designIT® sITe App: The LVL tool in your pocket — use it onsite, anywhere, anytime

The designIT® sITe App has been growing in popularity with builders as a must-have onsite tool when working with Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL) based products.

The app, developed in house by the Futurebuild LVL team, has been around since 2011. Colin Taverner, Business Development Manager at Futurebuild LVL, takes great pride in demonstrating the App and seeing the reaction it gets.

“It just gives everyone in the building channel confidence. The designers know that when they specify Futurebuild LVL, the contractors onsite have a tool that fits in their pocket to easily access installation information as well as other useful tools such as a web hole calculator,” he comments.

The designIT sITe App serves as a handy reference tool and calculator for tradesmen who use Futurebuild LVL products, giving designers confidence that the specified products will be installed in accordance with Futurebuild LVL details.

“Having the app gives you access to many tools without having to thumb through brochures or search the website.

“You know everything is up to date and my favourite tool is the hole calculator you can use with hyJOIST® and hySPAN® and other LVL products.”

Colin continues, “whenever I am demonstrating the app, I find most people are surprised with how easy it is to design large holes for services in hyJOIST in comparison to the smaller diameter holes allowable in unreinforced solid section LVL and SG8.

“This tool means the builder as well as other tradespeople can check it right then and there, on site, any time.”

The app provides access to all Futurebuild LVL details as well as allowing builders, plumbers and electricians to determine the appropriate size and location of holes for services in both solid Futurebuild LVL and hyJOIST floor joists.

Details include common rafter overhangs in hyJOIST plus the ability to review and redesign bearers, joists, lintels and rafters.

The results can be saved to the device or the cloud for access on other designIT platforms.

All of Futurebuild LVL’s literature is accessible from the designIT sITe App.

Since 1999, designIT for houses has enabled building practitioners to design components for houses and similar structures using engineered wood products and/or SG8.

It is quick and simple to use, yet deceptively powerful software, and is useful for the selection of beam sizes. designIT for houses is available on both Windows and Mac operating systems.

For those not familiar with designIT for houses, the software removes the need for architects and designers to interpolate span tables, and provides solutions to complex load conditions without the need

to separately engage an engineer to provide the solution, saving time and money with design fees.

designIT for houses includes the ability to design perpendicular load bearing walls on floor joists, as well as lintels supporting common truss configurations, and develops a site-specific Design Certificate and Producer Statement for Building Consent Authority approval.

Want to know more about LVL?

As an engineered wood product, LVL offers high structural reliability, uniformity and predictability.

The design and specification of both sawn timber and LVL products can be optimised using the free software solutions available from Futurebuild LVL.

The Futurebuild LVL team also offers nationwide CPD training, have a dedicated specification team and offer personalised product, software and app training*.

Visit the Futurebuild LVL website www.futurebuild.co.nz to find out more or to get in touch with the team today.

The designIT Site App can be downloaded for free from the App Store for iPhone and on Google Play

*Contact Futurebuild LVL for availability of training sessions, these are currently being conducted via video conference.

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