Hi Folks.
I wanted to yammer on a bit about my experience here as it pertains to Framing and Dimensional Lumber.
As some of you might know , Im in the process of refurbing a house that I was able to recoup from a group of nasty squatters.
In the states , I worked a bit in the framing industry . Frame up a building , bang in a plywood skin , shingles and you are doing ok .
Just to paint a picture , this has been en eternal nightmare.
Dimensional Lumber ( or houseworthy lumber for that matter)
What I have seen here is that any mook is in the lumber wholesale buiss.
Knowledge of the lumber they sell : ZIPPO !.
Of 20 places I have visited to buy lumber , 19 of them basically have lumber transported from some northern province , they only removal of moisture of that lumber comes from the air passing thru it on the truck on its way to BA.
Most of that lumber is eucaliptus grandis , wich is ok enough , but hey , fellas , if you want to build a structure and not have it warp to hell , lumber neds to be dried.
This processing just doesnt happen in 99% of the places I visited.
Of course , on the fly solutions are quick to come the second you mention it , bt again , I certainly do not want to paint tar on my lumber or any of the hundres of other toxic substances that were suggested by the all knowing folks that peddle lumber.
Some not too horrible things:
In the states , a 2x4 is actually 1 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches. Not so here . This makes it absolutely impossible to use simson type joist hangers ,if you can find them , as they are dimensioned for the standards used in the states. Here , a 2x4 is actualy 2x4.
ALLL the dimensional lumber I have purchased was in fact in tolerance , but not one piece of wood was in square.
In other words , none of the faces were in right angles to each other.
I DID stumble upon one company , a large one ,Maderera Lavallol.
Here was the only place I have ever found kiln dried lumber , no certification of any kind as in the states , but nice , planed squared lumber.
Why have I not purchased from them ?
Wel .... because of the other reason argentine buissinesses are heading head long into decline. Deplorable customer service.
I was absolutely impressed with their stock , They even had some CCA impregnated pine ( although CCA has been baned in the states for a decade or so based on its toxicity and replaced with a process known as ACQ).
As I said , I visited the showroom , and was impressed. The fella there gave me the appearance of a serios customer oriented company.
I arranged to place an order in the comming week.
Here is where the all too familiar nightmare began ...
As a builder , and because the framing has to be done with the existing brickwork in mind, I first called , then emailed a request for quote consisting of what I needed , and a request for alternatives in the type of lumber. I stated that i was seeking only three parameters to adhere to :
Cost ,minimal variation in the lumber I needed for the rafter , and the best pricing possible.
I stated that ( because they gave the appearance of competence) to suggest alternatives.
2 weeks went by with no reply.
I called the manager whom i had spoken to and asked him to take the RFQ and handle it himself.
He gave me his word he would look at the RFQ and have an answer for me that afternoon . I suggested he read it well , and get back to me by the afternoon of the following day .
Another 2 weeks with ZIPO reply . in thos etwo weeks , I again sent him an email , and i again called the company.
Now , I have taken Dale Carnegie classes and completely use it in my everyday dealings.
Yesterday I again called , I am sad to say that Dale Carnegie was overruled by by frustration and I completely blew a gasket.
This is just one ilustration as to how dificult it is to get anything done. There is some kind of force at work when you set out to do buissiness here . I get this feeling that customer service is inversly proportional to the square of the enthusiasm you demonstate in wanting to do buissiness .
What is it ? what am I doing wrong ? Is it wrong to have an expectation that if some company is in a certain industry sector that they would WANT to sell their product ?
So , a full 3 months after i stated a simple flooring project I am in a state of complete frustration . Im not splitting the atom here , Im talking about a flooring project that in the real world would have taking me all of 2 days , and working alone !.
The toll it has taken on my demeanor is tremendos.
I m kinda happy for one thing , that i can vent it here at least.
Thans for reading
I wanted to yammer on a bit about my experience here as it pertains to Framing and Dimensional Lumber.
As some of you might know , Im in the process of refurbing a house that I was able to recoup from a group of nasty squatters.
In the states , I worked a bit in the framing industry . Frame up a building , bang in a plywood skin , shingles and you are doing ok .
Just to paint a picture , this has been en eternal nightmare.
Dimensional Lumber ( or houseworthy lumber for that matter)
What I have seen here is that any mook is in the lumber wholesale buiss.
Knowledge of the lumber they sell : ZIPPO !.
Of 20 places I have visited to buy lumber , 19 of them basically have lumber transported from some northern province , they only removal of moisture of that lumber comes from the air passing thru it on the truck on its way to BA.
Most of that lumber is eucaliptus grandis , wich is ok enough , but hey , fellas , if you want to build a structure and not have it warp to hell , lumber neds to be dried.
This processing just doesnt happen in 99% of the places I visited.
Of course , on the fly solutions are quick to come the second you mention it , bt again , I certainly do not want to paint tar on my lumber or any of the hundres of other toxic substances that were suggested by the all knowing folks that peddle lumber.
Some not too horrible things:
In the states , a 2x4 is actually 1 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches. Not so here . This makes it absolutely impossible to use simson type joist hangers ,if you can find them , as they are dimensioned for the standards used in the states. Here , a 2x4 is actualy 2x4.
ALLL the dimensional lumber I have purchased was in fact in tolerance , but not one piece of wood was in square.
In other words , none of the faces were in right angles to each other.
I DID stumble upon one company , a large one ,Maderera Lavallol.
Here was the only place I have ever found kiln dried lumber , no certification of any kind as in the states , but nice , planed squared lumber.
Why have I not purchased from them ?
Wel .... because of the other reason argentine buissinesses are heading head long into decline. Deplorable customer service.
I was absolutely impressed with their stock , They even had some CCA impregnated pine ( although CCA has been baned in the states for a decade or so based on its toxicity and replaced with a process known as ACQ).
As I said , I visited the showroom , and was impressed. The fella there gave me the appearance of a serios customer oriented company.
I arranged to place an order in the comming week.
Here is where the all too familiar nightmare began ...
As a builder , and because the framing has to be done with the existing brickwork in mind, I first called , then emailed a request for quote consisting of what I needed , and a request for alternatives in the type of lumber. I stated that i was seeking only three parameters to adhere to :
Cost ,minimal variation in the lumber I needed for the rafter , and the best pricing possible.
I stated that ( because they gave the appearance of competence) to suggest alternatives.
2 weeks went by with no reply.
I called the manager whom i had spoken to and asked him to take the RFQ and handle it himself.
He gave me his word he would look at the RFQ and have an answer for me that afternoon . I suggested he read it well , and get back to me by the afternoon of the following day .
Another 2 weeks with ZIPO reply . in thos etwo weeks , I again sent him an email , and i again called the company.
Now , I have taken Dale Carnegie classes and completely use it in my everyday dealings.
Yesterday I again called , I am sad to say that Dale Carnegie was overruled by by frustration and I completely blew a gasket.
This is just one ilustration as to how dificult it is to get anything done. There is some kind of force at work when you set out to do buissiness here . I get this feeling that customer service is inversly proportional to the square of the enthusiasm you demonstate in wanting to do buissiness .
What is it ? what am I doing wrong ? Is it wrong to have an expectation that if some company is in a certain industry sector that they would WANT to sell their product ?
So , a full 3 months after i stated a simple flooring project I am in a state of complete frustration . Im not splitting the atom here , Im talking about a flooring project that in the real world would have taking me all of 2 days , and working alone !.
The toll it has taken on my demeanor is tremendos.
I m kinda happy for one thing , that i can vent it here at least.
Thans for reading
