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.

The kitchen in our new home is 10′ X 11′, small by today’s standards, but a very workable space.   Choices like painted cabinets (to make the space feel larger) and open upper cabinets helped to make the kitchen work.

Smaller doesn’t mean ordinary.  Concrete countertops, buffed to a warm glow, work well with our timber frame.  The open cabinets are stained a warm expresso to match the trim throughout the house.  The salvaged farmsink has mass and character and with its attached drainboard is exceptionally functional.

Since our taste in dishes leans toward solid primary colors (think Fiesta Ware) and white, the open cabinets will display bright pieces and bring color into the kitchen.  Baskets will hold our tablecloths and napkins.  The lighted space on top of the cabinets with display bowls and serving pieces we use, but not as often.

We gave up some of the things we thought were important (a cherished antique butcher block…carted from home to home for years will now live in our son’s timber frame home) and will store larger, seldom used pieces a few steps away from the kitchen in a storage room/pantry under the stairs.

Designing and building your smaller home is about choices and lifestyles.  If you need space for many cooks and prefer an eat-in kitchen, you can still build a smaller home, you’ll just need to allocate that space accordingly.

Your timber frame home can be all you want…and more…a sustainable, energy efficient model for others to follow.  It will serve you well.

That said, I’ll sign off for now.

Concrete Countertops Bring Warmth to This Timber Frame Kitchen

In the back of our minds, always, was the fact that this home had to meet some of the norms of the appraisal process.  Just because we would have a timber frame, concrete countertops (a product often more expensive than granite), and Energy Star compliant appliances and fixtures didn’t mean that they would add that same value in the appraiser’s eye.  Our energy efficient structural insulated panels will keep our utility bills in check, but again they may not add value when it comes time to appraise.

There is no line item on an appraisal report for “energy efficient” or “green” or “low maintenance”.  While these items have an objective basis, they are still subjective when pulling numbers together.

Those of us who build, own, and/or live in timber frames understand the intrinsic value, but how to impart that value and how to put a dollar value on it is almost impossible.

I don’t envy appraisers today.  They are held to high standards, yet every bank, homeowner, and real estate agent, has a model in their mind that may or may not fit with the actual numbers and calculations that an appraiser must use to reach his/her valuation.

Comparing local properties that have sold (particularly in today’s deflated housing market) can be tough.   The number of properties sold within a fixed time (from six months to a year depending on the rules) and within a fixed area are often limited.

As you design and build your home, keep in mind that somewhere along the way it may need to appraise to comparable properties (unless you are building with cash) and make design and material decisions that will work for you, not against you.

We built a smaller than average home, but with higher than average finishes.   In the appraisal process,  the comparable homes were larger, so money was deducted due to the size of our home.  The finishes were of higher quality and this helped us to recoup those deductions.    We credit the workmanship and quality that was integrated into our new home in increasing it’s value in this unstable housing market.

That said, I’ll sign off for now.

Timber Frame Loft