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Notes from JLC Live 2026, April 5, 2026
This was my fourth consecutive year attending JLC Live, and the first time I brought my team with me.
JLC Live is a construction conference focused on residential building, where professionals from across the industry come together to learn, teach, and share ideas. It’s an opportunity to step away from the day-to-day work and spend time focused on improving the craft, whether that’s through new building methods, a better understanding of building science, or refining how projects are managed.
While most contractors were working away on their projects for clients, we were in Providence, RI, learning from master carpenters, exploring better approaches to building science, and continuing our ongoing development as professional carpenters. We spent time in seminars covering both hard and soft skills, from cutting a stair stringer more accurately to managing a project in a way that creates a better client experience.
This kind of time is important to us because construction is an evolving profession. Methods, materials, and expectations are constantly changing, and staying engaged with that progress allows us to make better decisions and ultimately deliver better results for our clients.
Piha Construction owner Isaac Piha (right) and carpenter Tony Smith (left) at JLC Live 2026 in front of a live building demonstration.
I've developed a lot as a carpenter since I was first paid to swing a hammer in 2005. A lot of the time, the best teacher in construction is doing something wrong and having to fix it, but that can only take you so far.
I place a high value on continuing education in my company. It's important to keep learning new approaches to construction. Just because something has been done the same way for years doesn't mean it's the best way to do it, or even the right way to do it. Our clients are investing a lot of money into their projects, and they deserve a team that is informed and continually improving.
This year at JLC Live, our company focused on two main areas: roof framing and designing well-performing wall assemblies.
As a framing contractor, we can always improve the efficiency and precision of how we build roofs. Our crew attended an incredibly detailed and insightful course on the first day of the conference, Advanced Efficient Roof Cutting, taught by master roof cutter Ryan Smith, President of Roof Cutter’s Inc. in North Tonawanda, NY (Roof Cutter Inc. ).
Ryan has developed a process for laying out complex roofs using full-scale plan view drawings. This allows him to work through all of the roof geometry ahead of time, precut rafters and ridge members off site, and then assemble the structure with a high level of accuracy, confidence, and efficiency.
What stood out to us was how this level of planning leads to better results in the field. Even though much of this work is never seen by the homeowner, it directly impacts the final outcome. With a deeper understanding of how pitches and framing members interact, we’re able to build roofs that maintain clean lines and symmetry, even in more complex designs.
Stepping away from roof framing, we also learned from Dan Kolbert, of Kolbert Building, a leader in the building science community in the Northeast and co-author of Pretty Good House.
His focus was on how wall assemblies perform over time, particularly how moisture moves through a wall. We looked closely at vapor and where that moisture will condense within an assembly. This pushed us to think more carefully about how materials are selected and layered, so that we avoid creating conditions that lead to mold growth or long-term damage to the structure.
Pretty Good House is a great reference for anyone interested in building durable, high-performance homes.
Joe Canning of Concord Carpenter demonstrating hip truss roof construction at JLC Live 2026.
The team at Sash and Frame demonstrating a vacuum glass handler and its ability to precisely position large glass units using remote control.
We also spent some time talking with a company called Sash and Frame, who, among other things, rents vacuum glass handlers for installing large windows. These systems can be attached to a crane or telehandler, allowing installers to safely and efficiently place large glass units in areas that would otherwise be difficult to reach. It’s a much better alternative to trying to maneuver large windows by hand in tight or elevated conditions.
Attending JLC Live each year continues to reinforce something I’ve come to believe strongly about this work. There is always more to learn, and the more we understand about how buildings go together, the better decisions we can make in the field.
Whether it’s improving how we frame a roof, thinking more carefully about how a wall assembly performs over time, or finding better and safer ways to install materials, all of it contributes to a better finished product. Much of that work may never be seen directly, but it plays a critical role in how a project looks, performs, and lasts.
We plan to be back again in 2027, continuing to build on what we’ve learned and stay engaged with how the industry is evolving. We’ll also be sharing more detailed thoughts on some of the topics and materials we came across this year in future posts.
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