Day Nine: "I'm always looking for ways to eliminate headaches and these
iLevel Stair Treads will do that."
The Daily Update from the Performance Home project will give you a first-hand
perspective of each day's progress from people who were there. Today we're
hearing from David Prieto, Superintendent for Generation Homes.
I really like the way these iLevel Stair Treads went in. The bull-nosed edge is a
really clean look. Since they were precut all the guys had to do was install them.
There was no freehand cutting for them to do. They are a full 1" thick and are
straight and true. Since they're installed on TimberStrand LSL stringers the whole
system is really solid and tight.
I'm always looking for ways to eliminate headaches and these will do that. I know
with freehand cut treads they're not always straight or sometimes they miss an
overhang. These iLevel Stair Treads eliminate that problem. I don't think we'll
have to come back and deal with squeaks or other headaches.
They were really fast and easy to install, too. My crew had never used them
before, but there was nothing to it. I think this is just one more potential headache
that I won't get anymore.
-David Prieto, Superintendent, Generation Homes, Inc.
Day Eight: "On this whole framing package we only had to trim one rimboard
about 3/4 of an inch. That's it."
The Daily Update from the Performance Home project will give you a first-hand
perspective of each day's progress from people who were there. Today we're
again hearing from John Olson, Vice-President of Generation Homes.
This was the first time we'd used Javelin Software with the people of iLevel. I
have to say that I was skeptical at first, because we were using 19'2" on-center
spacing. But after experiencing the performance I was overwhelmed. It was very,
very accurate. On this whole framing package we only had to trim one rimboard
about 3/4 of an inch. That's it.
This software gave me a detailed look at every wall, header and post. It was a
great opportunity to evaluate every piece of the frame. It let us make the best
decision in every application.
In the past we always ship every piece a few inches longer than the plan calls
for. Then the crews cut each piece to fit. That was eliminated on this
Performance House. We saved the labor of all that cutting and we eliminated a
lot of waste.
We will definitely be using Javelin on our exiting plans. And using iLevel's TJOs
and some pre cut TJIs really helped us with the ducting installation. It eliminated
a soffit in the laundry room and it let us run the ducting to the outside wall, which
will really help performance of the system.
Now that we're done framing I can tell that this process has helped me see ways
I can be a better builder. And even though we had a learning curve at the
beginning to get the crews up to speed, this really ended up being very efficient.
When we build our second house this way I bet it will take no longer than the old
way. And from the third house on I'm sure it will be faster.
-John Olson, Vice-President Generation Homes, Inc.
Day Seven: "These iLevel materials have already saved over a half day for two of
us."
The Daily Update from the Performance Home project will give you a first-hand
perspective of each day's progress from people who were there. Today we're
hearing from John Robles, an installer for Donald P. Dick Air-conditioning &
Heating.
On most projects I spend at least the first half-day with a sawsall cutting holes.
On this house I could get right to installing the ductwork. These TJOs really make
it easy to work. As soon as other people in the trades check this out they're all
going to want to use them.
The TJOs and these TJIs that are precut really help everybody. It cuts down my
installation time. And it also helps me install a system that will benefit the
homeowner. Since I can install more efficient runs that use a lot less material the
airflow is going to be a lot more efficient. The openness also helps me do
perimeter runs, which makes a lot better whole-room airflow.
We've worked on similar homes for this builder and they've been challenging just
due to the floor plan. That's why it's easy to compare the old way with this new
iLevel approach and there's no comparison. This is a lot easier, and better.
I've talked to some of the other trades here and everybody likes working with
these materials. One of the biggest differences is easy to tell just by looking
around the jobsite-there's hardly any waste. There's just a little pile in the back
and that's a lot different than most jobs I've been on.
-John Robles, HVAC installer, Donald P. Dick Air-Conditioning & Heating
Day Six: "On my plans the only products I specify are iLevel."
The Daily Update from the Performance Home project will give you a first-hand
perspective of each day's progress from people who were there. Today we're
hearing from Hassan Mohammed, the engineer of record for the Performance
Home.
My biggest challenge is to make sure that the architecture stays intact. I work
with the design and use the materials that will allow the home to be built the way
the architect designed it and the way the homebuyer wants it.
