Home  5  Books  5  GBEzine  5  News  5  HelpDesk  5  Register  5  GreenBuilding.co.uk
Not signed in (Sign In)

Categories



Green Building Bible, Fourth Edition
Green Building Bible, fourth edition (both books)
These two books are the perfect starting place to help you get to grips with one of the most vitally important aspects of our society - our homes and living environment.

PLEASE NOTE: A download link for Volume 1 will be sent to you by email and Volume 2 will be sent to you by post as a book.
Buy individually or both books together. Delivery is free!


powered by Surfing Waves




Vanilla 1.0.3 is a product of Lussumo. More Information: Documentation, Community Support.

Welcome to new Forum Visitors
 Join the forum now and benefit from discussions with thousands of other green building fans and discounts on Green Building Press publications: Apply now.




Products: local timber? FSC? Why is it so difficult?!

Bottom of Page

1 to 4 of 4

  1.  
    • CommentAuthorRosie
    • CommentTimeAug 19th 2009
     
    Hi,
    please help - have rung several local timber suppliers and not got any clearer. Is it ok to buy wood that they say is from an FSC source but they can't show you the certificate because they haven't paid to register (this seems pretty common). Obviously I would much rather have locally grown or reclaimed - any advice on where to find these?

    The carpenter doesn't get it and my husband is fed up with not getting on with the job, arrrg! We only need to raise the loft floor to fit more insulation in... unless anybody knows of an extra thin type of insulation? We have been quoted £500 just to make the floor higher so could afford to spend more on insulation if it meant we could avoid the flooring issue.
    Still intereted in the timber supply question though, for other jobs.
    THANKS!
  2.  
    Hello

    Have a look at the FSC website.

    I have recently enquired about FSC marking for a product I manufacture from FSC certified plywood and the following is what I understand of the system!

    FSC certification requires businesses to be able to prove a 'chain of custody' for the timber they are selling, so they should have records for (or be able to get records for) every step in the life of the timber you buy, from the forest it was cut down in, the saw mill or board manfacturer, the importer, the timber merchant they bought it from and their own workshops that the timber was worked on in. There are other issues such as making sure the FSC timber is not muddled up with non FSC timber etc all of which makes FSC certification a bit of a tall order for a jobing builder!

    Most FSC timber is bulk packed and labeled accordingly. If you collect your timber in person you will be able to see whether your timber is picked from FSC labeled packaging, even if the supplier is not FSC registered. I think most of the DIY retailers are FSC registered and sell FSC registered timber, so if you don't need very much, you can pay the extra money they will charge you, to be sure of getting FSC timber!

    Personally, for a small project I wouldn't agonise about it too much, if you are only using soft wood /chipboard the chances are it will be FSC anyway.

    Good luck
    • CommentAuthorJulian
    • CommentTimeAug 20th 2009
     
    Hi Rosie
    I admire your diligence. It can be very frustrating - as Laurence says if its only a small amount don't give yourself too much of a hard time. If you're buying from a reputable supplier eg a builders merchant chain - insist on FSC - they have no excuse. If it's a hardware shop or small merchant suggest they will get more business if the stock FSC timber. Alternatively try local sawmill. They may be cutting UK grown timber for garden furniture etc as it usually isn't graded for structural use. But if all you are doing is raising the ceiling joist a fewinches that isn't really a big issue. They could cut the timber to your sizes or you can buy from stock. Where are you? In SW I can suggest a few suppliers.
    Well done to you for trying and don't be deterred - you're a good example.
    Julian
    • CommentAuthorwookey
    • CommentTimeAug 21st 2009
     
    You could sidestep the issue by just using insulation boards across the joists, which would also avoid thermal bridging, rather than raising the floor with timber (that's what I did, using EPS. If doing it now, I'd use PUR). I'm sure the issue has been covered many times already on this forum.

1 to 4 of 4

  1.  
Add your comments

    Username Password
  • Format comments as
 
Back to Discussions Top of Page
   
The Ecobuilding Buzz
Site Map    |   Home    |   View Cart    |   Pressroom   |   Business   |   Links   
Logout    

© Green Building Press