions, sometimes I ramble.....