Alternatives to Lumber and Plywood in Home Construction

摘要

The diminished supply and unstable price of lumber is compelling designers,builders, and developers to explore alternative materials for residential construction. The report discusses several commercially available alternative materials or building systems that may be used in framing and sheathing, including: engineered wood products; laminated fiberboard that can be used for sheathing walls; light-gauge structural steel components for floors, walls and roof systems; foam core structure sandwich panels for walls and roofs; and a variety of concrete and concrete block systems, many of which include insulation material.