News Releases

Date: 05/01/06

Media Contact: Kim Drew, APR 770.985.8001

SPAN Asks: What's the Name on Your Frame?

(Atlanta, GA) - Every great home starts with a great frame, but the material used for your framing is crucial to the strength and integrity of your house.

Framing material isn't as exciting as wood flooring, beadboard paneling or even decking. But the material used to frame the largest investment you'll probably make in your lifetime - your home - can make a huge difference. Why not just leave it to your builder to choose the material? Because he might choose whatever material is handy that week. Wouldn't you rather have whatever material is strongest?

Brad Staggs, host of "Talk2DIY" on the DIY network, understands the importance of choosing the right framing material. "There are options out there," said Staggs. "Wood, steel, even concrete in some states. "Wood, specifically Southern Pine, has always been my first choice. It's strong, durable, and really stands the test of time."

"There's a new trend in homebuilding: treated framing," Staggs continued. "Using pressure-treated Southern Pine to frame your home adds an extra layer of protection between your family and decay, rot and insects. Treated Southern Pine is designed to not only withstand the elements, but it's just as strong, durable and long-lasting as regular Southern Pine framing."

A few wood facts:

• Nine out of 10 homes nationwide are built with wood.
• Wood is one of the only renewable building materials on the market.
• Wood emits less greenhouse gasses than steel or concrete, protecting our environment.
• Wood products make up 47 percent of all US-made raw materials, yet its energy consumption during production is only four percent. Plus, wood can be disposed of with no danger to the environment.
• Wood doesn't conduct heat and cold (steel and concrete do), so homes framed with wood require less energy to heat and cool, reducing total energy costs.
• One inch of wood is 15 times as efficient an insulator as concrete, 400 times as efficient as steel, and 1,770 times as efficient as aluminum.

The Southern Pine Awareness Network recently conducted some research that resulted in the following statistics:

• 107 of 110 homeowners surveyed would insist that their builders use the strongest species of framing lumber available
• 105 of 110 homeowners would be willing to pay up to 2 percent more on the cost of their home if they knew that the framing lumber could be treated to add an extra layer of protection between the elements and their families

So when it's time to choose a framing material for your house, choose Southern Pine. It's been used in homebuilding for centuries, and it's still the building product of choice today. Grown in thriving, healthy forests, Southern Pine is the strong environmental choice. Plus, choosing Southern Pine helps the economy on a national, state and local level: there's probably a Southern Pine forest growing near you right now.

For more information on Southern Pine framing, photos and DIY project ideas, please visit www.spanpine.com.

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