THE GREEN PARADE:
The Antique Elegance Of Timber Frame Homes -
Age-old Building Tradition Makes Sense Today
By Cindy Kleh / Photos by Carter Photographics
 Timber frame construction is not a new fad. This method of building construction dates back to the earliest recorded times before nails were invented. Timber frame homes are held together by a precise fit of mortise and tenon joinery. (A mortise is a hole in part of the framework and a tenon is a projection made to fit in a mortise. These are then fastened with pegs.)
Timber framing, which conjures up images of New England barns, was the dominant form of construction used in America until the early 19th century. Timber frame construction virtually disappeared until it was rediscovered in the 1970s, its elegance and handmade touch so compelling that it fueled a revival. Today’s timber frame homes are not only sought after for their warm, spacious, antique feel, but also for their green sustainable attributes – the use of renewable resources, the lack of waste in the building process, and the thermal tightness of the final product.
Timber frames are not enclosed and hidden in the walls. The elegant wooden beams are left exposed, and their beauty highlighted as the interior and exterior decoration of the building. The grandeur and wide-open feeling of this structural style has blossomed into almost every variation imaginable, from rustic mountain designs to contemporary styles that blend well with any climate, landscape or personal taste.
A timber frame home package typically includes the full mortise and tenon frame and a total building system of materials needed to fully enclose the frame in an insulated, weather-tight shell, including exterior walls and roof, sub-floor and ceiling decking between levels, windows, doors and on-site instruction for assembly. Homeowners choose their own cabinets, tile, fixtures and flooring. An on-site advisor, along with blueprints which include the foundation, are included in the price of the package.
 The Beauty is in the Details
Timberpeg® has been helping homeowners achieve the timeless look of timber framing since 1974, with nearly 5,000 timber frame homes and commercial projects completed. Timberpeg takes pride in creating precise joinery that fits like a glove, and intricately engineered timber frames that produce a home with the feel of a mountain cabin and the look of a historic structure.
Almost all of Timberpeg’s home designs are custom, with most of those plans a variation on one of thousands of standard models or existing plans. “Odds are, we already have your design plans,” says Les Watkins, president of LD Watkins Construction Services and the local independent representative for Timberpeg. “Of the 19 Timberpeg homes constructed in Grand County, 75 percent were modifications of existing plans.”
“Timberpeg customized our timber frame home plans to meet our family’s needs,” says Dr. Robert Williams, who built a home in Winter Park Ranch with his wife, Betty. “The workmanship of Les (Watkins) and his subcontractors was impeccable. We have had no repair issues typical of new construction. The interior woodwork is comforting, cozy and aesthetically pleasing, and the house is airtight with no leakage of energy whatsoever.”
Watkins extols the use of SIPs (structural insulated panels) that timber framing construction uses instead of traditional two-by-six-inch “stick construction.” SIPs are made from oriented strand board instead of using old-growth trees. The panels lock together to form a solid foam wall without any of the heat-escaping thermal breaks that studs create.
“SIPs are the future of building,” he raves. “SIPs provide such superior insulation over conventional construction, that I wonder why they aren’t used exclusively.”
 Timeless and Classy
Ben Avila of King’s Foot Inc. is the local representative for Woodhouse®. During the construction of his first timber frame house, he was so impressed with the ease of construction, the green advantages and the great looks that he joined the Woodhouse team as a builder/dealer. Avila can sell just the Smartplans and frame package or be the general contractor all the way to “turn key.”
Avila had one of his Woodhouse homes located near Pole Creek featured in the 2007 Parade of Homes. The 3,800-square-foot custom home really stood out with its vaulted entry made from Douglas fir timbers.
“The wooden beams make the home feel warmer,” says Mark Arrimour, owner of the home, which is situated on 40 acres with amazing views of Devil’s Thumb. “The SIPs make it extremely energy efficient. In fact, it’s so tight that we had to have a fresh air intake system installed.”
Avila also touts the faster buildingtime of timber frame homes, which can be fully enclosed in a matter of weeks instead of months. This is an especially crucial building advantage in Grand County where winter conditions can begin as early as October and persist as late as May. Avila adds that the “cold-roof ” system of Woodhouse timber frame homes results in fewer roof problems, such as ice dams and snow buildup.
Another advantage of the Woodhouse brand is a newly purchased 35,000-square-foot facility in Fort Morgan, where Murus™, Woodhouse’s sister company, will begin production of SIPs in early 2010. The manufacturing of Woodhouse frames in this Colorado location will soon follow, lowering the costs of shipping and increasing the green factor in the process.
 A Perfect Fit
Joe and Jennifer Gould, owners of Grand Timber Homes LLC, spent nearly two years researching timber frame companies before deciding on Riverbend® Timber Framing as the manufacturer of their personal home in Pole Creek Meadows.
Riverbend designs and manufactures the frame and the SIPs in the same facility, instead of having them designed and produced in two different factories, resulting in all the different parts first meeting at the construction site. The frame of the house is even assembled once at the factory prior to shipment to ensure the perfect fit.
Six months into the construction of their model home, the Goulds were able to raise and dry in only two months using a crew of three plus a crane operator during the dead of winter. They plan to enter their Riverbend timber frame home in the 2010 Grand County Parade of Homes.
The Goulds agree that the on-site advisor included with the package was a huge asset. They were also able to erect the structure in about half the time of conventional construction with a whole step, the installation of insulation, avoided. With the relatively high cost of mountain resort construction labor, the shorter construction time needed coupled with fewer employees works out to comparable costs with conventional construction (and that’s before the energy-use savings from using SIPs kick in for decades to come).
Grand Timber Homes also specializes in the construction of “hybrid” timber frame homes that feature timbers running through the prime rooms of the home while realizing huge cost savings by finishing other wings with SIPs.
But green-ness and efficiency reasons aside, timber frame homes will continue to increase in popularity simply because they are elegant and can be designed to have the feel of a historic, rustic mountain home.
Follow the links below for more articles within the Green Parade section.
READ MORE STORIES ON THE GREEN PARADE IN:
• People Paving The Way: Locals Lead The County To A Greener Future
• Renewable Energy Rebates: Where Locals Can Get $$ Back
• Reducing Your Carbon Footprint Starts At Home
• Green Heat From Brown Beetle Kill: Central Boiler Perfects Outdoor Wood Burning
• The Antique Elegance Of Timber Frame Homes: Age-old Building Tradition Makes Sense Today
• Doing It Greener The Second Time Around
• Holistic Architecture: Architecture + Energy = Harmony
• 2009 Feature Articles |
