How many homes have you lived in that were well past their prime? Maybe they were drafty or maybe the floors weren’t quite level. Maybe the windows leaked badly or the ridge was beginning to sag. Many homes that have been built in the past century were not built to last. They were built quickly with little oversight. Timber frames are still standing…and still useful…centuries after they were carefully crafted from the materials at hand. 
Timber frames are not disposable homes. They are sustainable in every sense of the word. Today, we understand what our ancestors understood, that a building should last, that it should serve generations.
As we hear the words “green building” and “sustainable”, we need to focus on just what that means to the building process. We can conserve energy and resources by building efficiently and we can conserve even more energy and resources by building a home that will withstand the forces of nature and time. A timber frame won’t have to be shored up or torn down. A timber frame can be renovate without destroying the structure.
So, think about what is going to the landfill today from homes that just couldn’t be saved. Don’t add to that problem. Think of the future as you plan and build your new home.
And whatever you do…build boldly.
Tags: design/build, energy efficiency, green building, healthy homes, sustainability, timber frame design, timber frame homes, Timber Frame Restoration, timber frames
WNC Magazine has a great article about the Pickartz’ new timber frame home in their March/April issue. This insightful piece catches the spirit and character of this timber frame project.
We spent many years planning our new home and were certain that it needed to fit not only our lifestyle, but our style (such as it is).
Timber frames are special homes. They offer each owner the opportunity to develop a plan that just “fits”. With spaces that aren’t confined by bearing walls, they can design around much loved furniture.
You can visit the Pickartz home either in person (by calling Bonnie at Goshen) or virtually (at http://www.buildingatimberframe.com ). It is compact and charming.
So check out the magazine online or pick up a copy. This is their annual home and garden issue and you will find great information.
Tags: design/build, energy efficiency, green building, small homes, sustainability, timber frame design, timber frame homes, timber frame plans, timber frames, Tour of Homes
If timber frames are wonderful and beautiful and full of character, then that speaks volumes about the people drawn to them. Today I was showered with kindness and it came from people we’ve met through our timber frame business. What a great way to make a living!
Mike and Carol dropped by on their way to celebrate their meeting 46 years ago! They were high school sweethearts and have been together ever since. 
Their timber frame was a dream that hung in there through a career in the Navy, raising children, and a business. They are living in their dream home today. And today, they brought us a great carving that Mike created with the Goshen name and logo on it. Are they wonderful, or what?
Jordan and Mike are thinking about a new home. It might be a timber frame and we got to spend some time with them recently. What a pleasure and I’m sure the beginning of a great friendship! Today Jordan dropped by with lovely yellow tulips and a card thanking us for taking time to share what we love with them! This breath of spring makes me smile and be thankful for the people that come through our doors.
So today was made even more special by these thoughtful and wonderful people. Life just doesn’t get any better than that! Thank you to Jordan and Mike and Carol and Mike (not to be confused with the other Mike) for making my day special.
Building timber frames and building relationships. What a great match!
Tags: timber frames
Scale is important in designing any home, but is critical in designing timber frames. Those soaring ceilings, so lovely in the glossy magazine photos, can easily be overwhelming. The vastness of open living spaces needs to be brought to a human scale. Balance in designing these spaces is critical.
We’ve seen the too small space with the too tall ceiling. Makes you think of a rocket ship or maybe Rapunzel’s tower. Then you have the too large space with the vast, vaulted ceiling. Maybe nice for a pavilion or barn, but maybe not so nice for a home. Bringing it all together, capturing the grandeur while not letting it overpower the home and its occupants, is challenging.
Your designer should bring this to your attention and engage you as you work to design just the right home. Experience in designing timber frame homes and in good building concepts is critical. Designing a wonderful, beautiful timber frame is not quite the same as designing wonderful, beautiful timber frame homes. A timber frame can stand alone, majestic. However, the same frame, when inside a room can make the occupants and furniture seem insignificant.
Scale is the crucial element. The heavy timbers should enhance the room and bring warmth and shelter to all who enter. Changing the style of the timber frame and mixing room heights works well. The bents, trusses, or assemblies should accent the room, not detract from it. Scaling the timber frame to the room size will help to make that happen.
Your timber frame designer can offer a 3D walkthrough of your home. This interactive walkthrough will help you to “feel” the timber frame and how it relates to the windows, doors, and layout. While it may have the feel of a video game, it works to help determine whether the room will bring the warmth and character that you are seeking.
So step back. Soaring ceilings, with properly scaled rooms, right-sized fireplaces, proper placement of doors and windows, can offer the most magnificent of homes. Vast rooms and towering ceilings that don’t “fit”, can leave you cold.
As you design your home, recognize this as an issue to be addressed and ask your timber frame designer to help you with scale.
And, as you build, don’t forget to build boldly.
Tags: design/build, timber frame design, timber frame homes, timber frame plans, timber frames
Time is getting short and we have a couple of spaces left in our Spring Timber Frame Workshop.
For the past 14 years, Goshen has shared the craft of timber framing with folks (young and old, men and women) from around the country and around the world. The week-long workshop takes place here in Franklin, North Carolina and the students get to cut and raise a small frame.
So check us out at Timber Frame Workshops and join the program. This will be your last chance until October, so don’t miss it. You could even cut your own timber frame this summer.
See ya, Bonnie.
