THE SHIELD March 2015
FEATURE STORY: BUILDING CODES
CHANGE IS COMING ECO’S NEW PACIFIC NORTHWEST COATING FACILITY
LUMBER WITH CARBON CREDIT VALUE HOW ADVANCED PROTECTED LUMBER CAN HELP IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
THE SHIELD
A PUBLICATION OF ECO BUILDING PRODUCTS
CONTENTS A NOTE FROM THE CEO 4 NEWS 6 ECO AND SHERWOOD LUMBER 8 ECO CERTIFIED BUILDERS 16 FRANK DICOPOULOS 22 ECO AND BUILDERS’ GENERAL 40 ECO EXPANDS INTO PNW 34
QUAKE PROOF? 42 2
March 2015
ECO’S FINAL TOUCH 54 FEATURES 58 ECO’S CARBON CREDIT MOVEMENT 60 TERMITES 74 BY THE CODE 82 BUILDER SPOTLIGHT 108 ROBERT W. ADLER & ASSOC. 110 COASTAL MODULAR GROUP 116 HOME AND LAND DEVELOPMENT 124 OPEN LETTER TO ARCHITECTS 128 www.ecob.net
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A NOTE FROM THE CEO
At Eco, a key principle that drives our decision-making process regarding continued advancement supporting how we build defensive, American wood-framed buildings and common attacks by those that spin a play on words. While the need for chang understand our process simply because what Eco is doing is new and different from present of submerging full units in chemicals, despite the fact that problems begin change for protecting lumber against prevalent storage issues such as moisture int This approach, along with other tertiary benefits, provides professionals with compr ultimately safeguards engineering book values and building code standards utilized manner. This also greatly affects those that handle framing lumber day after day. U Code every protected was the sill plate, so it’s amazing to watch the attacks from t their business when we are focused on the rest of the house, providing a safer way
For a brief moment, think about what Eco has done and how this approach has be lumber protection. It’s vital to understand that this concept, albeit new, brings abou pertaining to ongoing building destruction resultant of excessive moisture, termite a sill plates. The byproducts of these issues attack invaluable wood fiber “bones of th wood-framed buildings. So why is it that currently we only begin to more closely exa components when the ground shakes, or when hurricane winds ravish an entire reg protected so that when called upon to support lateral movement during natural eve of a resilient, high-performance building. The simple truth of the matter is - if we co inspection, painted framing lumber would be better than raw framing lumber insid
We knew that our actions would upset the Companies that pressure treat for the su product is here to stay because the rest of the house needs to be protected, as wel that coated advanced defensive interior framing lumber is the future for all wood-fr of the national supply chain, you will soon witness Eco cross another bridge, as mo lumber products specified on building plans and suggesting this protection in each listening as a direct result of their Eco encounter geared toward safer protection, an compounded by the fact that new Building Codes are now being enforced regardin buildings being closed in during construction because of mold. In short, it’s safe to protected lumber is now under way. Further, we’re convinced that Eco’s advanced d trees are allowed to grow longer and continue carbon sequestration throughout an friendly protected lumber over raw lumber, as this action alone has a positive impa - Steve
d product development and technological s sometimes comes from within the Industry ge is great, most within the Industry don’t m traditional methods from the past and n on the outside of lumber. The key to creating trusion, wood-rot, and termites is education. rehensive learning and understanding, which d to design and build buildings in a safe Up until now, all the Industry and Building those who think we are after that portion of y to live and handle lumber.
egun to foster awareness for “whole house” ut much needed awareness and concern attack, and wood-rot decay for more than just he home” behind the walls of most American amine the effects on wood structural gion? It is paramount that wood fiber be ents, our wood-framed buildings can reflect specified engineering values indicative ould paint all framing lumber and not cover the grade stamps during the framing de all walls and attics.
STEVE CONBOY
ECO PRESIDENT AND CEO
upply chain, but it was more valuable over the course of time to prove that this ll as the sill plate that anchors all buildings to the foundation. We are confident ramed buildings. As we continue to evolve and navigate our way into the heart ore and more lumberyards across the country are starting to find our protected h quote. We are more confident than ever that the Specifying Community is nd the tale of the truth about lumber handling and storage. This reality is further ng acceptable moisture content levels of wood framing components prior to say that the paradigm shift toward the widespread use of advanced mold defensive lumber coatings allow for more sustainable forestry practices, whereby n increased lifecycle. Stand with us today, and make the decision to select ecoact on future generations to come.
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News: Eco and Sherwood Lumber
ECO
SHERWO
THE RES
AN
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PARTNERS WITH
OOD LUMBER
SPECTED DISTRIBUTOR WILL BRING SCALE
ND QUALITY SERVICE TO ECO’S PRODUCTS
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News: Eco and Sherwood Lumber
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News Eco has taken its line of products to the next level of availability and quality service in a new partnership with Sherwood Lumber. Sherwood Lumber is a national leader, innovator and solution provider to the lumber and building materials industries, specializing in quality lumber and panel products. With over 60 years of operational experience, the company provides customers with value added services, including just-intime truckloads, mill direct shipment, forward pricing, risk management, technical support and superior handling from company operated facilities. Sherwood Lumber Corporation’s family of associates are committed to superior service and quality with the utmost integrity, with an impeccable record of appreciation and loyalty to their customers, suppliers, community and associates. As one of the most respected retailers of
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News: Eco and Sherwood Lumber
construction products in America, Sherwood Lumber only aligns itself w
to the ever changing business climate and responsive to the demands
Products as customer demand begins to move towards protected lum
“We couldn’t be more excited about this new partnership, and look
to builders and homeowners across the United States,” says Eco Pres
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with top quality, dependable producers. The company is quick to adapt
s of its customers — leading to a fruitful partnership with Eco Building
mber.
k forward to working with Sherwood Lumber as they extend our reach
sident and CEO Steve Conboy.
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ECO AND SHERWOOD LUMBER U.S. LOCATIONS
News
News: Eco Expands at The Home Depot
ECO CERTIFIED B
PARTNERSHIPS ARE GROWING FROM COA
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BULIDERS
AST TO COAST
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News: Eco Certified Builders
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March 2015
News In addition to gaining the support of big name retailers like The Home Depot, Eco has also been building a steady stream of partners from respected builders across the country. This bottom-up approach to turning the tide in the construction industry to build with protected lumber is a critical part of Eco Building Products’ strategy to make people safer in their homes, provide American jobs, and help build a more environmentally-responsible industry. To keep help builders use its products most effectively, Eco has created the Eco Certified Builders program, which offers training and education on the need for protected lumber, as well as defensive building practices, developed through extensive collaboration with architects, engineers and lumber experts to ensure that buildings are made from the safest materials possible. Now, builders across the US are gaining certification - and building with Red.
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News: Drought in Western U.S.
