Hit 20 years in the trade this month... didn't see that coming

I was just counting up jobs in my old notebook from 2004 and realized I've been framing houses for two decades now. Started as a 19 year old kid hauling lumber for a crew in Boise and never really stopped. Has anyone else had a milestone like that sneak up on them?

3 comments

3 Comments

robinj291mo ago

felix_lane99 you're spot on about the time flying by. Same thing happened to me when I counted up my jobs from 2005 just last year. The biggest change I've seen is how much we use LVL beams and engineered floor trusses now. Back then it was all solid lumber and cutting joists on site. Now it's like half the job is just reading the plans right and setting those prefab pieces in place. The math is definitely more involved but it beats hauling 20 foot 2x12s all day.

sam_murphy392mo ago

Did engineered lumber actually make roofs easier or just add more complex math to the job?

felix_lane992mo ago

20 years goes by fast when you're busy on a site every day. What's the one thing you've noticed change the most about the framing trade since you started? Pneumatic nailers were big back then but I wonder if you've seen more prefab components or the shift to engineered lumber take over.