Engineered Lumber

Engineered-Lumber Rafters Are Stronger and Straighter, But They Cost More

Small trees can be used for long rafters

Engineered components such as I-joists, laminated veneer lumber (LVLLaminated veneer lumber. Engineered wood product in which wood veneers are glued together in thick sections for use as beams or other structural members. LVL is stronger, straighter, and less prone to warping or shrinkage than conventional lumber and does not require the destruction of mature trees.), and glulams are made from scrap wood or from low-value, small-diameter trees, giving these components a significant environmental edge over the dimensional lumber traditionally used in stick-frame construction. Engineered materials have fewer defects, are predictably straight and uniform, and are lighter and often stronger than sawn lumber of the same dimensions. Those advantages have convinced many builders to ...