s.,.

Office of The Director Los Angeles, California FEDERAL HOUSING ADMINISTRATION

June 19, 1956

West Coast Lumberrnen's Assn, 14f0S. W. Morrison Street

Portland 5, Oregon

Attention: T. K. May, Director of Technical Service

Gentlemen:

Re: Minimum Property Requirements Para. 408-A-2-d

This will acknowledge receipt oI your letter of June 6, 1956, which was received while the writer was away from the office on vacation, Your letter presents the recommendation that we grant permission to use Utility Grade (formerly No. 3 Common) Douglas Fir, West Coast Hemlock, Sitka Spruce, andWestern Red Cedar for studding in the areas under the jurisdiction of our office.

While we expect to give your recomrncndation serious coneideration and will discuss it lrrith members of our staff as well as representatives of the Veterans Administration locally, it is our present experience and opinion that studs of this grade are not likely to produce straight walls in this area.

In thepastwe have had agood deal of trouble with walls which were not true and resulted in plaster thiclrnesses which varied greatly in the same wall of the same room. Various methods have been devised to try to gauge this plaster thickness and the problem has frequently resulted in additional inspections on our part.

It is our present opinion that sinceexterior sheathing, which aids to some extent in straightening bowed studs, is not used in this area. we are reluctant to reduce the standard for studs below the standardgrade or what waspreviously known as No. 2 Common. If you have anypoints which may be used to support your contention that the Utility or No. 3grade is satisfactory for this purpose when used with walls which are unsheathed, we shall be glad to givethem consideration. So far as we know, this is one of the few areas in the United States where sheathing is not employed.

Very truly yours,

Norman M. Lyon, Director