Biewer Lumber Permanent Wood Foundations

PERMANENT WOOD FOUNDATIONS

PWF Meets Code

Permanent Wood Foundations are safe and accepted residential structures. They are approved by all of the national model building codes, including:

BOCA's National Code (chapter 18, section 1808.3)

SBCCI's Standard Code (chapter 18, section 1804.8)

ICBO's Uniform Code (chapter 18, sections 1810-1814)

CABO's One- and Two-Family Dwelling Code (chapter 4, sections 402-405)

"It's dry. It's warm. It's easy to finish. Building a permanent wood foundation is one of the best things we've done for our home."

Joan and Bob,
homeowners

What is a Permanent Wood Foundation?

A PWF is an engineered foundation construction system made with CCA pressure-treated plywood and lumber. (For consumer safety information about CCA pressure-treated wood, click here.) The load-bearing, lumber-framed foundation wall is sheathed with plywood. PWF walls are designed to resist and distribute earth, wind, seismic loads and stresses that may crack other foundation materials.

Map of some Michigan PWF homes.

Permanent Wood Foundations have been installed in more than 300,000 homes throughout the United States since 1969.

1) Detroit
2) Ann Arbor
3) Lansing
4) Flint

5) Bad Axe
6) Mount Pleasant
7) Traverse City
8) Cheboygan

There are many benefits to building your home with a Biewer PWF. They offer:

	Greatly improved comfort	PWF basements are as comfortable as aboveground portions of the home. They stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer-and dry year-round.
	Increased energy efficiency	Thick, economical batt insulation between studs combined with the natural thermal quality of wood helps to reduce energy costs.
	Easier to finish	Since PWFs are constructed with lumber studs, plumbing and wiring can be installed and concealed as easily as the aboveground portions of your home.
	Increased usable living space	PWF walls are not as bulky as alternative basement materials, which gives you the most usable square footage within the outside dimensions of your basement.
	Cost efficiency	PWFs can be constructed in practically any weather, which means your builder doesn't have to wait for favorable conditions to make progress on your home.
	Resale value and investment protection	PWFs create a basement that is as dry and comfortable as the rest of your home. You will never have to worry about your furniture or other belongings getting ruined by dampness, mildew, rust or humidity. PWFs are accepted by major model building codes, federal agencies, as well as lending, home warranty and fire insurance institutions. Biewer Lumber PWFs are backed by a 75-year limited warranty for additional protection. And, when you're ready to sell your home, a PWF basement will inherently add value to your asking price.

Typical Permanent Wood Foundation - Basement Type