Crews at Western Building Center’s truss and wall plant in Columbia Falls recently moved into a new 24,000 square foot facility as demand for housing and commercial framing continues to grow.

The new facility houses the company’s wall and floor trussing operation, while the roof trusses are made in an adjacent building, noted manager Don McGrady during a recent tour of the facility, which opened just a few weeks ago.

The company can provide all the framing needs for a contractor or a homeowner — they just need to bring in the pans for the structure. WBC takes the job from there — delivering the frames to the job site.

Then they just have to be assembled.

“We sell time,” McGrady said.

The process of creating a frame starts with a plan, then the specs are entered into a computer. The data is sent to a saw which cuts and marks the lumber according to the specs.

Crews then assemble the frames using both hand and power tools according to the plans. A specialized roller is then used to press the frames together. Walls are nailed together by crews using commercial-grade nail guns. The process is very efficient and quite fast compared to a framing crew working out in the elements, McGrady noted.

And its not just residential homes. The company has also made framing for hotels, motels and other structures. They even made their own new warehouse — nearly all of it is wood.

The company started out in the truss business several years ago and has steadily grown since then. They employ 23 workers on the floor and an additional 12 office staff. Western Building Centers as a whole have more than 300 employees across its stores in Montana. All told, they’re the largest retail lumber yard in the state.

The company uses locally sourced lumber from F.H. Stoltze Land and Lumber Co. in Columbia Falls.

“It’s not all Stoltze, but I sure try to get their products as much as I can,” McGrady said. “They’re a great outfit to work with.”

Business has been brisk, McGrady said. The company centers most of its work on projects in Montana, though it has done some in Idaho as well, he noted.

To contact WBC framing division, visit the company’s website at: https://westernbuildingcenter.com/services/builder-services/