Tag Archives: timber frame home plans

You Can’t Beat a Timber Frame Porch

June 28, 2010

Timber frame porches offer shelter from the sun, wind, and rain.  They also offer much, much more.  The space extends your living area outdoors, expanding the space you live in and making it comfortable to live in a smaller space inside.Timber Frame porches offer shelter

The front porch on our timber frame serves as a place to drink our morning coffee…and a glass of wine with friends in the evening.  As we sat and worked on green beans from the garden, it brought back memories of grandmothers and mothers sitting on front porches in aprons as they prepared food for canning and freezing.

Flowers, both those brought from inside after a long winter of sunshine through the windows, and those planted in the spring, thrive on the porch.  They fill the air with fresh, natural scents and the vibrant greens and amazing color lift the heart.  These plants, sheltered by the timber frame of the porch, bring a smile to everyone who comes up the steps.

After a long, hard day, sitting on the porch swing (just swinging) is a nice way to end the day.

Whether you porch is large and grand and opens to views of mountains and lakes or whether it’s smaller and reminiscent of your grandparents’ porch, it connects you to the outdoors…to life larger than yourself.

So, stop on by, sip a tall glass of iced tea, and swing or rock for a while.  We’ll be waiting.

Also tagged , , , , , , , – No Comments

Timber Frames and Smart Cars – A Common Thread

June 18, 2010

Timber Frame and Smart CarTimber frames have been on the cutting edge of sustainability for far longer than there has been a “green building” movement.    Building with minimally processed timber, using minimal embodied energy, and building homes that will be in place for centuries without degrading is pretty much a definition of green.

As we designed and built our timber frame home, much thought went into not only what went in, but what might come out in the future.  We understood that while nothing lasts forever, timber frame homes should last darn near that long.

Recently we received an email that stated ” The Smart ForTwo is 95% Recyclable”. I had to step back and think about our timber frame homes.  Can we make the same claim?   Are we doing everything possible to build homes that will not only sit lightly on the land today, but will not be a burden in a landfill in years to come?

The choices we make today as we build, and as we live, don’t only impact us, they impact generations.  So think about each step you take and remember that the footprint you leave is there forever.  It won’t wash away with the next rain or be covered over easily.

Also tagged , , , , , , , , , – No Comments

Designing Timber Frames

May 1, 2010

Designing timber frame homes is a very personal journey for homeowners.  We started designing our own timber frame almost fifteen years before we actually built it.  The design we ended up building was not even close to the early designs.   We built a smaller, more charming home.   We traveled many roads leading to this design, discussing simplicity and complexity, weighing the size and scale options, and always, style.

We poured over books of very old home designs.  The kit homes from Sears, Wardway, Aladdin, and Van-Tine offered a sense of history.  Stickley’s craftsman homes were charming.  Many of these designs offered character that would work well when translated into timber frame construction.  So much of what made them special and unique actually carried from one design to another.  They were designed to a human scale, something missing in many homes today.

The Creekside was designed to fit our lifestyle and to be comfortable.  It sits on a small footprint and is energy efficient.  The living space is open and flows well, but not overwhelming.  We designed in smaller, cozy spaces for the office and reading nook, while making sure that this home will age in place.   Designing a timber frame home that brought all of this together was important to us.

Sharing this experience with people who visit us at Goshen Timber Frames is important to us.  We want to help them design a home that works for them.  We see many clients who are interested in the older character and style similar to our home.  Whether they want smaller or larger, they are looking for a sense of shelter in their new home.

So, my advice as you research your new timber frame is to design and build what draws you, what engages you, and what works for you.  Don’t think about the current trends, but design a home that fits with your land and your lifestyle.  You will be well rewarded.

Also tagged , , , , , , – No Comments

Building A Timber Frame is Featured

February 23, 2010

Timber frames are often featured in magazines.  They are beautiful and offer wonderful opportunities for exciting photos.  However, when a home that you’ve put years of time and effort into designing, building, and outfitting is featured, well, it doesn’t get any better than that.  WNC Magazine has an article about our new timber frame home in their March/April issue.

Gil Stose , an amazing photographer, worked with Rita Larkin to catch the very essence of this timber frame.  Rita wrote the article in a voice that captured not only our home, but our personalities.   She did a great job.

Building this timber frame home has certainly been an adventure.  Using the elements that we collected over the years and bringing it all together into a warm and welcoming home has been very rewarding.

Designing and building your home shouldn’t be simple and it shouldn’t be mundane.  Your heart should be captured in its design and in the materials, furniture, and items that go into your new home.  This article just makes me realize even more that everyone at Goshen Timber Frames , not just David and I, love what they do.

