Although Wesbeam e-joist is the preferred I-joist product on the east coast of Australia and widely used to create floor frames, the trend in Western Australia is still to build using masonry construction with concrete suspended slab. It was therefore great to catch up with AG Trusses and Stallion Homes who focus on lightweight framing as the ideal alternative and are demonstrating this with their current project in Lower Chittering, 1 hours’ drive from Perth.
AG Trusses is a trusted, family owned business with over 35 years’ experience in timber framing manufacturing both here in WA and Melbourne. They manufacture their products using Wesbeam’s LVL to produce quality Roof Trusses, Wall-Frames and Floor Trusses and supply these to the local building industry including some of the major project and commercial builders in Perth, as well as some of the major regional builders, such as Stallion Homes.
Stallion Homes, also in business for over 40 years focus on commercial and residential projects for both private individuals and Shire Councils in the Central Wheatbelt. The challenge for them is that most homes in these areas are built on clay and uneven ground which is where Wesbeam’s I-joist (or e-joist) and LVL bearer products shine. It is the most efficient choice of ground and suspended floor system to work with the site conditions and compliment the design of homes that Stallion builds, as well as support the wall frames and roof trusses that AG Trusses manufactures.
When combined, this lightweight, pre-fabricated timber structure ensures the client gets a cost and energy efficient, engineered sub-floor, that has an overall lower embodied energy, than the alternative forms of construction.
Jacqueline from AG Trusses says ‘Using Wesbeam e-joist and LVL bearers for this project was the perfect choice when designing the wall frames and roof trusses as it supplied not only peace of mind for the engineering but allowed design flexibility for the house along with ease of installation for the trades.’
When building a home, often very little thought is given to the most cost and energy efficient type of flooring and sub-floor structure used. Yet with Perth running out of flat sandy sites, the reactive soil and sloping sites that remain and which are common place in regional WA, pre-fabricated timber framed construction is the most appropriate for these sites, as seen throughout the majority of Australia.
This project in Lower Chittering uses a Wesbeam sub-floor system that is timber pole supported and utilises 300 x 75 LVL bearers supporting e-joists. The perfect choice in this case to suit soil type and sloping grounds. Another bonus is that plumbing and other services can then be easily run through the floor system as well as additional services easily added in the future.
Along with Wesbeam, Stallion Homes are very committed to environmentally friendly builds in order to provide their clients with the highest possible energy rating and solar efficiency. These practices reflect a mutual respect for both the environment and future generations. That is why the partnership between AG Trusses and Wesbeam using building products such as Wesbeam’s engineered timber manufactured from sustainable forestry is so important to include as part of standard inclusions on projects.