Check Out Some of Our Latest Projects

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Click here to see the full gallery photos for St. Mary’s College project.

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Click here to see the full gallery for the Chatham County Welcome Center project.

Whole Foods in Dallas, Texas

The Synergy crew at the Whole Foods in Dallas, Texas designing and laying out these nine layer CLT Panels. They’re 10 ft. wide, 36 ft. long and weigh 12,000 pounds.

Click here to check out more project photos from the job.

Protecting Your Building

After spending countless days of work on a construction project, the last thing you want on your mind is the possibility of termites. Even if your building is built with regards to code and regulation, there is never a 100% wood material resistant to termites.

The first step is identifying if your building is at risk of an infestation. It is important to do routine inspections to make sure your building is safe. Termites are extremely damaging and can be detrimental to your building. Things to look for are termite wings and droppings, signs or damaged wood, and hollowed out wooden areas.

The best cure for a termite infestation is prevention. Prevent these pests from entering your building in the first place by using the proper treated lumber and other terminate-resistant materials and foundations. Perform routine inspections yourself, and call a professional to inspect as well to insure that you are not at risk. If your building already has an infestation the best thing to do is call a professional to access the damage.

What are SIPs and Why Use them?

SIPs (Structural Insulation Panels) are building panels used in residential and light commercial roofs, walls and flooring. The panels are made of a center of foam plastic insulation, stuck in between two structural materials. Why choose SIPs instead of other insulation products? SIPs are most durable, cost effective and energy efficient than it’s counterparts.

SIPs are the most environmentally friendly product available. Because SIPs are airtight, it ensures better air quality, reduces construction waste and reduces energy use. SIPs allow for a decreased construction which also helps reduce energy used. SIPs also help ensure the air quality of the building by reducing mold and mildew.

The strength of SIPs are similar to the strength of a steel I-beam. It is compatible with almost any building system and sized to suit the needs of each building. SIPs are easily modified on construction site with the use of a few SIPs specific tools.

As for cost efficiency, SIPs require up to 55% less labor over other conventional products. As previously mentioned, there is also less waste involved with SIPs, meaning there is a decrease on the cost of jobsite waste disposal as well.

What is Cross Laminated Timber?

Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) is an engineered wood used to go along with light and heavy timber building materials. It can be used as an alternative to concrete, steel, and masonry in many different types of building. CLT is a better alternatives for a few reasons.

CLT has more durability when it comes to seismic and fire activity. CLT meets all requirements for fire accidents. It has a high fire rating and acts like concrete when exposed to fire. It is extremely hard to light on fire, and has a tendency to put its own fires out.

Aside from durability, CLT is also more environmentally friendly than its alternatives. The wood is harvested from sustainably managed forests. This, in turn, means that CLT is a very renewable resource, and the processing is less harmful to the environment in comparison to its alternatives like steel and concrete.

Cross laminated timber is sometimes more expensive than other materials, but costs up to 50% less than the others to install. CLT is easier to install. This leads to your building project being done on time, and sometimes even ahead of schedule. Your finished building project will also weigh a fraction of the weight of other construction jobs. If those benefits weren’t enough to get you interested, CLT is safer during construction due to the prefabricated wood panels requiring very little power equipment.

Heavy Timber is a Great Building Option

Heavy timer was the preferred material used for construction long ago, and has recently been making a comeback. Why use heavy timber? Is it really a better option, and why? Heavy timber is a “greener” alternative, a more cost efficient building material, one of the oldest materials used in construction, and fire resistant.

Environmentally Friendly
Heavy timber is a “greener” alternative to steel, due partially to the reduced carbon footprint created during the timbers production. Also, timber is a renewable source.

Cost Effective
Timber has been used as a cheaper alternative to other building materials. It also has significantly more aesthetic appeal than it’s counterparts.

One of the Oldest and Most Reliable
Timber is one of the oldest building materials. Architects and historians have long studied the use to timber in ancient times. It is and has always been a reliable and sturdy material.

Fire Resistant
Surprisingly, heavy timber is actually more fire resistant than steel. When heated, steel has a tendency to expand and lose its stiffness, causes it to collapse. Timber does not expand when heated and retains its strength when exposed to extreme heat that is common in building fires.

Why Glu-lam?

Glulam is a substance made from timber, and is stronger than steel. It requires little maintenance and because it is made from timber, it is a more renewable resource than steel. Glulam is flexible, durable, and more fire resistant than other structural alternatives.

Glulam is a great choice for large structures for many reasons. It is very strong and versatile when used in construction. It can be made large or small, straight or curved for any construction needs. Typically, such versatility is expensive, but glulam is not as expensive as some of its alternatives. Any growth defects in the wood used to make glulam is minimal. It is twice as strong as normal wood.

In addition to being strong, glulam is also more fire resistance than its alternatives. Though, of course, nothing is fireproof, glulam retains its shape more than steel would during a fire. Not only is this substance fire resistance, but it is also chemical resistant, making it top choice for swimming areas. Glulams durability is evident.

Durability, fire and chemical resistant, strength, and sustainability are all reasons why glulam should be considered before building. It requires less maintenance than steel and is almost twice the strength. It is a clear choice for those deciding whether or not to consider using glulam.

Why Cross-Laminated Timber Is Replacing Concrete and Steel

Cross-laminated timber (CLT) is a strong and stable wood construction system used as an alternative to concrete and steel. Widely used in Europe, it’s gaining popularity in North America now. CLT competes with, and even outperforms, steel or concrete for many reasons.


Lumber from harvested tress grown in managed forests provides the foundation for CLT. Wood is the only structurally sound material that is renewable and grows naturally. Plus, research shows yearly net tree growth exceeds net tree harvesting by at least 1% in the United States.


CLT provides dimensional stability and strength performance that matches the weight-to-strength ratio of other commonly used structural materials. CLT continues to outperform all other products available in the US.


The total value of CLT is competitive with other building materials. However, there are additional added benefits, such as:

  • Installation cost is about 50% less than other plate materials
  • Installation is simpler, resulting in faster project completion
  • CLT building structures weigh significantly less (up to 50%) than other construction types, allowing for more cost-effective foundations
  • Workers only need a pneumatic drill to install CLT
  • Pre-fabricated CLT panels increase job safety

Fire Resistance

Even though CLT is comprised of wood, it responds to fire more like concrete. It is difficult to light and tries to self extinguish. CLT is comparable to typical structural construction materials when tested for fire resistance and combustibility, as well.

Bell Lumber & Pole Project

Here’s an article based on a job we did in Utah on the Cabela’s in Farmington UT.

Building Greener with Glulam

Construction and building design now emphasizes a greener environment focusing on energy efficiency, using environmentally friendly materials, and sustainable building practices. One of the best ways to achieve these results is through building with wood.

Contractors can go one step further by using glued laminated timber (glulam) to ensure the use of the greenest wood product. Using glulam products allows for higher strength lumber in areas with added stress points. Glulam products also allow for lower grades of lumber to be used, but still has the strength and fortitude of regular timber. This is accomplished by using more wood fiber in the manufacturing of the product and lower-grade tree or smaller-dimension trees.

Glulam is known for its strength and beauty and is called the workhorse by construction designers. It is commonly used in hidden applications for strength and also can be left exposed for design elements like vaulted ceilings, where strength is needed but beauty is equally important.

Glulam has been manufactured in the United States since the late 1930s. Using glulam increases design values, improves product performance, and decreases cost. Its manufacturers continue to find other ways to make glulam green enough and tough enough to meet today’s construction trends.