One word that I consistently hear from people who tour my firms’ completed homes is “Crisp”. What does it mean to build a “Crisp” house? It means the reveals are tight, the walls are dead flat & straight, and the paint finishes are flawless. It’s a “Crisp” house.
So, how do you achieve that? It all starts with a well framed house, and my secret weapon is to frame using man-made studs. These Laminated Strand Lumber (LSL) studs come from the factory perfectly straight & flat. There is no cull in the stack, now crowning, and very little frame checking before sheetrock to ensure flat walls. There are a few manufacturers of these but my favorite is Weyerhauser’s Timberstrand LSL studs.
So, here are my Top 4 Reasons to Frame with LSL Studs:
#1 Modern Houses with Smooth Sheetrock
I often build with Architects who design very contemporary houses and this type of house is very unforgiving to errors in the frame stage. This style house often has large flat walls of smooth sheetrock & tall windows with raking light that will show off every flaw! LSL’s are a must for this type of house.
#2 Great Rooms & 2 Story Spaces
The longer the 2x faming member, the greater chance it’ll arrive warped or will warp over time. These tall walls are the original intention of LSL studs. They excel at this application and there really isn’t a better alternative.
#3 Cabinetry & Tile-Intensive Houses.
When I first started using LSL’s I substituted standard pine 2x’s with Timberstrand LSL’s in the kitchen & master bathrooms. I needed dead flat walls to ensure tile backsplashes were straight & bow-free and to have cabinet installs scribed to walls evenly. Once I started using these man-made studs in these applications it was an easy jump to go to a whole house application.
#4 Reduced SR Callbacks & Warranty Work
I’ve been using Timberstrand LSL headers for 15 years now and that one switch alone has saved huge warranty dollars in avoiding the spider cracks at window heads from traditional 2x header shrinkage. I’ve seen the same reduction overall in nail pops, movement, and cracking. These LSL studs arrive straight and stay that way. If you are building tight tolerance houses for demanding clients & architects, these are a fantastic product.
P.S. Big thanks to the super talented architects at AlterStudio who designed the house I’m showing off in the video. This fantastic project is nearing completion and has been so fun to build. Stay tuned for future posts about this amazing house and its spectacular architecture.
Best,
Matt Risinger
Risinger Homes in Austin, TX
Visit my Blog at www.MattRisinger.com
Risinger Homes is a custom builder and whole house remodeling contractor that specializes in Architect driven and fine craftsmanship work. We utilize an in-house carpentry staff and the latest building science research to build dramatically more efficient, healthy and durable homes.
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