Does 9Wood do Residences ?
The short answer is “No”. 9Wood supplies wood ceilings for commercial architecture.
A full answer is, “Rarely, with one exception.”
The best way to explain this exception—if you’re still curious—is to understand why we focus on commercial architecture. There are four reasons.
- Acoustics. In commercial buildings the problem is quieting noise. Group spaces, after all, are full of active people. And people’s experience of public spaces is improved with careful acoustics. Most homes, in contrast, don’t need special acoustics. (True, high end entertainment centers are the exception; but that only proves the rule.)
- Attachment. T-Bar is used everywhere in commercial ceilings. As a result, wood ceilings are engineered to attach to commercial T-Bar. The benefit to designers is the ability to hide the mechanical (HVAC), electrical (lighting and cable trays) and plumbing (sprinkler systems) behind a suspended ceiling. Most homes don’t face these design challenges.
- Quality Grades. There are three millwork grades: Economy, Custom and Premium. The default grade for commercial projects is Custom grade. Custom, by the way, reflects excellent quality workmanship. Of course, Premium grade is the highest and most expensive. Few architects, however, can justify the budget for Premium grade in a commercial wood ceiling. To deliver the right value to our customers, 9Wood adapted our supply chain and manufacturing to reliably ship Custom grade quality. Homeowners, in contrast, demand Premium grade materials in their homes.
- The installers or Trades. Our customers, acoustical subcontractors and many drywall installers, work exclusively on commercial construction projects. They rarely work on private residences. As a result, 9Wood does not have a network of residential carpenters to ensure successful installations.
Acoustics and Attachments, Grades and Trades. These are the four reasons 9Wood focuses on commercial projects to the exclusion of residential projects.
So what about the exception?
Our progressive linear veneer products are the exception. Progressively installed linear veneer products don’t require acoustics, easily attach to standard house framing, lend themselves with veneers to Premium quality expectations, and can be installed by residential carpenters. We are testing them in a few markets. If designers and their homeowner clients like the look and the price, we’ll expand the offering. This one exception proves the rule, however: the majority of 9Wood’s custom-made wood ceilings fit within commercial construction.