With code getting tougher the only way to build houses with open floor plans like
this one is with iLevel engineered materials. That's why on plans the only
products I specify are iLevel. I've worked with Trus Joist and now iLevel for 17 or
18 years. Engineered wood makes my life easier. I don't have to worry about
performance. I also appreciate working with iLevel because if there are any
problems, they support me.
In this home we used many innovative materials. iLevel's Shear Brace allows
builders to have more windows in the homes they build. The TJOs that are used
in this house also have some great advantages. They allow for installing
ductwork, plumbing and electrical without having to worry about cutting into joists
which can create issues and cause delays.
Using TimberStrand LSL studs and Parallam PSL columns are the best way to
build these Tall Walls. Standard lumber in situations like this will twist and turn.
The stiffness and straightness of these iLevel materials will keep that from
happening.
Today the focus on green building is changing everything. Everyone is looking for
ways to cut waste and earn points. This is why I believe the future of framing will
be iLevel products.
This will be a very good home. The walls are going to be straight. The kitchen
cabinets will hang true. The windows and doors will work well because there
won't be a lot of shrinkage and expansion. I would like to live in this home.
-Hassan Mohammed, Performance Home Engineer of Record
Day Five: "We wanted a floor that could support 30 of us dancing upstairs."
The Daily Update from the Performance Home project will give you a first-hand
perspective of each day's progress from people who were there. Today we're
hearing from Kristina, who along with her fiance is purchasing this home.
When we started working with John Olson at Generation Homes we were happy
to see that they were very open to us changing the floor plan. We wanted to add
the bonus room upstairs and also take out a wall to combine it with one of the
bedrooms upstairs to give us a really big game and party room.
John asked us if we would like to participate in this Performance Home. He told
us about iLevel's engineered wood products and suggested we read more about
the materials at the iLevel.com website. So we did. The website really convinced
us that this would make a very special home.
Now seeing these materials for myself I've been really impressed with how
straight and solid they are. I know they're going to make a strong floor that will
support 30 of us dancing upstairs. Later this week they're going to be installing
the Structurwood Radiant Barrier Sheathing. It will help us on our energy bills for
years to come.
My fiance and I are very excited about our new home. And it is so exciting to see
it being built. I only work about 6 miles away so I come by to see the progress
every day. Although my fiance has been out of town on business during
construction, he has been able to go to the website and check out the progress.
It has really been a lot of fun for our whole family to follow the progress.
-Kristina, excited new homeowner
Day Four: "The framing on this house is so true we won't need to plane."
The Daily Update from the Performance Home project will give you a first-hand
perspective of each day's progress from people who were there. Today we're
hearing from Bob Luis, Project Manager for Generation Homes, Inc.
We had a really good day today. We got all the floor joists in for the second story.
Usually we use TJI joists, but for this house we're also using TJO joists, iLevel's new open web joists. They went in great. The TJO joists are the same 14" depth as the TJI
joists we usually use, but they give a bunch of room for HVAC, plumbing and
wiring. I think they're really going to save us time when it comes to the hassles of
red tags. Nobody is going to drill a hole in the wrong place if they don't have to
drill any holes.
These Tall Walls made of TimberStrand LSL went in great. The framing is
coming together really well. It's funny; one of the people observing the job asked
what the noise was on one of the houses going in across the street. I told him it
was a planer. I told him we usually have to plane some of the studs to level them
out for the wallboard guys. But the framing on this house is so true we won't
need to plane.
We're right on schedule. Monday morning [Day 5] we'll frame all the second story walls
and Tuesday [Day 6] we'll set the trusses. We'll have the roof sheathed by Friday [Day 9].
-Bob Luis, Project Manager, Generation Homes, Inc.
Day Three: "Everything went so smooth that we knocked off a little early."
The Daily Update from the Performance Home project will give you a first-hand
perspective of each day's progress from people who were there. Today we're
hearing from two people. First up is Dave Skov, the job foreman for Northstar
Framing, the framing subcontractor.
I wasn't surprised that we got off to a slow start this morning. My crew had never
worked with this pre-cut TimberStrand LSL wall framing before. But they picked it
up pretty fast. Everything went so smooth that we knocked off a little early.
