Category Archives: Cost

Timber Frames and Flooring

July 14, 2010

Your timber frame home offers lots of opportunities to express your individuality.  As you design and build your new home, you’ll gain insights into the flexibility that timber frames offer.  Is your taste elegant?  Does it lean toward traditional or even rustic?  Your new home will be whatever you wish, just make selections carefully and design it to be the home of your dreams.

While many, if not most, timber frames feature wood flooring, the types and finishes available in wood floors are almost as varied as the styles of timber frame homes.  There is antique flooring, fine clear flooring, and everything in between.  You can choose laminates, hardwood, or even softer pine.

We decided we needed a durable hardwood that would withstand not only people, but dogs without looking worn.  So what better choice than to distress the floor before it went down and not dread that “first scratch”.   Pam and Neal had installed amazing hickory floors in their new timber frame and they guided us on the techniques used so we could enjoy a similar floor.

Starting with a utility (economy) grade hickory, we ended up with an amazing floor that looks as though it has suffered through generations.  It is warm and inviting and handles traffic easily.   The cats, dogs, and human traffic only add to the patina.

The dark color compliments the clary sage walls and lighter timber.   The contrast is stunning and grounds each room.  With rugs (chosen with Pam’s input) defining the different living spaces, this flooring is never overlooked.

While we opted for tile in the bathrooms and mudroom, this warm flooring is used throughout the rest of our home.   It works well even in the kitchen, where spills don’t cause concern.

In using utility grade material (the stuff that didn’t meet the grade for “real” flooring), we feel that we made a step in the sustainable direction.  These trees didn’t die in vain.  Finished with water based stains and polyurethane, the floor offer a non-toxic alternative to many of the products available on the market today.

So, begin thinking about your flooring early on and know all of your options. Go with the floor that will compliment your home and your lifestyle.  There is something out there for everyone and your wood floor should last for a long, long time.  Why “wood” you use anything else?

For some other ideas on designing and building your timber frame home, check out Timber Frame Magazine .

See you soon.

Also posted in Flooring, Interior Design, green building, timber frame, timber frame design, timber frame homes, timber frames – 0 Comments

Green Was Easy with This Timber Frame

February 4, 2010

You know, I think we are all trying a little to hard to make “green building” work.  Today’s building technology, coupled with the age old craft of timber framing, makes being “green” easy.  Timber Frames just lend themselves to being green.

David and I had many of the elements of our timber frame home planned long before we broke ground.  We even designed our green home around some of the “stuff” we loved.

Saving two bath sinks, a great clawfoot bathtub, and an amazing farm sink from the landfill was a beginning.  Reclaiming the tin roof from a chicken house teardown was easy.

Doors…do they really wear out?  We don’t think so.  All the doors in our home, with the exception of one, had earlier lives in homes between 1850 and 1940.  Hinged doors easily became pocket doors and they are charming!

Wood, chestnut and oak, salvaged from teardowns on our property made beautiful cabinetry.  You don’t even have to distress them…it’s there.

Windows can be problematic.  You don’t want to sacrifice the energy efficiency of new windows by reusing old sash windows.  One made a great door for the vanity in the guest bedroom.

Timber frames lend themselves to mirrors with character.  We have old mirrors scattered throughout the house.

So, before you bust the budget and trash the landfill, think a little bit about what you love and how it could be incorporated into your new timber framed home.  We did and we are so pleased.

Also posted in NC HealthyBuilt, construction, green building, timber frame, timber frame home plans, timber frame homes, timber frames – 0 Comments

Energy Efficiency in Our New Timber Frame Home

September 10, 2009
Pickartz Power BillPickartz Power Bill

Energy efficiency is probably the most important step in building a sustainable home.  Our timber frame, enclosed with energy efficient structural insulated panels, is off to a great start in living up to its “energy efficient” label.

Our first electric bill arrived with the grand total of $38.49.  Power tools were still being used to do “punch list” items and we ran the dishwasher much more than usual to clean up dishes that we’d stored in the barn (and the novelty of having a dishwasher again after 12 years without one).

We have fluorescent bulbs in most fixtures (and most fixtures are Energy Star rated), not one incandescent bulb in the house, Energy Star rated appliances and heat pump.  Our on demand water heater is propane, but we expect the cost to operate that to be minimal.   We have more windows than a typical home and a west facing window wall.   We didn’t use the air conditioner much, but the house is so comfortable that we don’t need it.

We will be posting our power bills monthly, so you can help us keep track of our savings.

Timber frames and structural insulated panels present a great opportunity to build a home that will not only be beautiful, but will conserve energy long term.

David and I are excited about this opportunity to live in a new home that “sits gently on the land” … and saves us money.

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Old – New Plumbing Fixtures in Timber Frame Homes

July 15, 2009

For a long time now (a really long time), David and I have been searching for and buying old, cast iron fixtures for our new timber frame.  We found an amazing kitchen farm sink with an apron and drainboard…but it sure is heavy.  We bought a wonderful corner basin for the bath and another old basin and, of course, the clawfoot bathtub.  We saved a little money and kept them out of the landfill.   They have been resurfaced and are in place, waiting for the plumber.

Timber Frame Homes are substantial…like cast iron…and these fixtures just fit well with our new/old home look.  We’ve found faucets that carry the look through and are going make these fixtures feel right at home.

Resurfaced Cast Iron Plumbing Fixtures

Resurfaced Cast Iron Plumbing Fixtures

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Timber Frame Homes Are Amazing

June 24, 2009

Well, I knew this, but as the home nears completion, it is sort of like motherhood all over again.  The front steps are now in and the tile guys and painters (gals) are ready.  The floor is sitting patiently waiting to be laid and the interior and exterior doors are in place.  We are really getting with this old new house project.

Welcome to the Pickartz'

Welcome to the Pickartz

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Green Certification

November 17, 2008

Timber framed homes, wrapped in energy efficient panels, are by nature “green”.  We’ve always encouraged everyone to take into consideration the impact that their new home will make on the Earth and the long term energy consumption and maintenance when considering the “greenness” of building a timber frame.

David and I reviewed the options in our area:   NAHB’s Green Building Program, LEED for Homes, and a regional certification, NC HealthyBuilt Homes Program.  We opted to go with NC HealthyBuilt.  This program aligned well with our goals and the rater is someone who has worked with our general contractor.

We have had reservations, not about building green, but about the added value of certification, so we hope that by having our own home certified we can address the issue more clearly.   The cost to have the home certified is minimal and the steps that we’ve taken to build green are no different than they would be if we were not going to have the home certified.

When we had the plans appraised prior to building the green building certification seemed to have little impact on the appraised value.  However, until more green certified homes are built and sold, this may not change.  We’d like to see an increased value, not only for our home, but for green homes in general.

I’ll more fully outline the steps that we’ve taken and what the impact (both in scheduling and dollars) as we move forward.

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The Construction Budget

November 17, 2008

One of the toughest tasks we encountered was determining the cost to build our new home.  We developed the plans, determined the cost of the timber frame package and then worked with a contractor to get a base cost.  Of course, the budget was preliminary, since many of the finishes weren’t finalized.  However, that gave us a starting place.

The attached PDF was developed using our mortgage companies draw schedule and our contractor’s budget sheet.  It doesn’t cover everything, but it is a good place to start.

Construction Budget

Happy Building!

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