A few years ago I framed a house that was a six-hour drive from my home. I can't remember exactly why I took this job, but I think hunger may have played a part. It was close to winter, and I was using unfamiliar materials. Although that job was some 300 miles from my home, even this short distance determined whether I was using fir and larch or hemlock. It seemed that every nail I drove split the hemlock studs. It didn't even help if I blunted the nail's point (as if I had time for that)! The lumber itself simply wasn't up to the standards I was used to. In fact, it seemed that the quality of the lumber overall was falling –almost as fast as the price was increasing.

Unfortunately, building with wood was all I knew how to do – and it's something I thoroughly enjoy. Perhaps you feel the same way. Nothing is more pleasurable than working with high-quality lumber, and the aroma when you cut into it creates a real natural "high." But lumber quality has gone downhill. You struggle and fight just to get a straight, uniform piece that isn't missing half the stick. Generally, you order lumber over the phone so you never know what to expect until you cut the bundle strap. Then stand back. Who knows what will fly out of that bundle!

But today we have choices that weren't available (and weren't necessary) when lumber was cheap, plentiful, and good. Now we have alternative products like engineered lumber or steel studs, products that consume fewer trees in the manufacturing process. Understanding how to use these alternative products offers a wealth of new opportunities for our customers, our profession, and our creative minds. Education is the key to success, and perhaps survival.