Our recent visit to the International Builders’ Show reinforced our knowledge that a timber frame is a world apart from a conventionally framed home.
As we visited the vendors and viewed the new products, one of the things that kept coming to mind was that many were addressing problems that don’t arise in timber frame construction. Insulation, infiltration, remodeling issues (bearing walls), design issues (bearing walls), and much other information was alien to us. Polyurethane posts and trim were interesting, as were fake beams that weighed about as much as a cardboard box and finished to look like distressed timber. You’ve got to love ingenuity.
Since we use structural insulated panels to wrap our homes, we didn’t have to discuss the differences in how to insulate between studs in stud walls. We didn’t have to discuss the different truss configurations. Our timbers take care of everything.
Timber Frames seem to solve many of the problems that builders are struggling with today. We see more timber frames today than in recent history and I expect we will see even more as the importance of a sustainable structure is acknowledged.
Tags: energy efficiency, green building products, international builders show, sustainability, timber frame homes, timber frames, timber framing
The annual NAHB’s International Builder’s Show is possibly the most important event of the year for builders to review products, expand their business knowledge, and bring back to their clients a better understanding of what will help them to make their project more successful, be it a cabin in the woods or a multi-million dollar commercial endeavor.
Designing and building timber frames doesn’t isolate us from the rest of the building world. A timber frame company should be able to speak with authority to much more than building timber frame homes. We should be informed and educated about all the components that bring the project together. That isn’t to say that we can be expected to be experts in all the building trades. We should, however, be conversant with the most current building materials and practices.
The Builders’ Show gives us the chance to make sure that we have answers…or at the very least know where to get the answers for our clients. We’ll spend three days from early morning until late in the day trying to take it all in. The recipients of all this hard work will be the clients for whom we design and build timber frames.
We’ll come back excited about new technology and a lot more able to supply the information that’s important to anyone building today.
That said, I’ll close for now.
Tags: design/build, education, green building products, international builders show
Daylighting is a design and build technique that allows window placement so that natural daylight can be used as internal lighting in homes and buildings. Timber frames make daylighting an easy and natural process.
In a timber frame home, the posts and beams carry the structure, with panels (or another enclosure method) wrapped around this superstructure. Walls can literally be built with windows, but that probably isn’t a good choice in most homes simply because of the energy efficiency. However, it is wise to install as many properly placed windows as feasible to minimize the electric light needed during the day.
Natural light provides a more comfortable light and, limiting the number of lights that need to burn is an energy saving measure.
Dalighting should be considered for all new homes, working with your designer and timber framer to place windows to take advantage of the orientation of your timber frame. There are many options … windows, skylights, clerestory windows, light shelves, and even sunrooms. Using your site and orientation, the style of home you chose, and your lifestyle, the architect or designer will help you to make choices that will enhance the light in your new home.
Don’t discount the comfort factor of natural light.
And remember to not only build, but build boldly!
Tags: daylighting, design/build, energy efficiency, green building, Kit Homes, timber frame homes, timber frames
As you make a decision to build a timber frame, you will probably be thinking about more than the beautiful beams and great open spaces. You will be considering the size and style and you might be considering how much money you will save in your comfortable, energy efficient timber frame home.
As you ponder your choices, the “efficiency factor” needs to considered. Your home will be carefully crafted in a controlled environment and ready for assembly onsite. (The waste timbers (minimal at best) will be put to good use at the shop…ours heat our shop.). The structural insulated panels that enclose your new home will be manufactured for just your home … again waste will be kept to a minimum. When the crew arrives to raise and enclose your timber frame, the process will take only days…not weeks.
So efficiency begins early in the process of building your new timber frame home. The contractor should be encouraged to make best use of materials that he will add to complete your home. He doesn’t fill up the landfill with trash and you save money in hauling fees.
That efficiency will continue as you select appliances and finishes. Energy Star rated appliances will very efficiently save you money (both as tax credits and in long term usage). WaterWise plumbing fixtures do the same.
So let’s think green …both as an eco-decision and about the money you’ll save…and include the efficiency factor in all our discussions and decisions.
Tags: energy efficiency, healthy homes, sustainability, timber frame design, timber frame homes, timber frames
Hybrid timber frames are not new. Since early timber frame homes were usually kept in a family for generations, it was common for additions to be added as the family grew or as its circumstances changed. These additions were often added with whatever construction method was popular at that time.
Today hybrid timber frames are often a budget consideration. Other times timber framing may be used to add architectural interest to an otherwise unexceptional design or as an addition.
In the timber frame industry, a hybrid will often be fully timber framed in the more public areas (great room, dining room, porches, etc) and the rest of the house built with structural insulated panels. This manner of construction will serve several purposes:
1) The timber frame is showcased in an area that can be enjoyed by everyone.
2) Construction costs can be minimized.
3) Other architectural accents (coffered or tray ceilings, crown molding, etc) can be used without compromising the timber frame.
Some hybrid homes are built that offer no hint of timber frame in non-timberframed areas. At Goshen we typically incorporate timbered ceilings into our hybrids.While saving money, we still have the look and feel of heavy timber in most rooms.
Timber frames should be designed to be “homeowner specific”. Whether using a stock plan or designing a custom home. A hybrid timber frame can be an answer for many.
So, in your search for a home, don’t be timid, and do Build Boldly.
Tags: design/build, Hybrid Homes, timber frame design, timber frame homes, timber frame plans, timber frames