Category Archives: weather

Timber Frames and Energy Efficiency

August 9, 2010

Well, it’s been hot this summer, some say record-breaking hot, but you couldn’t tell it by the energy usage for our timber frame home.   This timber frame, wrapped in energy efficient structural insulated panels, has met and exceeded our expectations.

Timber frames and SIPs are a great combination when it comes to a well insulated home.  Even with walls of windows, which are notoriously inefficient, and an electric dryer, we are not seeing the high power bills that might be expected.

Of course, we have all Energy Star rated appliances and fixtures, use fluorescent bulbs, and are manic about turning off lights when we aren’t in the room.  However, our 2 ton heat pump and fans are keeping our timber frame home cool and comfortable.

Last month we topped out at $74 and this month we went down to $72. We are pleased at the money we’ve saved…and at the energy we’ve saved.   Our home is 1700 square feet and we cook most days (heating up the house) and embraced daylighting and have more than our share of windows.  We do use our ceiling fans and we keep the house cool during the day just because it’s our “model” home.  I guess I can say our “model energy saving home”, can’t I?

All these years I’ve been encouraging people to consider using panels on their home and I am pleased.  I’d like to know how much energy is saved every year just in timber frames with insulated panel enclosures.  That would be a significant number, I’d think.  Sustainable homes are important to each of us.

So, I’ll sit here and not stress over the heat and high utility bills, and I might hope for cooler weather so we can open the windows and go back to our $30 power bills of the spring.

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Timber Frames – Solid and Strong

July 26, 2010

We often sit back and marvel at the beauty of our timber frame home, but it’s easy to forget that timber frames are solid and strong, carrying their loads with dignity for generations.  Wood is a very forgiving building material.  As in nature, it offers strength along with it’s flexibility.

We can look at buildings around the world, building built with wood and joinery, much as timber frames are built today and get an idea of the sustainability of timber frames.

The gingerbread houses in Haiti offer a look at how timber frames handled the devastating earthquake.  The Earthquake Engineering Research Institute found that only 10% of these homes suffered more than moderate damage, while many or  most of the other buildings suffered irreparable damage (13 of 15 government buildings collapsed).  Many of these gingerbread homes had little or no maintenance and still survived better than newer construction.

With better understanding of engineering, today’s timber frames are built to withstand the forces of nature and man.  What a great way to build and a secure way to live.

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Spring is Upon our Timber Frame

April 23, 2010

Spring has sprung.  Well, almost.  There was frost on Thursday morning (April 22), but the flowering cherry tree says it’s Spring as it smiles on the new timber frame home it didn’t get to greet last year.

Timber frames work easily with Spring weather.  Windows come open and sunshine fills the space.  The timbers stand proud and strong and welcome the fresh air. We open the windows during the warm days and close them as evening nears, saving the warmth in our well insulated home.  Heat hasn’t been on in several weeks even though some nights have been near or below freezing and we’ve had frost several times.

We are looking forward to having our windows open and a fresh breeze at night, breezes to bring us dreams of faraway places and wondrous things. Those days will be here soon enough.

Now, the planting has begun.  Garden, flower beds, cleaning up the winter debris…there are plenty of tasks for every day.  I do see how folks worked from sunup until sundown without ever going to town.

But, I need to head to the office, leaving behind this bloom-covered tree and my sheltering timber frame.

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In a Timber Frame the Living is Easy

March 10, 2010

Spring is approaching and our timber frame is ready for the new season.  The light filtering in through the windows is changing from that winter clear to a spring dazzle.  The timber frame is highlighted by the sunbeams and with the time changing next week, the sunny evenings will seem longer.

Our timber frame porches have waited patiently for these days.  They’ll be washed and swept and the rockers and porch swing will get lots of use.  Coffee will be sipped on the side porch as we watch the birds come to the pond for a drink and the fish break water.

Your timber frame should “grow” in the warm months.  Timber frames are a natural when it comes to outdoor living space.   They offer the same charm and stability that you have inside and comfortably frame your views and access to the outdoors.

We’ll have photos of the yard work in progress soon.  David is having shoulder trouble (a timely ailment, huh?), but we’ll get it done and our new timber frame home, resting comfortably on the space that was occupied by our old, worn home, will settle into the timeless setting.

