I know very little about Timber Frame Construction methods,things like using SIP's,roofing systems and techniques. In this part of France where we live timber homes are very basic,mostly in kit form and look like large garden sheds.We live in a 18th century former water mill which I have completely rebuilt and the interior is 90% timber (douglas pine and oak) What we are looking for is a good book on Timber Home Construction with info on roof construction and wall construction using SIP's also t… Continue

My wife and I are building our second timber frame home. We are building in the mountains of North Carolina in a small town called Fleetwood. We have 5 acres of nice pasture land. We have our driveway in, septic system installed and
have our basement foundation walls up. We used Superior walls for our foundation. I am in the process of cutting our white pine timbers on my Woodmizer sawmill. We are building a 28'x32' frame. We'll be using sips for the exterior with board and batten siding. I'll b… Continue

As I mentioned in my previous blog, I'm helping my friends, David & Bonnie Pickartz at Goshen Timber Frames with the decor of their new home. We are all alive and still friends, and best of all they are still married through this process.

This is the true test of compatibility, and again, compromise. David & Bonnie have graduated with a degree in The Art of Compromise.

Making choices of decor items is tough. You don't have the actual completed room to look at in order to help yo… Continue

The best way to keep your home cool is to keep the heat out. This can be done by closing the drapes on windows facing the sun (east-facing windows in the morning and west-facing windows in the afternoon). You should also try to avoid heat-generating activities, such as cooking, on hot days or during the hottest part of the day. If you are cooking, use your range fan to vent the hot air out of your house. By reducing the amount of heat in your home, you will have to use less energy to cool it.

W… Continue

We have a one-year old timberframe house in middle Maine. The porch timbers (white oak) have quite a bit of mildew. It was a long winter with a lot of snow and then a rainy spring. The wind blows from the west and north so that the front porch faces east and thus, the airflow is minimal. The timbers have only the original coat of oil. My builder has offered to sand the timbers but is not sure whether to use a bleach and in what proportions. Also, what would be the best suggestion for an oil seal… Continue

I'm on hold for a new building project until we sell one of our Timber Frame Homes on the market. So, helping my friends, David & Bonnie Pickartz with Goshen Timber Frames, create their personal dream home has helped my stagnant creativity lately. As I have mentioned in previous blogs. I love the construction process, each and every step it takes in creating the dream home.

Bonnie & David have allowed me to help them choose their color scheme, tile and flooring selections and contribute… Continue

You’ve established your budget for your new timber home and your architect and builder say it can be built for that amount – but how do you stay true to that magic number? There are several things you can do to help you stay within your budget during the home design process:

1. Divide the total budget by the square footage of your timber frame house, and stay within that dollar amount for each square foot of space. Work with your timber frame architect and builder to stay within allowances.

2.… Continue

I think there is some anti green sentiment out there, the term has become so overused that its meaning is being very diluted. I would like to have a better term. Sustainable could work. I would interpret Sustainable as practices that stretch our resources, protect our enviorment, enhance our lives, increase the livabltliy of a project.

Probably the single most important item in making a project sustainable, in my opinion, is to build a structure that lasts and that people want to live in. Anoth… Continue

As a Timber Frame Home Builder, building green is one of the main focusses for Timberbuilt and our clients. Below is some great information that a colleague gave me about solar. As a financial planner he is showing his clients what a great investment going solar can be.

How much does it COST to go Solar?

There's a lot of interest surrounding solar energy these days. Solar Photovoltaics is the science of converting the sun's rays into usable electricity for our homes and businesses. The technol… Continue

so we are in CA and have just bought a hunk of land in OK, and thats is where we are going eventually
the problem is that although we know alot about building, we don't know much about timber homes.
ok so we got tons ( I mean it...) of info from sellers/venders etc. but there is not many real "videos" that we have found to see what actually happens, and all the "shows" are in the east...
another question is will someone come to meet us and talk to us about what we want and tell us the process?
a… Continue