4th of July Holiday Business Schedule/Closures

Foremost, we here at Builders Site Protection would like to wish all a happy 4th of July holiday. Enjoy any time off and revel in the great summer weather.

Fireworks here in Bend, Oregon

Just a quick update on our schedule during the holiday-

In addition to observance of July 4th, we will be closed for business on Monday, July 3rd. There will be no planned UPS pickup and no orders will be shipped on July 3rd or 4th. However, our website will remain online and will process any order made while we are closed. Any online orders created during the holiday period will ship on Wednesday, July 5th. We appreciate your patience! 

Learn about Our Newest ZipWall Product, Zipwall FoamRail Span

We're happy to be distributing ZipWall's newest product, FoamRail Span. This new product is an updated take on their existing foam rails, and acts as a quick acting clamp to attach plastic sheeting to ceilings, creating dust barriers in the quickest possible manner. Attaching to standard ZipWall poles, FoamRail Span is the easiest way to create temporary dust barriers.

As part of our press junket for this product, we have created a new press release detailing FoamRail Span. You can read it in the link posted above, or by visiting the press release page of our website.

Demolition vs Deconstruction--- Portland's New Policy

Over the course of 2017, the city of Portland has initiated a law mandating that any home built prior to 1916 must be deconstructed rather than demolished. Deconstruction is the method by which homes are slowly taken apart, so that numerous parts and materials are salvaged along the way. This is a much longer and more labor-intensive process than demolition, in which a house is destroyed with machinery and loaded into dumpsters, saving few materials along the way.

Vintage flooring being deconstructed and saved

Many materials used in classic and vintage homes have a substantial resale value. Stressed hardwood, classic windows, vintage appliances and numerous other materials are in demand among retail outlets such as coffee shows, brew houses, retail fashion storefronts, and others. There is a proven want for reclaimed building materials used in high end commercial and residential projects.

So far deconstruction has successfully served to preserve and to recycle vintage materials; but has also proven itself to be an extremely valuable training program for young workers. The training aspect of the program serves an important purpose in a time of need for the building industry. Post-recession, a large number of trained workers permanently left the building industry. This now leaves construction companies scrambling to find trained labor, and struggling to train adequate numbers of new workers.

This law in Portland shows that the lack of job training programs can be at least in part remedied by deconstruction programs. The training program has proven so successful, that the city is now considering whether or not to extend the law to homes built prior to 1926, thus expanding the scope of training programs. For an industry struggling to attract young and trained workers, any positive step is one in the right direction.

For now, Portland remains the only large city with these laws in place. However, with the seemingly apparent success of deconstruction programs many more cities and building associations may soon take notice.

Building With Mass Timber - A New Technology

A few years back we wrote a small piece about the potential rise of Cross Laminated Timer/Mass Timber construction. At that time, the very first commercial CLT building s were in the planning and early building stages.

Now, numerous commercial CLT buildings have been erected nationwide, and developers' sights have turned towards high rises. A new business center in Minnesota currently stands as the nation's largest mass timber building, and a new 12 story high rise has secured permits and is on the way in Portland, Oregon. Potentially taking the trend of building CLT high rises even further, an 80 story tower in Chicago is currently being seriously considered as well.

Portland's soon-to-be CLT high rise

In Oregon, the political appeal of CLT buildings lies in boosting the local economy. As small woodmill towns suffer from unemployment and brain-drain to larger cities, CLT provides a way to at least partially remedy some of those troubles. This economic boost is how the 12 story high rise in Portland earned its building permits and various grants.

An even more important benefit of mass timber construction lies in its carbon footprint. Releasing substantially fewer greenhouse gasses in the building process than concrete production, mass timber construction is a greener alternative to standard high rise construction. In the current construction climate (particularly in places such as Portland), green building credentials are a fantastic selling point.

For now, the singular criticism against mass timber construction is in regards to fire safety. Detractors are concerned that high rise buildings framed with wood are more susceptible to fire damage than their concrete/steel counterparts. However, given that ass mass timber buildings must pass and adhere to the same fire codes as traditional buildings, there isn't an elevated fire danger.

The literal rise in mass timber buildings will be an interesting trend to follow in the coming years. As new projects are completed and these buildings become increasingly commonplace, expect a continued surge in their construction.

Home & Garden Show Season Is Here - Keep Floors Clean and Protected With Shoe Covers and Floor Protection

In the coming months, most homebuilding associations and new developments will be holding their annual tour of homes events. These events are designed to showcase new properties, remodels to existing properties, and to display the work of builders, contractors, and tradesmen.

While the point of these events are to draw people into homes, unfortunately that also leaves floors susceptible to being dirtied and damaged. Many builders in our local homebuilding association (Central Oregon Builders Association) rely on our shoe covers and floor coverings to keep their homes flawless and showroom ready.

Our Polypropylene (cloth) shoe covers are a popular floor protection for home and garden shows. These one-time use soft cloth based shoe covers are a quick and easy way to prevent dirt from being tracked into homes. The soft cloth material features additional materials on the sole in order to provide traction on slippery hardwood floors. Shoe covers are among the cheapest and simplest ways to prevent floor damage. We regularly provide these shoe covers to garden show associations, who then hand them out to patrons as they enter every property.

Surface Liner Vapor Floor Protection

Our most popular floor protection product for home showcases is our Surface Liner Vapor. Each roll of Surface Liner Vapor floor protection offers a slight adhesive tack, keeping the protection anchored to the floor without using any aggressive adhesives. Airy and soft to the touch, Surface Liner Vapor is a great way to prevent scratches and nicks in hardwood, tile, and cement floors. Due to its slight adhesive properties, Surface Liner Vapor is the ideal way to protect hardwood stairs.

To learn more about floor protection, or about any other surface protection needs you may have during home showcase season, email us at sales@buildsitepro.com or visit our website www.buildsitepro.com