Results from the 4th Annual Survey of the Timber Frame Industry

July 27, 2011 - PRLog -- •   There was a 1.5% increase in designated timber framing companies from 274 in 2009 to 278 in 2010.
•   The average total business sales revenue for 2010 increased by 65.7% over 2009.  (These dollars have been adjusted to reflect a 1.6% inflation rate and use 2007 as the base year.)  The estimated industry total increased by 68.2%.
•   The average number of board feet of timber used per company in 2010 was 119,580 which was an increase of 18.6% from 2009.  The estimated industry total of board feet used increased from 27.6 million in 2009 to 33.2 million in 2010, an increase of 20%.
•   The average number of square feet of structural insulated panels (SIPs) sold in 2010 was 15,046 which, was an increase of 53.7% from 2009.  The estimated industry total of SIPS sold for 2010 was 4.1 million, which increased by 56% from 2009.
•   The percentage contribution of total sales revenue from selling timber frames decreased from 40% in 2009 to 33% in 2010.  This continues a declining trend started in 2007 where the total contribution was over 60%.  The percentage of sales revenue from SIPS increased slightly from 2009.  However, the revenue generated from “Design,”  “Other wood products,” and “Installation services” all declined.  Revenue from “Other non-wood products,” “General contracting,” and “Other” were all greater than 2009 levels.  The largest increase was in the category of “General contracting” which went from 8.7% of sales revenue in 2009 to 16.6% of sales in 2010.
•   The percentage of habitable living space using timber frame construction with SIP enclosure dropped again in 2010 (31.5% in 2009 to 28.4% in 2010).  In addition, the percentage also dropped for timber frame construction used with other enclosure methods from 31.7% in 2009 to 29.2% in 2010 and in conventional framing from 29.5% in 2009 to 28.5% in 2010.  There was an increase in the percentage of habitable living area using SIP Systems from 4.8% in 2009 to 7.3% in 2010 and an increase in Other Building Systems from 2.5% in 2009 and 6.7% in 2010.
•   The number of building structures produced in 2010 increased for residential, commercial, and other by 47.2%, 291%, and 49.4%, respectively.
•   The percentage of businesses offering company-provided assembly for timber frames sold decreased from 93.8% to 81.
•   Continuing the trend from 2007, the percentage of businesses offering SIPs increased slightly from 72.3% in 2009 to 73.2% in 2010.  In addition, the number of businesses that have company crews to install SIPs increased from 54.3% in 2009 to 73.2% in 2010.
•   The survey question regarding average customer age revealed some interesting results.  After a significant increase in the percentage of clients under the age of 30 from 2008 to 2009, there was a 37.6% decline in 2010.  In addition, there was also a decrease in the percentage of clients between the ages of 41-50 years old from 30.5% in 2009 to 22.2% in 2010.  All other age categories (31-40, 51-60, and greater than 60 years old) showed decreases from the 2009 to 2010 business.
•   The average number of employees (including owners) decreased by 12.5% from 8.2 employees in 2009 to 7.2 employees in 2010.  The majority of respondents reported employing less than 10 people; while no respondents reported having between 21 and 30.
•   Almost half of the respondents predicted that sales in 2011 would either increase significantly (17.05%) or increase slightly (31.7%); while 17.05% felt that sales would decrease slightly and 12.2% predicted a significant decrease.  Twenty-two percent predicted sales would stay at about the same level as 2010.
•    When asked to pick the five provinces or states where most timber frames sales are delivered, fifteen respondents chose New York State, followed by New Hampshire with 8, and Massachusetts and Vermont with 7.
•   When asked about employee starting salaries by type of employment, the most frequent replies were in the following ranges: experienced joiners/framers ($35,001 - $40,000), apprentice joiners/framers ($30,001 - $35,000), CAD designers ($35,001 - $40,000), and Administrative Personnel ($20,001-$25,000).  Starting salaries for sales personnel varied widely with the most frequent response in the greater than $70,000 range but there were almost as many responses in the $40,001-$45,000, $30,001-$35,000, and less than $20,000 ranges.  For Marketing Directors, the salaries were split evenly between less than $20,000 and $30,001-$35,000.

Contact TFBC headquarters for the complete report at 888.560.9251 or pam@timberframe.org.

The Timber Frame Business Council (www.timberframe.org) is non-profit trade association providing information and resources to support the timber frame industry. TFBC members include framers, engineers, architects, designers, preservationists, general contractors, teachers, suppliers, and others interested in the timber frame industry.

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The mission of the Timber Frame Business Council is to strengthen the timber framing industry through professional and public outreach, professional development, education, and major industry initiatives.