Definition of "Green lumber"

Chris Hill  real estate agent

Written by

Chris Hill elite badge icon

Century 21 New Millennium

Green lumber is not necessarily a lumber that’s green; though it might, sometimes, be a little greenish. And it’s also not a definition of an environmentally conscious type of wood.

Ok, what’s the best green lumber definition, then?

Let’s say that green lumber is wood that had not had the adequate time to dry and be seasoned. That kind of wood is not good for Real Estate, so you might hear a contractor say “That’s green lumber; we can’t use it”. And the reason why it’s no good is because green lumber can warp with time – not to mention that is much more difficult to work with. Cutting and nailing a green lumber is basically a waste of time and energy.

Some people call it wet lumber, but the term is not 100% correct because a wet/moist lumber is not necessarily a green lumber and it can be used in construction.

However, because the environment changes materials, green lumber is sometimes used in arid regions of the United States like Arizona and California. The thinking behind it is that (i) green lumber is cheaper and (ii) because the lumber dries and comes of age faster over there, once they get transported they will quickly reach a fine point for construction.

Because of floods, wood can revert to flood, so home inspectors and flood insurance companies typically look for green lumber on houses to assess risks.

Real Estate Tips:

Don’t get a “green real estate agent”; search through our Real Estate Agent Directory and find an experienced one that won’t warp or break!

image of a real estate dictionary page

Have a question or comment?

We're here to help.

*** Your email address will remain confidential.
 

 

Popular Real Estate Terms

Same as term right of first refusal: Right of an individual to be offered something before it is offered to others. For example, a tenant whose apartment is going to be converted to a ...

Opening in the wall of a structure to let in air and light. ...

An adjustment to the internal rate of return (IRR) computation so as to improve this measure. This uses a risk-free after-tax rate and a customary rate for money reinvestment. ...

A property manager is either a person or a company that supervises real estate units’ daily operations. They can either manage individual units or entire buildings, both residential ...

The real estate arbitration definition is an alternative way to settle disputes when the parties involved want to avoid a trial. There are some significant differences between an ...

Authority given by a municipality to perform specified operations in a certain zoning area. Conditions are sometimes attached by the zoning group. An example is permission to have a ...

One who receives real property under a will. ...

Unfortunately, we encounter false advertising daily. False advertising refers to deceptive or misleading ads and commercials that fail to showcase a product’s or service’s ...

In order to define the rate of return on investment, or more commonly known as ROI we are also going to explain how it can be calculated and what to look for in the return rate. Investing ...

Popular Real Estate Questions