The TimberStrand LSL framing materials are straighter than any I've seen. At the
end of the day we were checking out how the walls had gone together and that's
where I really saw a difference. I can tell that we're not going to have to plane the
studs for the drywall guys. The walls are that straight. I don't think we'll have to
worry about the usual gaps we get with traditional materials in the top plates and
cripples either. That's going to save some time. I think tomorrow is going to go
really well.
-Dave Skov, Job Foreman, Northstar Framing
Next we'll hear again from John Olson, one of the owners of Generation Homes,
the builder of the Performance Home.
We had a really productive day today. All the walls are up, including the 21-foot
tall walls. The crane was there to lift those. We also have the zoned floor for the
second story in position along with the beams.
The crew was pretty impressed with the straightness of the TimberStrand LSL
Tall Wall. When it was put in position we walked over and sighted along it and
the studs all disappeared at the same time. That is one straight wall.
Tomorrow should go really well, too. The crews are really starting to get
comfortable with the flow and they know what to do. They've also worked with
TJI joists for a long time so I'm confident it will go quickly. I think the guys are
getting used to all these people hanging around watching them. I bet that slowed
them down some yesterday.
-John Olson, one of the owners of Generation Homes, Inc.
Day Two: "After a day of framing it doesn't look like much waste."
The Daily Update from the Performance Home project will give you a first-hand perspective of each day's progress from people who were there. Today we're hearing from two people. First up is John Olson, one of the owners of Generation Homes, the builder of the Performance Home.
We started framing today. As we thought, there might be a few delays in the beginning as my crews needed to go through a bit of a learning process. They're building with some different materials and processes. The plans use some different terminology, too. At close to 4,000 square feet, this is one of our bigger homes. So getting all the walls built today was a good start.
Tomorrow we'll get the walls up. A crane is coming in around noon to put up the 21-foot tall wall. We'll also set up the floor pack and beams for the second floor. All in all the day turned out to be a pretty good. And after a day of framing it doesn't look like much waste. That'll be interesting to keep an eye on.
John Olson, one of the owners of Generation Homes, Inc.
Today we also get to hear some observations from Ben Engler, an iLevel marketing specialist.
This will be a good test. The crew had never worked with most of these materials and they were definitely new to the NextPhase Site Solution process and plans. So none of us were really surprised when things started off a little slowly. But by the end of the day we were back in good shape.
It was interesting to see the crew work. You could tell at first that they were a little hesitant to trust the dimensions of the pre-cut materials. They were doing some extra measuring to make sure they were accurate. I'm sure they'll soon start trusting the package and that will really speed up the process. After the first day it looked like there was less than a wheelbarrow load of waste. I can't wait for tomorrow.
Ben Engler, iLevel Marketing Specialist
Day One: "We're really excited to see how this home comes together."
The Daily Update from the Performance Home project will give you a first-hand perspective of each day's progress from people who were there. Today we're hearing from John Olson, one of the owners of Generation Homes, the builder of the Performance Home.
Today all the pieces of the frame were delivered. They are all pre-cut and labeled and it's going to be interesting to see how fast the frame comes together. Tomorrow the crew will be doing the plates, detailing and framing the walls. And the next day we'll have a crane here to position the 21-footers.
I've always been a builder that's open to try new things, at least things that make sense. The products in this Performance Home make sense to me. Especially in our two-story homes, we use quite a few engineered materials. We usually use Parallam PSL Beams, Microllam LVL and Structurwood flooring. And I've been using TJI joists for 15 or 20 years. But we've never used as many different engineered materials as we'll be using here.
I think the people we're building this home for are as excited as we are. A couple of weeks ago we talked to them to see if they'd be interested in being part of this project. We talked to them about the engineered materials that would be going into their home. They went to iLevel's website and read about all the products. I could tell they were really excited the next day when they came in. They said, "let's do it."
This is a floor plan we've built before, but the homebuyer did make some changes to turn a couple of upstairs bedrooms into a big, open game room. I can't wait for tomorrow. I figure it might go up faster, but when your crews are doing things they haven't done before it might slow them up a little. We'll just have to see what happens. I know I'm going to be checking it out on the Web cam, too.
-John Olson, one of the owners of Generation Homes, Inc.
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