Apart from the foundation, the house framing plays an essential part of the strength of your home. For this reason, choosing the right type of wood to build it isn’t a decision to take for granted.
When it comes to framing, many questions need an answer. Which species is the most durable? What timber will work better with the roof? What’s the cost of all of this? It’s not an issue to downplay. After all, the structural stability of your home depends largely on it.
Main tree species to consider for house framing
Usually, to choose the best timber, you need to think of the wood finish you want. Also, the way it’s processed plays an important part. Here, you’ll see a few wood species widely used for these projects.
Red oak
There are many reasons why this is the most popular house framing option in America. Not only it’s widely available but also is a fast-growing species. As such, it’s the sustainable choice y excellence.
You can find it throughout the Great Lakes area up to Nova Scotia in Canada, as well as all the way to the South in Georgia. No wonder why it’s such a popular framing choice.
White oak
Contrary to red oak, working with white oak ensures a stronger framing. Moreover, this species is exceptionally resistant to decay. It’s harvested from Texas up north to past the border in Quebec and all the way to the East Coast.
However, its shrinkage rate is high enough to make it challenging to build framing.
Eastern white pine
It’s a soft wood, which makes it easy to work with for framing purposes. In appearance, it’s a mostly blond timber with many knots of different sizes. Also, it can get a rustic look since it tends to check and crack as it dries.
White pine grows from Minnesota up north throughout Newfoundland, but also goes south to Mississippi and Georgia. Moreover, if your installers give it a proper treatment, it won’t curl or bend.
Douglas fir
This type of wood is naturally strong. In fact, it gives more structural stability than the Eastern white pine. For this reason, people love to use it for post and beam construction, especially in the Pacific Northwest. However, you can also find it in many places throughout North America.
The best part of building house framing with Doug fir is that it barely cracks when it dries. Its strength, along with its varied yellow-to-red shades, makes it a fantastic option for your home.
Of course, there are many other options in wood framing. The price largely depends on your location, your home design, and the features of each species. Whenever you need help in building with safe and proven methods, make sure to call our expert framing contractors at ADG Construction, Inc.