Although every step of a home build is important, quality framing is one of the most crucial. And you can’t have quality framing without top-of-the line lumber. 

All too often we hear about builders attempting to cut costs (and corners) by using deficient lumber in their framing. Unfortunately, this can be tempting for contractors dealing with lumber yards delivering damaged wood on a regular basis. Sending bad pieces of lumber back to the supplier slows down the job, so builders will try to use it for things like braces, trimmers, short cripples, blocking, or possibly even framing!

At MJM, we’re not your average builders. Our philosophy is different. We value quality and over frugality down to every last stud. That’s why we don’t settle for subpar lumber. Logan Marchese, future CEO of MJM, says, “We want our customers to understand that we only use one type of lumber and it’s the best stud that money can buy. The straightest, densest, and most reliable.” We buy reliable lumber in order to avoid wasting time and resources. Deficient lumber doesn’t exist here at MJM because we always order extra to account for cripple studs and trimmers. 

Our lumber comes from Builders First Source, our nation’s largest supplier of structural building products. With BFS’s custom millwork, each plank is straight, dense and reliable every time. BFS “provide[s] an integrated solution to our customers to help them shorten construction cycle times, reduce construction costs, increase build quality, improve safety, and reduce waste.” Our partnership with BFS has helped us reach our own high expectations.

Quality Lumber: Why It Matters

#1 Lumber needs to be STRAIGHT.

It’s imperative to frame with straight lumber. Why? Straight lumber creates straight surfaces and perfect 90° angles. Other builders may try to sneak in a piece of curved lumber here and there instead of throwing it out. Then, when it’s time for s