Post And Beam Building

On December 3, 2002, an emergency meeting of small post and beam building sawmill owners came together near Lake Placid, New York, to discuss this provision, which was due to take effect on January i, 2003.

Most of the 2OO-odd attendees were rural sawyers, who, rightly, saw this new code as threatening their livelihood.

What happened next was a lesson of democracy in action.

From all over the state, representatives of various sawmill and rural associations, supported by state senators and assemblymen, went to Albany to attend and speak at the December nth meeting of the New York State Code Council.

The code council unanimously adopted a proposal by the Empire State Forest Products Association in concert with the Department of State and the New York State Department of Conservation to reinstate a "local option" regarding grade stamping for post and beam building structural lumber.

Hundreds of letters and thousands of signatures on petitions helped turn the tide on this issue.

According to a press release sent to me as a petitioner, the upshot is that now, as before, "Rough cut lumber can be used for structural purposes if the code enforcement officer allows it and the mill guarantees that the lumber meets minimum (grade 2 or better) standards.

The mill will be required to sign a form that will be provided by the local code officer and this form will need to accompany the building permit application.

These provisions apply to residential post and beam building construction not exceeding three stories in height, and all other buildings not exceeding 10,000 square feet in area or 35 feet in height."

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