![]() I had to explain that we do build a lot of our construction with steel framing. He then asked about steel framing, and wondered why more is not steel than wood. I explained it is based on several reasons: cost, generic adaptability, seismic issues and of course tradition. The construction industry is nothing if not steeped in tradition and resistant to change.Ī person from overseas once asked me why we in the United States build with wood and not masonry. Yet, steel framing still had one hurdle to overcome, tradition. The mesh of code, insurance, desire for taller buildings and the ability to process steel more cheaply made steel framing a natural fit. These were ideally suited for furniture making but they also found the wood made suitable walls, as well. What the new world did have was an abundance of trees. When the first Europeans came to America, many of the craftsmen were likely skilled masons but a lack of quarries and expense made stone work almost impossible. Our history of framed walls goes back over two centuries. One reason for the United States’ reliance on framing is simple tradition. The predominant difference between North America and much of other parts of the world is they predominantly use masonry more than framing. ![]() This makes it interesting as the world is getting smaller and we are handed product literature that has what seem as are funny terms. In Europe, metal furring is referred to as profiles. In America, we call metal furring hat Z channels, in Canada they are called Zed girts, and in Australia the term is top hats. I was at a national meeting when I heard the term clapboard siding being thrown around by my friends from New England. ![]() Tendencies, practices and the even the use of different nomenclature can range from region to region.
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