A SEVERE DROUGHT IS STRAINING THE AMERICAN WEST 22
News
FRANK
DICOPOULOS ENDORSES ECO ACTOR AND DOCUMENTARY-MAKER WRITES AN OPEN LETTER TO NBC
Dicopoulos Productions Inc. www.DPI.buz 917-750-1311 Email: fdicopoulos@yahoo.com 23
News: Frank Dicopoulos My name is Frank Dicopoulos. I am a 35 year TV/film actor, 22 years of which I played The character of “Frank Cooper” on CBS’s soap opera, “Guiding Light.” I was filming a documentary down at the Jersey Shore post “Superstorm Sandy” and I ran into a gentlemen whose name is Steve Conboy. He is the President and CEO of Eco Building Products out of San Diego, California. He was building and donating homes built with a new defensive technology that is positively and dramatically changing the entire building industry. I have had the unique opportunity to follow Steve and his team as he educates homeowners, builders, and architects on how to build defensively and how to protect themselves from future disasters. There are serious issues in the building industry today that have either been ignored or not addressed. Problems such as mold, fire, rot, and insects are not going to go away. 24
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News: Frank Dicopoulos
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News These are just the basic fundamental problems in the building industry today. It goes much deeper however, such as positively impacting the carbon footprint in the world by using less trees for lumber and protecting the less mature lumber that is being cut and used today. There is so much data on mold alone and how is directly affects the health of all those who come in contact with it. Eco Red Shield technology attacks it before it even has a chance to develop and become a problem. The fire protection technology allows more time for homeowners and first responders to save lives and to protect their homes. The rot and insect technology protects the integrity of the wood fibers, which in turn protects and adds to the strength of your home. As you can see, this new Eco defensive technology is so multi-faceted and so pro-active! The old way of thinking is just reacting to the disaster by putting it back the way it was. Not anymore! If one has the opportunity to build back, why wouldn’t you be proactive by building back defensively. www.ecob.net
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News: Frank Dicopoulos The company is also starting an “ECO CARBON CREDIT MOVEMENT” since the US is slow to embrace carbon credits to slow the consumption of the trees that are helping to remove and clean up our air, just like we all do when we make the choice to recycle our cans and plastic bottles. Eco has the ability to really have a significant impact on our trees coming out of reforestation programs allowing them to grow longer and taller because of less consumption. Eco is a green technology that could possible save 6009 acres or 9.38 square miles of forest in the US annually, which is a very low estimate and does not count insect damage or mold. Also, enduring structures built with protected wood with ( Eco’s Defensive Building Certification Training Program) have a two-fold positive effect on the environment. First, the wood that does not need to be cut down and transported because of preventable damage can remain in the forest and continue to clean our air. Second, the wood that builds a house effectively sequesters the carbon it has trapped without the threat of termites, fire, mold and rot, these structures can remain intact for decades. This represents an unprecedented opportunity 28
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News for achievable long-term conservation as well as support FEMA and our Insurance Industry and repeat claims. Steve is currently talking to the Directors of Disaster Recovery in multiple states. Some of these states are still trying to rebuild after 5 years. The problem is FEMA continues to run out of money and Steve is suggesting that we teach defensive building and we rally contractors and builders to rebuild in a way that FEMA will not have to shell out more money that next time another storm hits that state. Just like a very effective recycling programs and containers that now sit outside everyone in America homes started in the early 1970s, Rose Rowan started with the idea of towing a “recycling” trailer behind a waste management vehicle to collect trash and recyclable items at the same time. This innovation allowed for the introduction of curbside collection in the late 1980s and 1990s, which made it even easier for people to recycle. With Eco Red Shield now sitting in hundreds of retail locations now spread throughout the US consumers can now buy and demand the use of a lumber that has a positive impact on future generations and its starts right now with us. Eco’s Team made a commitment to never use raw www.ecob.net
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News: Frank Dicopoulos lumber again over 11 years ago and since has consumed and used or sold millions of board feet of protected lumber and now all builders and consumers can make that same decision because its available anywhere in North America. This starts as a movement not a carbon credit project just a movement rally people to recognize the value in using a piece of lumber that has a defensive coating that protects it from the things like termites, fire and rot that is consuming way to many trees when every just continues to use  raw lumber. If we can convince people that protected lumber is going to have a positive impact on our planet and future generations we may have a bigger impact on attacking air pollution than our recycling programs do.  If you look at the amount of lumber sold in our national big boxes it in the range of 50 billion and this is not the lumber yards this is the retail big boxes. If you could understand those retail store never sell full house packs of lumber to the builder like the lumber yards do they are selling to people replacing rotten termite eaten lumber. We all know that trees have been sequestering Carbon for as long as they have been growing, but until recently no one has ever 30
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News: Frank Dicopoulos
offered to pay forest owners for this service. Current events are chan in the atmosphere, particularly CO2, has led to numerous efforts to many different ways, such as changing industrial processes or incr emissions. If we can educate in our marketing and media that when fire to consume billions of board feet every year we will create a fo the carbon credits. I hope I have succeeded in bringing awareness to some serious i on a daily basis. The good news, there are finally some solutions a the world today and those in it. This product and other product tha children and in schools should be promoted because they will have CEO of Eco Building products has spent his entire life in the buildin safe, home, the most important thing is protecting the family inside
See my CBS Talk Show Special: http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/video/11259381-frank-
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nging that. The increasing global concern about greenhouse gases o reduce those CO2 levels. CO2 reduction can be accomplished in reasing efficiency to reduce fuel consumption or minimize Carbon n we allow trees to grow longer instead of allowing termites, rot and ollowing and a buzz in this category even before the US embraces
issues that homeowners, architects, and builders have to deal with and technologies that exist that can directly and positively impact at can prove they are environmentally friendly and safe around our a great impact on future generations. Steve Conboy, President and ng industry and has learned firsthand that besides building a good e the home and the world that it’s in!
dicopoulos-talks-new-projects/
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ECO
G
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O EXPANDS INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST MODULAR AND PRE-FAB CONSTRUCTION
GIVES A BOOST TO ECO’S WORK IN ORGEON, WASHINGTON AND BEYOND
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News: Eco Expands to PNW
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Eco’s Salem, Oregon facility continues to manufacture Eco
Red Shield protected lumber in support of pre-fab business bound for Hawaii via Blazer Industries, LLC operating out of Aumsville, Oregon. Niche business opportunities for ECOB such as providing finished goods in support of the Pre-fab and Modular [ProcessBuilt] Building Industries allow Eco Red Shield protected lumber products to find their way into multiple market sectors around the globe. Eco continues to expand more into this market and now has a full-time Technical Representative calling on the Modular Factories in the Pacific Northwest.
Blazer Industries is a modular builder that specializes in high
use buildings such as schools, medical facilities, and government offices. Typically, Blazer’s buildings ship to locations throughout the continental U.S. as well as Alaska and Hawaii; many of which require special care in terms of termite, fire, and fungicidal treatment.
