Jeffrey M. Syken is a consulting estimator in private practice. He is a lecturer on the subject of trade estimating, as well as the author of a book on the subject entitled "Principles of Trade Estimating" available from Bni Building News.
At the beginning of 2004, there appeared in this column a three-part series titled "LEED: Leading the Way." It took an in-depth look at the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership
"This is the kind of commission that only happens once in a lifetime." That's what noted architect James Polshek, founder of Polshek Partnership Architects, had to say when offered the
In part three, we took an in-depth look at the fourth class of wood preservative treatments: water soluble boron compounds. We saw how, despite some manufacturers' claims, sodium silicate applied
Last month, at the tail end of part three, I mentioned how EnviroSafe Plus, a Boron-based wood preservative treatment, is not listed with the International Code Council. As an alternative
Last month, in part two, we took an in-depth look at the third class of wood preservatives: water-soluble salts. We examined the problems encountered whereby arsenic is the active ingredient
Last month, we began our in-depth look at the multi-faceted topic of preservative treatments for wood. I discussed the nature of wood itself and began a look at two of
In part three (Walls & Ceilings, October 2004) of the recently concluded seven-part series "Let's Get More Familiar," we discussed, in general, the recent ban on chromated copper arsenate as
This month, we'll conclude this series familiarizing ourselves with all aspects of light gauge metal framing. We'll discuss the overall green aspects of LGMF, look at some other considerations and
Last month, in part five, we took an in-depth look at two aspects of light gauge metal framing that make it very desirable as a framing material: Its excellent seismic
In part four, we discussed the various aspects of light gauge metal framing. We began with a review of LGMF's most controversial aspect: thermal performance. The acute problem of thermal