So pick up a copy of WNC’s March/April magazine and read all about our new timber frame home and then go on to peruse all the other great stories that bring WNC alive.

Also tagged , , , – No Comments

Timber Frame Photo Gallery

January 6, 2010

Okay, so this timber framed home gets photographed a lot.  Since we waited so long to build a timber frame, it’s sort of like a grandchild.  That said, I’ve added a new gallery link to our blogroll.  Just click here or the link to the right to check out the photos.

I find myself watching for photo opportunities and then, when I look at the photo I just took realizing that I’d taken that photo several times.  Maybe the seasons will bring new photos…and the landscaping…and the new studio…etc.

Your timber frame should excite you the same way.  You should be involved from the beginning and look forward to taking sharing your new home.

All that said, I probably need to charge the batteries on the camera.  Have a great day!

Also tagged , , – 1 Comment

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.

Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , – No Comments

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.

Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , – No Comments

Designing Efficient Timber Frames

November 13, 2009

When home plans are discussed, we tend to talk about floor plans, elevations, sections, details, and foundations.  We need to make “efficiency” one of those key elements.

Your timber frame home should be efficient in every manner.  It should, of course, be energy efficient.  It should be space efficient.  It should make efficient use of materials.  This list can go on and on, with efficient being the key word.

Of course, designing only the amount of space you use is the first step.  While we’d all like to have unlimited room to roam and to escape, be realistic.   Think through the way you live as you design your new timber frame.  Timber Frame

Don’t build too small and then necessitate remodeling in a few years…but don’t build rooms that no one will ever occupy (maybe Aunt Sue will come to visit someday, but if you are building that room just for her and she’s never left her hometown, then maybe you can better utilize that money and rent her a nice room at the local B&B if she arrives).  Don’t build just to keep up with the Joneses or Browns.    They will be spending money to maintain those rooms when you can be spending yours to travel.

If there are two of you for eleven and three quarter months of the year, do you need three more bedrooms and three more baths for the two weeks you have company?

A timber frame does give you the flexibility to move walls without major engineering. This means you can enclose or open up rooms as your life and lifestyle changes.

Efficient use of materials is important.  Plan your home wisely, using products that are sourced locally or regionally whenever possible.  Don’t put in cabinets that you know you really don’t like…planning on installing better ones in a few years.  Buy the best you can afford and live with it.  Hardwood and tile should be a “forever” product, so chose carefully.

Energy efficiency, of course is such an important part of building.  A timber frame, wrapped in energy efficient insulated panels is an excellent choice.  The panels provide a tight, well insulated shell and will be far more efficient than any form of conventional framing.

Our new home is so comfortable.  It is small (smaller than some would like and larger than some might want), but just right for us.  We used many salvaged materials in our home (not for everyone, but something we love) and it is wrapped in panels, providing shelter from cold and heat.

Building efficiently will reward you for years to come.  Small steps will make a big difference.

Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , – No Comments

Timber Frame Homes in the Fall

October 26, 2009

Fall is upon us and the leaves are painting an amazing scene around our timber frame home.  With the air crisp and cool and the beautiful colors, it’s a pleasure to drive up to our new timber frame.

We’re settling in, even Pearson, who has found that my home office is great for a working dog.  He’s comfortable there, with the surrounding windows, whether I’m at my desk or not.

The living room and kitchen offer a respite from the busy world outside.  The timber frame offers a great backdrop for our open cabinetry and relaxed living space.  The Creekside is a great plan for living.  Check it and many, many more plans out at Goshen Timber Frames Plans .

Also tagged , , , , , – No Comments

Timber Frame Living – And the Living Is Easy

September 3, 2009

David and I have spent a couple of weeks in our new timber frame home.   What still doesn’t cease to amaze us is the space (of course, we were living in a very small space before).  This 1700 square feet just seems so much larger than we anticipated.

We were concerned that there might not be enough storage space and space for our “stuff” (and all who know us know that “stuff” has been our middle name for years).  Instead, we are finding that we don’t even begin to fill the space.

David built a really wonderful bench in the mudroom.  It consists of an old wooden box (used by a soldier at some point) for storage and seating with a great old door as the backrest, with hooks to be added for hanging up your coat/hat.  It just has charm and feels like it has always been there in the house that feels that its always been there.

The distressed floors, the concrete countertops, and the re-purposed glass at the loft are getting lots of comments…after the timber frame, of course.

We started a list of things we would change.  To date we don’t have any items that we would have changed in designing and building our new timber frame home.   I’m sure there will be some things as we settle in, but right now we are in the “honeymoon” stage and love every nook and cranny.

Stay in touch as we get settled in.

4xfd2sgb5q

Also tagged , , , – No Comments
4xfd2sgb5q