Charlie Nichols, LEED-AP BD&C of Blazer Industries
commented that, “Using the Eco Red Shield product allows us to provide the protection needed without compromising the quality of our buildings since we need protection on the whole building. Traditional pressure treating processes tends to produce
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News: Eco Expands to PNW a significant quantity of unusable lumber and reduction in engineering values. For us, incorporating the Eco Red Shield product into our value stream has reduced our amount of culled lumber and eliminated delays due to high moisture content in the wood. Environmental stewardship and sustainability are important to all of us at Blazer Industries. As a LEED AP, I am concerned with the type of raw materials we use in our buildings as well as the processes we incorporate. The Eco Red Shield treatment method is a good fit for us because it adds sustainability to our products with minimal impact on the environment. Additionally, with Eco Red Shield, we have better control of our material costs and production waste.”
Steve Conboy, President & Chief Executive Officer noted
that, “This Modular business is good business for us at Eco, and we are now landing SPF and OSB in support of the factories operating in the northeast. While this Modular business only represents a portion of customers we are gaining, it speaks to the very nature and versatility of this eco-friendly protected lumber product and our national footprint that is now getting recognized by many. Being that the Founders of Eco have 38
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News: Eco Expands to PNW
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News a background well versed in the handling of lumber, and the fact that our products are ‘Safe Around Children and in Schools’, it’s not just a slogan; it’s a reality for our customers and employees as well. This change toward lumber protection that is safe to handle doesn’t happen overnight. Spend some time reading up on the history of treated lumber and you will have a better understanding that Eco’s Advanced Framing Lumber was meant for the whole house. With another partner, Coastal Modular Group, airing on the DIY network’s Breakneck Builds soon, it’s good to see modular gaining momentum in the industry.”
Also in the region, Home Depot stores in the Pacific Northwest
are now showcasing Eco Red Shield lumber products stocking units (SKUs) on their shelves and working closely with contractors and homeowners looking for a better alternative than raw lumber.
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QUAKE
WHEN
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E PROOF?
N WILL THE GOVERNMENT START LISTENING TO WHAT ECO HAS BEEN SAYING ABOUT SUPPORT OF NEW DEFENSIVE BUILDING CODES?
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News: Quake Proof?
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In a recently published article by the San Diego
Union Tribune, a strong message was sent regarding Western Congress Members seeking full funding for quake warning in California. With a more focused approached to structural issues involving wood-framed buildings, Eco has been teaching Architects and Builders about defending wood fiber from termites and wet wood rot.
“The bill, authored by Nazarian, would support
a push by Mayor Eric Garcetti for passage this year of city ordinances intended to rapidly identify and retrofit certain types of at-risk residential and commercial buildings, fortify major water systems that would be severed by a huge quake, and keep telecommunications systems operating.” (http://m.utsandiego.com/news/2015/mar/24/ western-congress-members-seek-full-quake-warning/)
Eco’s President Steve Conboy commented that
“When will Government step in to ensure that the Building Departments in California start to support the new California Building Code CALGREEN 2010, with respect
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News: Quake Proof? to wood-framed buildings framed with lumber in excess of 19% moisture content? Termites aren’t the only factor that increases the likelihood of structural collapse in an earthquake; wood-rot is another prevalent issue that needs to be more closely examined as this defect begins to take form during lumber storage.”
Excerpt from UT San Diego article: “The goal is to keep
the region sufficiently functional to avoid a long-term economic collapse in the event of what seismologists say is an inevitable shock on the order of a magnitude-7.8 quake caused by a 200-mile-long rupture of the buildings, which are typically wood-frame buildings with large spaces on the ground floor. Sixteen people were killed in the collapse of such a building during the magnitude-6.7 Northridge, California, earthquake on Jan. 17, 1994. Also targeted are more than 1,400 concrete buildings that could collapse in a quake.”
Mr. Conboy further noted that “Every morning in
California newspapers, multiple termite tenting ads greet readers, while termites continue their round the clock efforts of destroying hundreds of millions of dollars of wood. Despite this well-known termite issue, Builders continue to frame buildings without acceptable termite protection. The results 46
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News: Eco Expands to PNW
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News of these actions will be best observed the next time the ground shakes because the wood fiber strength will have been eaten by all the termites hiding behind the walls of your home.”
Detailed below is an account from a local resident that
lived through the 1994 quake, only to discover the grim reality that termites destroyed their home; the quake merely finished their work.
“At the time of the Northridge Earthquake, I lived in
Hancock Park, which lies on the floodplain of the Los Angeles River. Hancock Park stands on clay, and the neighborhood shook violently that night. Power lines, brick walls and chimneys fell. Although the extent of the structural damage to my house there wasn’t apparent at first, a low crack in my chimney called for it to be replaced; when it came down, the house started to collapse. Long-term termite damage was exacerbated by the quake, and the house had to be completely reframed. None of the work was covered by FEMA.”
More recently, an interested customer from New Jersey
contacted Eco stating that their home did not take on water during the 2012 Super Storm Sandy; however, his home now lies in wake as a victim of wood rot experienced primarily by the engineered
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News: Quake Proof? wood floor joists.
“Steve, how would you replace the joists without removing
the sub-floor? I am ready to get going and get this done. Could you give me a rough idea on the cost to do this? Would you replace all of the joists and would you use engineered joist? I very much appreciate the help. I’m trying to wrap my head around the job and just get it done. The issue I have run into is - how to tie in the top of the floor joist to the floor system. Can you explain how that is done? I think the area is a little less than a 1000 sqft. and I believed there are approximately 40 joists. I will contact an insulation company to remove the insulation to get ahead of the process. Again, thanks very much for the help.” – Chris from New Jersey
In response to this customer’s inquiry, Eco’s CEO responded
stating that “I have not seen it yet so how can I give you an estimate on what it will cost you? I’m not doing this to make a living; I’m doing this to help you out. We have to use EWP I-joists because those that stay have to match. Get an Insulation company out there to give you a quote on blown in foam cellulose. Just tell them you have a friend that’s going to replace the bad joists, and you only want their price on the removal and new insulation 50
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News: Eco Expands to PNW
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News installation when we replace the joist, marrying the LVL next to the bad rotten joist.�
What do TERMITES and WOOD ROT
have in common? They are both available in the national supply chain, and most of the Specifying Community and Building Inspectors never check the lumber that arrives, and the framers that are paid by the piece don’t care since they provide only the labor. The other thing that termites and wood rot have in common is that both will destroy wood fiber strength and the engineering design values, severely compromising the lateral engineering as well as all unprotected lumber.
As a homeowner, what can you do if
you plan to build a home? Tell your Builder you want lumber at all times to be less than 19% moisture content. If you are in a termite prone area, you need to consider selecting lumber that has termite protection unless you plan on tenting your home every year.
