Recycling content in Wood (structural timber)

Unfortunately we have no statistics on the percentage of recycled timber used in new construction. There are one or two technical difficulties. For example, recycled timber often contains contaminants such as nails, grit and so on which can damage equipment, it is not graded to current standards, and obtaining large volumes of the same size members is not easy. Nevertheless, companies that recycle timber do a brisk trade and it is particularly useful in restoration work. You may wish to contact recycling yards to see if they can advise you on their main markets. 

flood rotten timber

In answer to your questions (1) the wall framing is pine and the floor joists also appear to be pine, although less clear in the photos; (2) it's not possible to tell if any of the mould was pre-existing, but in our opinion there is a high probability it appeared while the timber was damp for 1-2 months; (3) surface mould does not necessarily indicate decay or any loss of strength in the timber, but our Technical Design Guide #12 titled Impact and Assessment of Moisture-affected, Timber-framed Construction provides guidance on assessing

Blackbutt codemark

NCC vol 1 Clause F3D5 only allows the following external wall materials as Deemed-to-Satisfy:

(a) Masonry, including masonry veneer, unreinforced and reinforced masonry: AS 3700.

(b) Autoclaved aerated concrete: AS 5146.3.

(c) Metal wall cladding: AS 1562.1.

Moisture and mould damage on H2 pine timber

H2 treatment is purely to provide protection against insect attack (borers and termites) and does not have any anti-fungal properties. While it is anticipated that timber framing is likely to have short term weather exposure during construction, H2 treated timber, also known as 'Blue Pine', is not suitable for long term exposure. We suggest you contact the timber supplier, since the critical question is whether your warranty (usually 25 years) has been affected by the heavy rain during and after cyclone Alfred.

Use of rubberwood

The rubberwood tree is the tree which produces the latex from which rubber is made. The trees are grown in plantations in countries such as Malaysia. When the trees stop producing latex they are removed and milled into wood products for furniture and joinery. It has also been used in Malaysia for making MDF. If your windows will be exposed to the weather, rubberwood would not be suitable unless it has had a permanent treatment against fungal attack (wood rot). The reference book 100 Malaysian Timbers rates it "non-durable". 

fire rating timber truss

The truss will have to be isolated from fire from below. It would seem to need fire resistant plasterboard on both sides of the wall, not just one, with the plasterboard continuing along the bottom chord of the truss. It is somewhat similar to Figure 72 in our Technical Design Guide #02 where a fire-rated floor system continues over the top of a fire rated wall. However, we don't have a standard detail for this situation and suggest you seek advice from a fire engineer.

 

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