Simpson Strong-Tie started in 1956 with a single joist hanger. Today, there are more than 6,000 products – and that doesn’t include things such as anchors, hold downs, shear wall panels and other related products. It is hard to nail down (couldn’t resist the pun) an exact number of products when you are looking at all…
When we look at lumber, we have a number of ways to see it: rough cut, dimensional and board feet. The questions in this are: Why isn’t a 2X4 actually 2” X 4”? And why is Board Feet used in pricing? For me, knowing this is one thing but understanding it is altogether different. We…
F Channel. J Channel. Starter Strip. Z Metal. Drip Edge. T Channel. Utility Trim. There are a confusing amount of flashing and trim options available for Metal Siding and Vinyl Siding. The question becomes which to use, where to use it and what options are available. Vinyl Siding comes with a top lock to snap…
When we discuss Siding we are talking about a huge category. Fortunately most of them are pretty straight forward and rely on a straight square foot to board size conversion. When we get to Lap Siding, however, things are sometimes more complex than they seem at first glance. Just as a starting point, if we…
So that big takeoff is done and we feel good. We have plenty of time for pricing, changes and RFI’s before the bid or material order has to be submitted. But in the end, all this work can dull in meaning not because of all the items and materials we found but because of what…