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ECO
PRO
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CO’S FINAL TOUCH
OTECTED LUMBER ARCHITECTURAL FINISHES ARE MAKING A HUGE COMEBACK
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More and more, builders and architects are using Eco on
exterior architectural details because they want to protect them so they last longer. These architectural details are not governed by the building code that require use of Pressure Treated Lumber. Many architect and builders do not want to see lumber above ground contact to be green from treatment, and they want to stain or paint details with lumber that is not wet to start with.
When they use Eco Protection stain, paint, or even clear
finishes, they are protecting with details from UV, moisture, and more. Architectural details using lumber instead of composites are making a come back, and this time they are going to last much longer when protected first by Eco than with paint and stain. Eco’s protection has proved itself in homes subjected to ocean air and high moisture.
From patio covers to handrails to other details, protected
lumber is worth the extra time to make these final details last longer and look better. For builders that want a natural looking finish, or homeowners who don’t want to have to replace their finishing details every few years from wear and tear, rot and mold, Eco protected lumber offers a long-lasting and beautiful solution.
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F E AT U R E S
ECO’S CARBON CREDIT
MOVEMENT
ECO FINDS AN EDGE ON AN EMERGING MARKET TO HELP CURB CLIMATE CHANGE AND MAKE THE WORLD MORE SUSTAINABLE
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Features: Eco’s Carbon Credit Movement Nature’s bounty deserves a more sustainable and environmentally equitable approach.
Representing
a
mutually
reinforcing, closed-loop solution, Eco Red Shield coatings preserves our first and only trip into the forest. Eco’s sustainable tenets are bounded by resilience, adaptability, equity and environmental stewardship. In sync with nature’s heartbeat, and guided by social responsibility, a sustainable choice empowering consumer’s decisive nature has emerged. Every year billions of board feet of lumber are used to replace damage done to houses and other structures by fire, rot, mold, and wood-boring insects. As we are a nation that is becoming ever more conscious of our carbon footprint, it is strange that we so wantonly use wood that does not guard against these wholly preventable yet highly damaging influences.
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Features: Eco’s Carbon Credit Movement
Eco’s desire to innovate a solution for protecting lumber goes beyond the tangible benefits as afforded to consumers. At the core of this innovation stems a movement, Eco’s Carbon Credit Movement. Eco’s Carbon Credit Movement most nearly resembles how Rose Rowan conceptualized the idea of curbside recycling and making it a consumer friendly activity by towing recycling trailers behind garbage trucks allowing for the collection of both simultaneously. While the idea of protecting lumber has been coined as an “Eco” movement, when it finally gains traction in the US, Eco will have already created the movement and a considerable following. In 64
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short, the issue of accessibility and consumer friendliness is a nonidea... if that makes any sense. By now we all understand how Eco’s advanced lumber coatings could have the ability to significantly impact timber stands enacted through reforestation programs, ultimately enabling trees to grow longer and taller because of less consumption. And by now, you’re probably beginning to wonder what kind of number we’re talking about. Quick research shows that one acre of forested land can sequester up to 5 tons of carbon dioxide a year (a). One acre of Douglas fir contains up to 17,000 cubic feet of timber or 100,000 board feet of
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Features: Eco’s Carbon Credit Movement usable wood (b). The average American house is 2,400 square feet and uses around 30,000 board feet of lumber as framing, boarding and roofing (c). In 2009, the worst year for the lumber industry since the great depression, 7.2 billion board feet of lumber was used in construction and repairs (d). In the years since 2009, we have seen a huge increase to this number, but we will stick with 2009, as it offers a very conservative estimate. According to FEMA’s 2011 statistics on fires within the United States, 364,500 fires took place. Careless cooking practices caused 166,600 fires (e). These fires burn too hot and use accelerants as fuels making them very difficult for the common consumer to suppress. For the purposes of this numbers discussion, we will remove cooking fires from our usable statistics. That leaves a conservative estimate of 197,900 house fires caused by heating, electrical problems, negligence, smoking, and arson, among others. Assuming that not every house is a loss, we will estimate a very low 10% of the wood in a fire-damaged house need be replaced. That leaves 593.7 million board feet of lumber (number of house fires x 30,000 board feet of lumber per home/10) needed to repair damage done by house fires in 2011 alone. 66
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Features: Eco’s Carbon Credit Movement
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Features Further, according to Ohio State University, 10% of all wood sales within the United States goes toward replacing wood damaged by rot (d). According to the 2009 statistics mentioned above, this amounts to 7.2 million board feet of lumber annually. Finally, termites and other wood-boring insects are a rising problem in the United States. With the climate getting warmer, termites are taking advantage of their less restricted region of influence. Each year the USDA estimates over $2 billion worth of damage is done to wood structures in the country by termites alone. The total amount of wood purchased to replace damage done by insects is a statistic that is difficult to ascertain; as is quantifying the amount of sequestered carbon dioxide termites release from the lumber they eat. It is not hard to predict that the number is staggering. Now that we’ve got the numbers under control, how does any of this relate to Eco’s Carbon Credit Movement? Eco’s lumber coatings are an ecologically-friendly technology that could potentially save 6009 acres or 9.38 square miles of forest in the US annually, which is a very low estimate, and does not take into account wood consumed via insect damage or mold. This equates to approximately 30,045 tons of carbon dioxide sequestration made
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Features: Eco’s Carbon Credit Movement possible by these [saved] forests. Enduring structures built with Eco’s protected lumber has a two-fold positive effect on the environment: 1. Timber that does not need to be cut down and transported for milling can remain in the forest and continue to be a source for clean air. This is forest stewardship at its best. 2. Protected lumber that is used to build a house effectively sequesters the carbon it has trapped without the threat of termites, fire, mold and rot. These structures can remain intact for decades, representing an unprecedented opportunity for achievable longterm conservation, not to mention the financial impact [savings] resultant of not having to entertain repeated insurance claims. In order for an environmental program to be effective, ease of accessibility is paramount. Rose Rowan concluded in the early 1970s that for a recycling program to be effective, consumers needed an easy way to consolidate recyclable goods without creating additional waste. Garbage trucks towed collection trailers that 70
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F Features: Eco’s Carbon Credit Movement ea-
allowed for the pick-up of trash and recycled goods at the same
the country allowing for the curbside collection of recyclable ite containers?
With Eco Red Shield protected lumber now positioned in hu
have the ability to demand protected lumber that will positively i
commitment to never again sell or use raw lumber. Since that da
and sold into the mainstream market paving the way for all bui easy, we’ve colored our lumber RED!
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e time. Today, blue and green colored containers are seen across
ems which was a result of the early recycling innovation. Colored
undreds of retail locations spread throughout the US, consumers
impact future generations. Over 11 years ago, Eco’s Team made a
ay, millions of board feet of protected lumber have been produced
ilders and consumers to make the same decision. And to make it
*see pg. 17 of AsianTimber magazine for a related story on carbon neutral lumber
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TERMITES
THIS PEST IS WORSENING CLIMATE CHANGE
AND ECO KNOWS HOW TO HELP STOP THEM
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E-
M
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Features: Termites
Termites have a great impact on green house gasses in our
atmosphere, and they need to be slowed in their consumption of our homes and structures.
