Category Description:
(Excerpt from Timber Frame Business Council)
Timber framing is a specific type of post and beam construction in which a frame is created from solid wood timbers that are then connected by any one of the following wooden joints: mortise and tenon, dovetails, or scarfs secured with hardwood pegs. The frame is covered with any one of a number of enclosure systems. Normally the timbers remain exposed to the interior of the building.
Timber frame structures exhibit a strength and aesthetic quality not found in conventionally framed houses. The timbers are pre-cut, shaped, and finished at the factory, then sent to the construction site, where they can be quickly assembled by a crew, routinely using cranes to lift the bents and beams into place. The use of quality wood, enhanced by joinery that compares with fine cabinet making, maximizes the strength of the timberframe structure. Joinery is the heart of the entire structure.
The exterior of the timber frame home can be traditional, colonial, contemporary, rustic, oriental, southwestern, or any other desired style. The interior can achieve an individual style by choosing from variety of the timbers like red oak, white oak, Douglas fir, white pine, yellow pine, spruce or heart pine or other. The timbers can be milled square or hand-hewn, unseasoned or old, seasoned reclaimed materials that come with a history. The location of exposed posts, beams, purlins, rafters and summer beams can vary greatly and the design of trusses can add a tremendous and lasting character to the home.
Timber-frame home walls and the roofs are usually sheathed with structural insulated panels (also known as "stress skin" panels or SIP), insulating the house as well as enclosing a timber frame from the elements. SIP panels are easy to cut for doors and windows openings, offer higher R-values than conventional framed walls and roofs and provide straight and rigid surface for interior and exterior finishing.
Advantages:
A timbeframe home gives high, vaulted ceilings and as much room to stretch one's legs as desired. The home can be customized to suit any personal taste and the individual preferences in appearance can be a major factor of home's layout. The darker color of the wood can be enhanced with drywall and white paint, creating a contrast to the exposed timbers and providing better light than houses with all of the wood exposed.
Disadvantages:
Timberframing involves the art of handcraftment. Since few people build with this method, this method might not be as readily available in every area of the country as other types of construction.
Associations:
Timber Framers Guild
Timber Frame Business Council
Timber Frame Publications:
Timber Frame Homes Magazine
Timber Homes Illustrated
Timber Framing, the Journal of the Timber Framers Guild
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