Laminating wood for construction purposes was started before the turn of the century to enable people to make tables that were not only long, but wide as well. Over the years this discovery has led to many unique products such as plywood, glulam beams and the IHC wall timber.

International Homes of Cedar uses a large press and a radio frequency gluing system to produce the cedar and pine wall timbers. Pound for pound, this laminated timber is not only stronger than steel, but also withstands fire much better than solid timbers. IHC is the only company in the log home industry with a one hour rated fire wall with the 5x8 cedar timber. The strength of the laminated wall system also gives outstanding resistance to natural forces such as earthquakes and high winds. This was evidenced most recently by an IHC home in Guam, withstanding winds in excess of 200 MPH.

Because the wood IHC uses in the laminating process is kiln dried to less than 12 % moisture content, the finished product is much easier to finish, eliminates fungus growth and eliminates the possibility of insects living in the wood. The glue lines, or layers, act as a vapor barrier to restrict moisture movement into and through the wall system. Also by using multiple pieces of wood this prohibits defects, such as knots from penetrating the full width of the timbers.

Construction is much easier, and shipping weight is reduced with IHC's dry laminated wall timbers. Since the material is lighter and straighter than solid sawn timbers or logs, it is much easier to put in place, without cranes or forklifts. Design flexibility is greatly enhanced by using kiln dried laminated wall pieces, as the full gable ends of each home are pre-cut and easily assembled, eliminating the time consuming process of conventionally framing and siding gables at the job site, as with most log home designs.

IHC also offers a Conventional Framed Home Package, called "The Cedarside", which uses standard 2x6 framed exterior walls with IHC's 1x8 kiln dried cedar siding. This type of wall system offers our customers the flexibility to incorporate other design finishes such as wall paper, brick accents and textured walls and ceilings to their plans. We know that performance is as important to our customers as appearance. For that reason, our "Cedarside" homes have built-in energy and labor saving features.

Constant engineering and testing of IHC's wall systems have been developed over the past 30 years. The IHC wall systems have been approved by the International Conference of Building Officials, (ICBO) for one and two story construction, per ICBO Evaluation Report, PFC-5080, reissued February 1, 1998.

The Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA) has completed its review and analysis of the subject International Homes of Cedar's house plans and as a result of this review they are agreeable to consider the purchase of conventional mortgages on properties which utilize and conform to IHC's plans and fullfill FNMA's conditions. This letter is available at our offices for review at any time.

IHC's wall systems also meet the Department of Housing and Urban Development, (HUD), requirements, per their Structural engineering bulletin no. 1062 revision no. 3 dated August 6, 1991.

For copies of these bulletins and approvals please contact us.

Note: Thermo-Lam is a trademark of International Homes of Cedar, Inc.