Termites are often called the “silent destroyer” because
they may be secretly hiding and thriving in your home without any immediate signs of damage. All termites consume cellulosebased plant materials. Unfortunately, all homes, regardless of their construction type, can provide cellulose food for termite infestation.
Trees store carbon and the longer they grow the more carbon
they can store. When large blocks of trees are cut large amounts of green house gas is release making climate change worse.
Looking at the termite population that is increasing
because of climate change, it is clear that the world needs ways to mitigate and reduce their consumption, in addition to efforts to finding alternative fuel sources and more environmentallyfriendly chemicals. Protected lumber is the most straightforward solution because it is the most cost effective renewable resource on our planet and it provides safe strong homes and good strong economic benefit. 76
Climate change has already affected the lives of North March 2015
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Features: Termites
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Features American insects. The first “greenness” in the North American spring has come 10 to 14 days earlier since 1981, according to the IPCC. The average first spring flight of 23 species of butterflies in California occurs earlier now than it did in 1972. And the skipper butterfly has expanded its northernmost range on the West Coast by more than 300 kilometers over the past 30 years into areas that were previously too cold to support a full life cycle.
If these examples are any indication of the
response by termites to changes in climate, then we should expect them to develop more quickly and to expand northward too. At what rate? We don’t yet know. However, because termites, barring human activities, move slowly on their own, it may take longer to notice the effects than it does for butterflies. Furthermore, there aren’t formal abundance surveys for termites, so we don’t have a good sense yet of what termite populations might be doing.
The areas most vulnerable to expanded termite
populations will be New England, the upper Midwest
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How
quickly
and how drastically temperatures and precipitation change across northern regions will determine how quickly termite populations move. It is likely that changes in termite populations will keep pace with gradual warming. How much termite damage will increase in these areas will depend on the degree to which the climate changes, but also the degree to which termite-preventative measures are taken.
Building with raw lumber anywhere
in North America is ignoring the fact that the termite population is growing and raw lumber buildings are there food. The more they consume the more clear cutting and green house gas is produced, and the worse effects from climate change will be.
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60 MINUTES SPECIAL:
THE CODE ARE BUILDING INSPECTORS ENFORCING NEW BUILDING CODES TODAY OR TURNING A BLIND EYE?
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Features Purpose of this paper: To establish an insight into framing lumber issues plaguing the Building Industry and US Housing Stock. We invite 60 Minutes to investigate the CALGREEN 2010 Building Code regarding compliance with framing lumber moisture content and why it is not always being enforced. We also invite you to look into why lost neighborhoods are rebuilt with kiln-dried lumber after wild fires as if another fire will not come again. These houses are not being consumed in fire because of stucco and tile; they are being consumed faster because todays lumber burns faster. In recent News as released by CNN’s Anderson Copper on 60 Minutes, Lumber Liquidators was accused of selling laminate flooring from China that contained high levels of formaldehyde. This inside candid look at building materials production and the way products are marketed from a consumer’s perspective, has opened the doors for a more comprehensive evaluation of what materials are actually being utilized in the construction of America’s homes, but more importantly, how those materials are manufactured and what they’re composed of. Since the release of this story, many of their customers have begun to request air quality test kits for their homes to analyze their indoor air quality,
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Features but one must think “What other materials in my home could be impacting my health and the health of my family?” Shifting gears now, let’s briefly discuss another recent story revolving around the falsification of engineering reports by insurance companies in the wake of the 2012 Super Storm Sandy. It’s been found that a wide range of insurance carriers involved in processing loss claims have falsified published professional reports from licensed professional engineers in an effort to passively stiff the insured consumer out of funds needed to put their lives back together. This massive cover up speaks to the deceptive nature of the Industry where the financial wellbeing of insurance carriers seems to outweigh the needs of the insured. What many don’t realize is there could be more to this story than meets the eye. While engaged in the post storm cleanup in November of 2012, a half-dozen of Eco construction workers, a few local homeowners, and two professional firefighters witnessed New York City Rapid Repairs removing the floor sheeting from homes that were flooded after Sandy. NYC Rapid Repairs, organized by the local government to assist homeowners getting back into their homes in a reasonable time frame, conducted a wide range of construction repairs including the removal of wet www.ecob.net
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Features: By the Code contaminated and damaged floor sheathing. While this action at first glance appeared to be a genuine deed, it was not supported by any engineering logic or support otherwise required during normal building modifications, nor were local Building Officials inspecting the work upon completion. This organization was staffed by local contractors and a myriad of moonlighters with a tool bags and saws, coupled with an incomplete skill set, other than brute force. Following the storm, those communities that got hit the hardest became a gold rush for locals trying to recover from our housing collapse, attempting to block outsiders from coming to provide professional assistance as if it was their turf to repair. These local contractors and moonlighters participating in NYC Rapid Repairs projects may have believed that they were rapidly repairing victim’s homes from flooding, but in many cases, these individuals destroyed the engineering values that support holding buildings together during high wind events. Early after the storm when repairs commenced, many homes never got inspected, despite the removal of structural floor sheathing. The floor sheathing was removed by cutting the inside perimeter of exterior walls, and then replaced with new materials without attaching the exterior walls back into floor diaphragm because the old sheeting was still under the outside walls as it was not 45
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Features able to be fully removed. There were a few cases where we taught homeowners and an NYC Fireman how to attach those outside walls with heavy solid blocking and SKD’s screws. We also taught them how to defend their air qualify from those wet floor joists that were subjected to contaminated flood waters (i.e. black water contamination). We showed them how things like bleach and bio cleaners cannot get to all the areas that contaminated water got into, especially between the plies of lumber that are nailed together. Similar to what the Insurance Companies are being accused of with falsifying Engineering Reports, we watched how the process of getting Red Tagged verses a Green Tagged was like a Pyramid Scheme, where who you knew was more important than the condition of your home. Homeowners receiving green tags were required to lift and fix their homes, with the red tag being the golden ticket, resulting in a complete loss and tear down, and then the construction of a brand new home. Adding to the declining engineering values during early hot shot uninspected repairs, are these homes going to suffer future property value losses when they have to go through future homes inspection during a sale? Should some of these homes have been torn down, or will those early repair be safe in the event of another storm and support a www.ecob.net
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Features: By the Code home inspection during a sale? In new building developments around the country, newly implemented building codes are not being enforced, and the after effects are not so obvious at first glance. The propensity for these actions are further fueled by a fledgling housing market supporting lower bidding practices in which builders are using green, wet lumber, that’s much higher in moisture content than what is prescribed by the building codes, turning a blind eye to the concern for future occupants safety. The Engineers and Architects did a great job after the Northridge quake in the early nineties. Significant changes to the building code were adopted to incorporate more stringent engineering standards increasing overall building safety. While many of these building code changes had a negative impact on builders and bidders, the rest of the building community adjusted, and buildings today are built stronger and safer in lateral engineering supporting ground movement. Over the past few years, the US has experienced significant weather events, including firestorms, which have resulted in little to no major building code changes, other than the use of wooden poles to elevate buildings as seen after Hurricane Sandy. Further, we watched thousands of houses burn 45
