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Hi y'all, we're going to be building our own house as owner-builders and likely only use contractors for stuff that we can't legally avoid, like electric and plumbing. One thing we would like advice on would be, where do you get your lumber from? We're going to need a source for all our framing lumber and plywood. We're probably going to build our own trusses as well.
We looked where we usually would look, which means the home depot website, but it seems home depot there doesn't carry any lumber!
--maggie
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Maggie; We will also be building as owner builders in about 6 mo. Lumber can be found at hpmhawaii.com. I've been told they may not be the cheapest but they do have lumber. My boy is in construction over there and thye use HPM, I'll ask him about any other suppliers.
dick wilson
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Submit your materials list to the providers for a bid:
Honsador, HPM, Trojan, .... come on guys, who else is out there???
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Maggie,
Most often, if not specifically engineered with all connections engineered and all loads calculated, homebuilt trusses are illegal.
Dan
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The plans we got are complete blueprints and include all structural information needed for permits and construction bids. The roof is built with inexpensive lightweight trusses engineered for our local requirements.
Maybe it will pass. At least we hope so...
--maggie
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also check Pierson Building Supply in Shipman (808)966-7458
There is a Home Depot in Hilo & a Lowes in Kona....
One of the problems here with build your own trusses are the truss plates... before you begin, make sure your plans comply with the County Building Dept requirements
The websites for the places Pam suggested are:
http://www.trojanlumber.com/
http://www.hpmhawaii.com/
http://www.honsador.com/
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Hi Carey, thanks for the tip. I noticed that hawaiian houses seem to have really low pitch roofs. Is there a reason for this?
Why are truss plates a difficulty? I wonder if wood gussets are used in any way...
--maggie
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hiya Maggie,
Apologies if I'm misunderstanding, but your trusses are for a non-hawaii building code? For some reason I'm thinking you're off island right now - sorry if not [
]
Our codes are written for both earthquake *and* hurricane, so roof construction is probably going to be different from mainland requirements. Just want to warn you so you're not shocked if they kick the trusses back as non-conforming. I've been drafting here for a year & my experience is that Pre-maufactured trusses from Honsador or HPM are a good deal. The cost comes out pretty even when you consider your time, materials, headache, etc. If I remember correctly, we've priced out manufactured vs. site built for 5 jobs so far & everytime the manufactured trusses are an easier option.
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quote:
Originally posted by maggieblanchett
Hi Carey, thanks for the tip. I noticed that hawaiian houses seem to have really low pitch roofs. Is there a reason for this?
Why are truss plates a difficulty? I wonder if wood gussets are used in any way...
--maggie
Maggie -
you can definately do site built trusses. There is usually a design your draftsperson can include for the architect to stamp. It does include wood gussets made out of plywood. I have a sample of the drawing if you need it. They arent hard to do, just more labor intensive. If you are doing all the labor yourself, it does save money. If you have a paid carpenter building the trusses, you dont save any money over site built versus pre-manufactured from HPM, Honsador or Big ISland Truss Systems. They are about even up in that case.
Low pitched roofs are common here because (and these are only my thoughts) 1) easier & cheaper to build (you increase materials when you raise the pitch over the same distance) 2) ventilate easier 3) no snow load to worry about - since we only have to worry about water runoff - it will run off even a 1/12 pitch. 4) easier to walk on to do anything on the roof - those of you from cold climates can probably attest to trying to do work on a 6/12 pitch. SCARY!
-Cat
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Metal truss plates are very much preferred in wood truss design. Both in hurricane and earthquake conditions testing has shown the value of metal over wood in shear conditions. Plus the metal connectors will last for eons longer than wood. They just don't deteriorate at the rate wood does.
If it's of any interest my company has structural metal roof panels which don't require rafters or trusses - just simple ridge and perhaps mid beams. They are also insulated and have a prefinished white underside.
http://www.castleblock.com
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