So, after a long, wet, and white winter we are ready for daffodils, grass, birds, and buds…all viewed through open windows and in fresh air.

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Our Timber Frame’s First Snow

December 19, 2009

Snow settled into the mountains of Western North Carolina on Friday and on our new timber frame home.  Timber frames just seem to accept the snow as a given, still providing comfortable shelter and a serene presence.

While designing our timber frame, one of the items that was important was a Timber Frame View From the Officesmall home office, not isolated, but comfortable enough for me and my sidekick (also known as my laptop).  I wanted light…natural daylight.. and I didn’t want to feel closed off.  Well, it happened and this snowy day made me realize just how important it was.

We had about six inches of snow and with our heat set at 63, never felt a chill.  The double paned, argon gas, low e (and whatever else was included) in our Jeldwen Windows paid off.  The Thermocore insulated panels kept the heat in and the cold out.  That’s the way it’s supposed to work, right?

As the day closed, I sent David out into the snow to catch a couple of photos of the timber frame with snow on itTimber Frames First Snow (I grew up in far west Texas and snow wasn’t in our picture).  He’d already been to the barn and even driven me to town (where the grocery store was without power and closing for the day), so this wasn’t a big imposition.

So, our timber frame proved itself once more, sheltering and warm, we are pleased to live in a timber frame and to be a part of helping others do the same.

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The Sounds of a Timber Frame

December 2, 2009

A timber frame “speaks” to the owners.  With stick framed houses you often hear noises as the house settles, particularly at night as the air cools off.

In a timber frame, the timbers will sound off, often as the seasons change, and you are either heating (drying out the air) or cooling (adding moisture to the air).

While I’ve heard tales of pops that sound like a shotgun going off, our house seems to speak softly in the night.  These sounds aren’t loud and disruptive or scary, just a gentle mention that this timber frame is built with wood, a natural product that breathes even after it is cut from the earth.   Since timbers are left in much their natural state (well, squared off and joined, but not cut down to sticks), I like to think of these sounds as the sounds of the forest…brought to live indoors and domesticated.

So expect your home to speak and to when it does, smile and remember that you’ve connected with nature in a most wonderful way.

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Timber Frames and Structural Insulated Panels

November 18, 2009

I suppose that everyone gets much of this, but I can’t emphasize enough how important a tight, well insulated shell is to your timber frame home.  Even with temperatures dropping below freezing and “frost on the pumpkin”, our heat is seldom on and never comes on during the night.

SIPS (structural insulated panels) provide an enclosure for timber frames that, in my humble opinion, can’t be beat.  They enclose the frame quickly and efficiently and provide long term benefits.  What more can we ask for?

Our timber frame is enclosed with urethane panels.  Over the years Goshen has tried other panels and enclosure methods and we keep coming back to these panels.  Our experience with them and our research into the different products have made us believers in their durability, sustainability, and performance.

The walls around our new home are sound.  Our small home truly shelters us from the weather.

While our home is almost a full timber frame, our mudroom Structural Insulated Panels in Hybrid Timber Frame Homeis built with panels and offers the same comfort and efficiency as the rest of the enclosure. We design and build many hybrid homes with timber framing in the living areas and panelized construction for the rest of the home.  A great compromise without sacrifice (well…not much sacrifice).

So, we’ll continue to enjoy our new home and to embrace energy efficient, beautiful buildings as the only way to build.

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Timber Frame Home Open House

October 19, 2009

Our timber frame home open house was a great success!  Legions of visitors (well…150 plus) toured, ate, drank and shared their time with us.

Our timber frame welcomed all with grace.  The timbers, stately and warm, were the perfect backdrop for the guests.  There were surprises for all.  The screendoor on the bedroom closet was a hit and the glass loft railing opened lots of discussion, but he timber frame itself, charming and welcoming, was the centerpiece.

The large crowd in the small house was an early concern, but the open floor plan and covered porches handled it all with ease.  Even small timber frames entertain well!

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The Pickartz End Drought and Heat Wave

November 21, 2008

I guess we may be responsible for the rain, snow and freezing weather.  All we needed to do was start to build.  Since digging the footers, we have had more precipitation than we’ve had in months.

Is this going to slow us down?   Only until we get the frame and panels up…then the subs have an insulated shell in which to work.  Does it get any better than that?

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