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Features down in California and Colorado, only to watch them be rebuilt with kiln-dried lumber as if this fire will never happen again. Building codes are created by local, state and national levels of jurisdiction to protect the health and safety of people that reside in and/or occupy structures. Building codes embody accumulated knowledge and demonstrate an understanding of materials and how to safely use them to build structures. The specifying community of architects and engineers support the building code when they are designing buildings. But what consumers don’t know is that builders often put pressure on the specifying community to design to code minimums as this directly impacts the square foot cost, even when they know they are building in a fire corridor using the same lumber that previously burned, or where green lumber is being used because it’s cheaper despite the hazards that will soon grow behind the walls of your home. Since the start of the housing boom after WWII, America made the switch to building more homes with lumber and less with traditional brick and mortar. Today, even our 5 story multifamily projects are built more with lumber than steel and concrete because it’s faster and more cost-effective. Many professionals are of the opinion that all multifamily buildings need to be built out of concrete after watching buildings burn out of control during www.ecob.net
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Features: By the Code construction. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9N-eH4GbbJg. The real answer is not to go back to building with products like concrete and steel, we just have to figure out how do defend all the framing lumber from fire ignition and flame advance, instead of just select parts of the building. In many multifamily projects we find fire protection on the exterior wall framing lumber only, but the floor sheeting and the roof and floor trusses that connect the outside walls are not fire treated. Is this another way to cut cost at the expense of protecting people and first responders we think so? Let’s break down a few areas in our building Code that need some support, [if] the code is still about safety without comprise. First we have to build and support the Specifying Community of Architects and Engineers and not allow a single blind eye to be turned during inspections. Again, as we watch multifamily projects burn down faster than firefighters can extinguish, we must question the building codes and what our builders are able to get away with (e.g., building code minimum requirements). When a 5 story multifamily project is designed with only the exterior lumber being fire treated, and the interior framing lumber is kiln-dried (seasoned like your firewood) without fire treatment, how can we expect a reasonable level of life safety to exist? Remember, life safety is not 45
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Features: By the Code only concerning the occupants exiting the building, this same safety concern also focuses on firefighting and rescue operations. Now let’s shift our focus to high volume production “commodity” lumber. When the commodities are low in price as a result of bad weather and slowed builder consumption, lumber buyers purchase the slump in the commodity price and store their inventory outside in some reload far from the end-user’s destination until the product is sold. Keep in mind that lumber gets graded one time, at the mill, and when lumber is stored outside, left unprotected and at the mercy of the elements, it should be required to be re-graded before being shipped off to the customer. When lumber reaches 20% moisture content in storage yards, unit rot begins to develop. 5% rot is equal to an 80% reduction in engineering values. Has this issue been addressed by architects and engineers developing your grandmother’s assisted living facility? Chances are that this issue isn’t on their radar. Further, the same lumber that’s stored outside in reloads, it’s all growing mold! The California Code of Regulations (2010) CAL Green, Title 24, Part 11, Section 4.505.3 specifically addresses moisture content and moisture control of building materials used in construction: 4.505.3 Moisture content of building materials. Building materials with visible signs of water damage shall not 45
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Features: By the Code be installed. Wall and floor framing shall not be enclosed when the framing members exceed 19 percent moisture content. Moisture content shall be verified in compliance with the following: 1. Moisture content shall be determined with either a probe-type or contact-type moisture meter. 2. Moisture readings shall be taken at a point 2 feet (610mm) to 4 feet (1219 mm) from the grade stamped end of each piece to be verified. 3. Moisture content shall be determined with either a probe-type or contact-type moisture meter. 4. Moisture readings shall be taken at a point 2 feet (610mm) to 4 feet (1219 mm) from the grade stamped end of each piece to be verified. 5. At least three random moisture readings shall be performed on wall and floor framing with documentation acceptable to the enforcing agency provided at the time of approval to enclose the wall and floor framing. Insulation products which are visibly wet or have high moisture content shall be replaced or allowed to dry prior to enclosure in wall or floor cavities. Wet-applied insulation products shall follow the manufacturers’ drying recommendations prior to enclosure. This code was specifically created as a result of overwhelming
Features mold issues inherent to building with building materials that have a high moisture-content (i.e. lumber originating from the reloads mentioned above). What exactly are we talking about here? Many building materials contain suitable organic nutrients, temperature and a moisture-content that can sustain mold growth. And for this reason, the code was created. But why create a code and then cut corners in the enforcement of that code? Laziness, time, money, manpower‌. Anyone? So if the code specifically addresses moisture content, and mandates that a specific moisture content of 19% and lower must be met prior to enclosing buildings, what steps must be taken if newly constructed buildings cannot meet the published requirement of CAL Green 2010? A recent e-blast published by Green Builder Media published on March 13, 2015 http://www.greenbuildermedia.com/blog/indoorair-quality-research author Craig Coale released news that the media company would soon publish the results of a one year survey in which they asked their readers about the importance of indoor air quality. There are a few topics in the rankings that stand out, all of which have little or no consequence or accountability in the national homes building space at this time. Take a look at the survey, and ask
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Features yourself why nothing is being said about mold or formaldehyde in and on building products? On the topic of indoor air quality, most consumers think purely about their heating and cooling systems, energy efficiency, finished products that can be seen, and household goods; rarely if ever do consumers think about the lumber and building materials that comprise the physical structure of their home. The CALGREEN Code of 2010 requires that moisture content levels of wood framing members be 19% or less prior to drying a building in (i.e. installing insulation and drywall). The reality of what’s happening is far from what the code prescribes considering that ALL lumber is exposed to the elements between production and reaching the end-user, and in most cases, these materials are in excess of 30% moisture content. At what point will the specifying community of Architects and Engineers begin to realize that wet lumber begins to develop unit rot given this scenario, and 5% rot is equal to 80% engineering loss. So how do we reduce the hazards created by using lumber with extremely high moisture content? 1. Builders can cover lumber and building materials to keep out of direct contact with falling rain and/or snow. 2. Builders can install jet heaters and fans to dry down lumber www.ecob.net
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Features: By the Code to the code required moisture content of 19%. Ambient conditions result in about 1� of wood to dry on its own, PER YEAR. With fans and heaters in place, drying time is cut down to just a few months. 3.Use a lumber product that has protection from moisture, mold and rot, that is backed by real science, a 10-Year Warranty, and an $11 million liability policy. 4. Build roof structure over lumber that is stored outside in reloads. 5. Use more kiln-dried lumber.
