Structural
Boise Engineered Wood
Conventional framing lumber is subject to moisture, curling, and movement. But engineered lumber stays consistent: “It doesn’t move, shrink, or expand,” Nate Holyoke says. “It allows us to build straight walls.”
Holyoke’s use of engineered wood extends beyond structural situations. “We use it on interior walls for consistency, anywhere we want to focus on the trueness of a wall or a floor,” he says. For example, in some kitchens, “you might have curves in the wall, and when you want to put on a backsplash you’ll get voids behind the backsplash. It makes hips and fords; things squeak.”
Engineered lumber costs more than 2x4s do, but Holyoke notes that it has no “price-point builder.” He usually buys from Boise. He also likes that engineered lumber is environmentally friendly because it takes less wood to create and a lot of it is low-VOC. “It has allowed building to get to a whole new level,” he says.
Nate Holyoke, owner
Nate Holyoke Builders
Bucksport, Maine