Why do you want to use cross-laminated timber?

Few reasons:

* much more fire resistant than stick built

* accuracy of factory built panels

* speed of construction/time to weather tight

* mass and strength (site is exposed to occasionally strong winds)

Marcel

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CLT is generally cost effective in larger/commercial buildings and has only been recognized by the ICC since 2015 so I'm not surprised few architects have used it for single-family houses in the US.

Find companies that have used CLT in pre-fab designs and get a list of the architects involved.

Perhaps the local building department can advise you. If they don't know what you're talking about you should proceed with caution.

From Wikipedia: the disadvantages are:

• Higher production costs – Being a relatively new material, CLT is not produced in many locations[citation needed]. Also, the production of CLT panels requires a considerable amount [clarification needed] of raw materials compared to regular stud walls .[citation needed]
• Limited track record – CLT is a relatively new material, so it has not been used in many building projects. A considerable amount [clarification needed] of technical research has been done on CLT [5][14][15][16][17] but it takes time to integrate new practices and results into the building industry because of the building industry's path-dependent culture which resists deviating from established practices.[18][19][20]
• Acoustic performance – In order to achieve acceptable acoustic performance, more CLT panels must be used. According to the CLT handbook, two CLT panels with mineral in-between achieves the international building requirement for sound insulation in walls.[5]:369

There's a real risk in using construction materials and systems that have not been widely used in your area before.

^^^^. THIS.

If you don't have a good GC that has used this before and is comfortable with it - it's a long hard road, that can be fraught with expensive learning.

The use of prefabricated CLT panels might save some time in construction, but it will come with a cost premium. Get your builder to work up an estimate comparing CLT and other alternatives as early as possible in the design phase.

I've got to agree with most of the other posts below.

The time you might save in production will be offset by additional design, engineering and plan review cycles because it is unusual. Are we over 10K sf? Once you go with a unique construction technique in these busy times your pool of interested and available contractors could shrink to near zero, especially in that region.

Production builders are a pretty good gauge of viable & effective construction techniques that are most cost & time efficient. When you see them go steel, it's time to consider for custom if cost is a factor.

Production builders are using a significant percentage of prefab walls now. Truss companies are expanding into walls and floors, so in some cases an entire home can be somewhat factory pre built components sent and assembled on site, saving some labor and time. We're only talking about the framing portion, not the foundation, plumbing, finishing etc.

There are some bay area based prefab builders whose numbers compare favorably to bay area onsite costs, but are usually higher than valley onsite costs and the product is somewhat design restrictive.

Thanks all for the comments.

I am aware of the risks involved in using CLT for residential, which is new for North America, but which has been used extensively in Europe.

I actually like the additional up front engineering as it will give me more control and we are in no rush to start the actual construction.

I have reached out to the West Coast CLT manufacturers. In the meantime, if anyone does know architects with CLT experience, let me know.

Marcel

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To give you an idea of the cost premium for a residential project:

https://www.finehomebuilding.com/2019/08/22/residential-constructions-newest-option-cross-laminated-timber

@Charles Ross Homes Great cost info buried in the study you provided. $76K added cost in an 1850sf home after projected optimization. That is $41 per foot in added framing material costs alone in 2018 dollars. Likely $60-80 per sq ft add in early 2021.

OP - one of the reasons these things get fleshed out beyond what you need is for future readers.

Ross Barney Architects in Chicago have used CLT.

@Jeffrey R. Grenz, General Contractor,

I don't think the cost comparison included design costs. If not, the premium would be even greater. In my experience, the design cost associated with panelized construction is significant on a custom basis. It works if the engineering and design costs can be amortized over lots of units which is what production builders do.