NOTE: Producers of lumber sell to commodity buyers that store lumber outside. This commodity buyer sells to lumber yards that store their inventory outside, and those lumber yards in turn sell to builders. Builders that buy dry lumber should receive their purchase with a hand held moisture meter to ensure their framing lumber is not above 19% moisture content. If it is above the code prescribed moisture content level of 19%, the builder should reject the materials or demand that the lumber yard provide heaters to dry down the lumber and framing materials after the building has been framed. Other than what’s mentioned above, builders must pay better attention to the moisture content and stop ignoring these moisture related problems in lumber as if they did not know what’s happening. 45
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Additionally, rebuilding in areas that burned down in fire must manda
will show up as those hills grow back making those very same neigh
should also mandate that ALL lumber be fire treated, not just the exte building a bad reputation. We are in support of education because we truly believe lumber is
high if we stop cutting corners to support the housing market slump a
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ate fire protected lumber because there is a good chance another fire
hborhoods vulnerable once again. Multifamily wood-framed projects
erior walls so we stop building 5 story pizza ovens giving wood framed the best and most cost effective way to build buildings up to 5 stories
and purchasing grinds on turn-key prices.
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BUILDER SPOTLIGHT www.ecob.net
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Builder Spotlight: Robert W. Adler
ROBERT W. ADLE
ECO PARTNERS WITH ONE OF NEW JER
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ER & ASSOCIATES
RSEYS PREMIERE ARCHITECTURE FIRMS
ECO RED SHIELD TECHNOLOGY IS SPREADING TO OMAHA www.ecob.net
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Builder Spotlight: Robert W. Adler
www.rwadlerassociates.com
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In their search to transform the way the building
community uses lumber, Eco is always looking for quality, forward thinking partners to adopt some of the most advanced wood protection technologies available. One of those partners is Robert W. Adler & Associates (www.rwadlerassociates.com).
Operating in New Jersey for over 25 years, Robert W.
Adler & Associates does work from single family residential to mixed use projects, from mid-range to high-end. Much of their work is located on or near the water, meaning the company learned first hand the challenges of defensive building practices from Hurricane Sandy.
“We’ve learned a lot about the vulnerability of our
structures from Sandy, and in addition to the damage from the storm we saw what else was happening in the structure like decay and insect consumption were very apparent,” said Robert Adler, lead architect. “A product like Eco Red Shield is important for preserving the future of the buildings we design.”
Eco’s entrance into the lumber industry is not lost on
Adler. “When you look at what’s been happening in lumber production—the use of younger trees, from sub-optimal parts of country—you’ll find lumber that is not as strong as it used to
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Builder Spotlight: Robert W. Adler be. We need to keep this in mind when we design and construct these homes,” he added.
After working through the challenges following Hurricane
Sandy, Adler’s firm knows firsthand the difficulties of building storm resistant properties—as well as the hidden dangers lurking in many residences. “It’s impossible not to take the danger of mold into account,” said Adler. “A home like this going to have significant value — everyone would purchase insurance. This product is one of the best insurance policies you can buy on that property.”
Eco is working to assure tax breaks and insurance
incentives for homeowners who opt to use protected lumber products, and firms like Adler’s are helping spread the word. We try to make everything a one-off design,” said Adler. “We try to assemble traditional components in a way where you feel the familiarity, but also the uniqueness within the design.” Now, Eco is a part of that process, and is showcased in several projects throughout the New Jersey area.
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COAST
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TAL MODULAR GROUP GREEN, DEFENSIVE BUILDINGS FROM ONE OF NEW JERSEY’S MOST TRUSTED MODULAR CONSTRUCTION FIRMS
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Builder Spotlight: Costal Modular Group
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As an environmentally-focused building products firm, Eco
has partnered with some of the best and brightest in the industry to innovate new ways of building energy-efficient, quality homes and buildings. Coastal Modular Group is one of those forwardthinking companies, and is now an Eco Certified Builder.
Coastal Modular Group is a collective of New Jersey’s
custom modular home builders, custom site builders, designers, engineers, architects and trade professionals. Coastal Modular Group was formed by local New Jersey modular home builders and civil engineers to ensure that their community receives the best possible direction, service and support.
Collectively, their team has built hundreds of
custom modular homes in NJ all along the Shoreline. That same team consists of lifelong local New Jersey residents committed to the rebuilding effort and more importantly the people and families that were affected by Hurricane Sandy.
Building in factory-controlled settings with cutting edge
computer generated precision allows for easier identification and filling of gaps around pipes, outlets, doors, windows, and exterior sheathing. Not only does our process ensure a tighter home, but it also allows for less air infiltration and advanced
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Builder Spotlight: Costal Modular energy efficiency, resulting in lower heating and cooling costs for their customers.
“We’re always looking for new ways to build more
efficiently, and Eco’s suite of products was a nice fit for us, allowing us to give better peace of mind to our customers,” said Rich Derek, President/CEO of Coastal Modular Group. The firm is located near the epicenter of the destruction from Superstorm Sandy, and now Eco is helping ensure that their company produces the greenest, most defended homes available on the market. “We’ve teamed up with Coastal Modular to raise the bar on how we build wood-framed modular styled buildings,” said Eco President and CEO Steve Conboy. ““Responsive leaders like Coastal Modular Group are rising up in this simple movement alongside us at Eco, as they too recognize that all projects built with lumber need to be built with protected lumber. In support of reforestation programs, Eco has taken the lead in building wood-framed structures more defensively, as this action alone could help cut down on timber utilization. As such, we are taking a positive approach toward combatting wasteful lumber consumption as a result of mold infestation, wood-rot decay, flooding, forest fires and the rapidly growing termite population. 120
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Builder Spotlight: Costal Modular Group
By joining us in this movement in recognizing that if we wrap a techn
positive impact on climate change with fewer trips to the forest to rep
The partnership also helps Coastal Modular Group address
hypersensitive to mold damage now,” said Derek, “and we want to s
Modular Group is featuring Eco products in an upcoming 6 bedroom warranty.
“All these beautiful homes in the NE can now defend the bone
Products has a facility now up and running in NJ,” says Conboy. “Build
is framed because these homes need to defend against moisture duri realities of moisture-related health and structural issues.”
With this fruitful partnership, New Jersey can rest assured tha
homes available, but some of the safest as well. 122
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nology around raw lumber, we are building safer homes that can have a
place unprotected lumber.”
s one of the biggest controversies in the industry—mold. “There’s a
stay ahead of the curve with the best products on the market.” Coastal
m, 3-story, custom modular home that will be backed by Eco’s 10- year
es of their homes with Eco Red Shield protection because Eco Building
ders and supply yards can be proactive in getting lumber to Eco before it
ing construction, especially as building codes begin to catch up with the
at not only are Coastal Modular Group’s projects some of the greenest
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Builder Spotlight: Home and Land Dev.
