When you think you know everything there is to know ...

We now have two timber frame homes under our belt. I thought after the first one we built, that the second would be a piece of cake. But, great lessons from each home.

Electrical - both were hybrid timber frame homes built with SIP panels. In addition to the SIP panels we wanted to tongue & groove the ceilings. So, the necessity of having all the electrical laid out prior to ordering the panels was really worrysome, to say the least. We wanted to showcase the artistry of the beams with lighting, in addition to the usual needs of surface and task lighting, cable/satellite, stereo, communication cabling locations, etc. Finding someone at your lighting store that has experience with timber frame construction is rare. You can make some last minute changes while on site during the raising if your timber framers are flexible like mine were (thanks to Goshen). But, to keep the integrity of the SIPs, the key issue here is the ability to visualize your completed home at the design phase. Easy for me to say, some people are good at it, others are overwhelmed.

There are computer programs that some of the timber framing companies and designers/architects are using to help their clients 3 dimensionally see their finished product. I recommend this. It allows you to see where the beams are in the room, you can visualize the interior walls, and the exterior of your home to help you make many choices, not just electrical, early in the project. I met someone who was getting ready to build his home and he built a mini-model so he could visualize each and every beam. I know it took him hours. But the end result was fantastic.

I'll continue blogging and sharing our lessons learned along the way.