HOME AND LAND
ECO IS WORKING WITH A LEADI
AND RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES
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D DEVELOPMENT
ING DEVELOPER OF COMMERCIAL
S IN MONMOUTH COUNTY, NJ.
ECO RED SHIELD TECHNOLOGY IS SPREADING TO OMAHA
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Builder Spotlight: Home and Land Dev.
Eco has joined forces with Home and Land Development of
New Jersey. In addition to their recent certification as Eco Defensive Partners, Home and Land Development Corporation has made the decision to build their first complete Eco Red Shield home, which is to be built in the hard hit township of Rumson, New Jersey.
Steve Conboy, President and CEO of Eco Building
Products commented that “Eco’s Team of Certified Defensive Partners do not require a set of new building codes or our Government to define ‘defensive building practices’ since they too witnessed firsthand the destruction of Super Storm Sandy. Eco and its Team of Certified Partners are now building the most defensive homes America has ever seen, and we are confident in our abilities to build defensively creating homes that can withstand future climate change related storms like Sandy.” 126
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Charles Farkouh, President/CEO of Home & Land
Development Corporation stated that “We are always looking for opportunities to raise the bar on how we build, and what products we utilize for our projects. Now that we have completed Eco’s Certification Program, I’m honored to join them in raising the standards on all of our projects. Protecting our customers and first responders in a defensive manner after what we witnessed firsthand courtesy of Super Storm Sandy is our number one goal. With respect to using Eco’s defensive products and applications in an environment susceptible to moisture related issues, their products prove to be the leading choice hands down. Simply put, it doesn’t make sense to not use Eco’s products when they are so readily available for purchase. Lastly, I’m grateful to Builders General Supply Company for introducing me to the Eco Team and their products.” www.ecob.net
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OP
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PEN LETTER TO ARCHITECTS ECO RED SHIELDTM LUMBER HAS A CARBON REMOVAL VALUE ON EVERY HOME YOU DESIGN AND BUILD
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Builder Spotlight: Letter to Architects
VISIT ECOB.NET 130
March 2015
Builder Spotlight Dear Architects,
Greetings! Please allow us to introduce ourselves,
our Company, Eco Building Products, Inc. and our line of eco-friendly, protected lumber products. We are now in your market building homes with the Company’s Eco Red ShieldTM Advanced Framing Lumber. The product is readily available now in the national supply chain and traditional lumber distribution channels from coast to coast. You can even visit a local The Home Depot to touch and feel our Eco Red Shield lumber in your market.
This product is not a pressure-treated lumber product;
it’s an advanced coating that is factory applied on all six sides of all framing lumber in a QAI Laboratories audited, qualitycontrolled setting. Eco Red Shield is supported by ICC ESR #3255, QAI Class-A Fire Listing B-1053-1, GREENGUARD Gold Certification for low chemical emissions supporting a healthier indoor air quality, making it safe around children and in schools. Further, Eco’s Advanced Framing Lumber is reinforced by a 10-Year Limited Warranty backed by an $11 million dollar liability policy protecting clients and your builder, for the first
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Builder Spotlight: Letter to Architects time, on all framing lumber.
Today’s framing lumber is more susceptible to fire
ignition and nature’s enemies resultant of production mills over producing this commodity, then storing lumber outside and uncovered in snow and rain where lumber can and does develop unit rot. This is further compounded by the fact that the termite population is growing in regions that never had termites before, and mold litigators have declared an open season on mold related claims in residential housing around the country. Eco’s Protected Lumber Movement is supported by a like-minded network of Certified Defensive Builders and Architects that are taking a stand to protect wood fiber strength and the air quality in homes which can be affected by mold on framing lumber.
Eco’s patent-pending, flood coating process was
conceptualized to provide a semi-permeable moisture barrier to wood substrates, locking organic solids to the surface, modifying substrate permeability, delivering protection against termites, mold, wood-rot decay and fire. This treatment has zero negative effects on wood fiber strength, and provides protection on all vertical framing members, including engineered wood products. Synergistic studies of constituents relating to lumber’s moisture 132
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Robert is protecting his homeowners and the bones of their homes with Eco Red ShieldTM Advanced Framing Lumber.
content involved the creation of special protocol - replicating real world attributes - enabling the treatment methodology to effectively eliminate bacteria and mold growth on the cured film surface.
By now you’re probably wondering how our Eco lumber
can have a carbon removal value where raw lumber simply does not. The key to Eco Building Products’ Carbon Removal Project and Protected Lumber Movement is founded on lumber and the consumption of trees and/or lumber coming out of reforestation programs having a direct impact and significant in removing carbon if they get to grow longer. (http://urbanforestrynetwork. org/benefits/air%20quality.htm) If the lumber we use to support our home building economy is less vulnerable to fire consumption, termite damage and over stored unprotected commodity lumber 134
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that develops rot, we are creating a movement that could be as equally important as America’s recycling programs. Eco has been approached by a very large private equity firm for a carbon credit project with Eco’s Advanced Framing Lumber.
The Firm is in the early stages to reduce the amount of carbon
we have already produced and to help support and create a cleaner way to capture solar and wind energy and produce usable energy for consumers. This concept is sustainable and offers a simple approach to creating a carbon credit value, in that it is tracked and supported by Eco Red Shield production facilities creating chain-of-custody, quality-control documents for each piece of protected lumber produced. When you join Eco’s Defensive Partner Program, you will be introduced to new ways of building and protecting homeowners www.ecob.net
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Builder Spotlight: Letter to Architects
and their property from situations such as rising flood water and fire storms, as well as what a positive impact the selection of protected lumber can have on climate change and the removal of carbon from our environment. Remember, it’s not how much we each do when we recycle or select safe, protected lumber, as these actions produce results on their own. This choice is more about getting others to join in this progressive movement.
Available in the lumber aisle for a few cents more at The Home
Depot, the choice is now clear, and this decision can have a positive impact on future generations. We are moving forward to obtain educational accreditation for credentialed professionals so that our course on Protecting Wood Fiber Strength supports your Continuing 136
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Education Unit (CEU) requirements. For now, our goal is to at least spend a few minutes with you discussing protecting lumber, so you are in-the-know when asked about these red buildings going vertical in your area.
We invite you to take a few moments to review our Technical
Specifications and Architect’s Specification Guide included in this packet. We hope that after you review this you take our call in a week or so as we would like to set up a product knowledge (PK) session with you and your team in your office to learn more about our product line and building more defensive. For more information, please feel free to contact our home office by calling 760.732.5826 or send us an email at info@ecob.net. Visit us on the web at www.ecob.net. www.ecob.net
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CLICK HERE TO READ A BUILDERS GUIDE TO HANDLING MOLD CLAIMS AND LITIGATION
THIS MOVEMENT IS NOW