timber frame Archives - Page 4 of 6

Eastern White Pine from Floor to Ceiling: Gorgeous Cabin Interior

Posted on March 15, 2014 by Jeff Easterling

We love to see building projects that showcase the natural beauty and versatility of Eastern White Pine, and the hand-crafted modular cabins produced by Amish Cabin Company are a prime example. Built in Kentucky, these stunning structures feature beautiful Eastern White pine from the floors all the way up to the ceilings, including kitchen cabinets, doors, ladders and loft railings.

These deluxe cabins are built in a small off-grid, solar-powered factory on a Kentucky Amish farm, and then delivered to the clients’ job sites, making the building process faster and more secure than 100% site-built homes. Each cabin features timber frame construction with beautiful exposed beams as well as old-fashioned construction methods.

The sturdy post and beam timber frame construction creates a freestanding fourteen-foot-wide structure the entire length of the cabin, which can range from 28 to 40 feet. There are no load-bearing interior walls, making them extra customizable, so clients can choose any interior layout they like.

Amish Cabin Company uses environmentally friendly Natural-Kote soy-based wood stains that enhance the natural beauty of Eastern White Pine. Learn more about why Eastern White Pine is such a popular choice for timber frame homes.

Contemporary Timber Frame: Sleek New Mexico Ski House

Posted on February 8, 2014 by Jeff Easterling

This gorgeous timber frame ski house in New Mexico is a prime example of how this rustic architectural style can be adapted for a more contemporary look. Designed and built by Hampshire Timber Frame, the home shows off two ways of highlighting the exposed pine beams of the frame: with wood paneling, and drywall.

Wood paneling paired with timber frame construction creates a more rustic effect. In this home, it’s seen on the arched living room ceiling as a visual accent that enhances the ‘cabin’ feel while maintaining a bright, open and modern feel.

Contrasting the exposed beams of the timber frame with white drywall provides an effect that’s crisp and up to date, making the wood stand out even more.

Hampshire Timber Frame designs custom, hand crafted timber frame houses in a variety of wood species, including Eastern White Pine. These ‘true timber frames’ are built without the use of metal connectors, with beautiful all-wood joinery and timbers hand-chosen for their location in the house.

Eastern White Pine Beach House by Woodhouse Timber Frame

Posted on January 21, 2014 by Jeff Easterling

The knots of Eastern White Pine are given center stage in this stunning beach house by Pennsylvania-based company Woodhouse Timber Frame. Different grades of this sustainable softwood have varying degrees of knots, ranging from the ultra-smooth and virtually knot-free to wood that’s bursting with rustic character.

Eastern White Pine is a popular choice for timber frame buildings because it’s strong for its weight, grows tall enough to produce unusually long timbers spanning as much as twenty feet across, easy to work with, affordable and good for the environment.

Every timber frame home Woodhouse designs is unique, tailored to the needs and desires of the client. Woodhouse was founded as a passive solar design company so eco-friendliness is an integral part of the building process. Clients can integrate passive solar design principals into their homes, and choose environmentally friendly insulation.

The company’s timber suppliers utilize managed forest resources for timber production according to sustainable forestry methods. Many builders of timber frame homes offer sustainable Eastern White Pine as an option.

Eco Timber Frames: Beautiful Eastern White Pine Cabins

Posted on January 3, 2014 by Jeff Easterling

Eastern White Pine is a popular choice for timber frame construction thanks to its strength, light weight, ease of use and affordability. But it also results in some incredibly beautiful structures showing off the incomparable craftsmanship of old world woodworking techniques. A company called Eco Timber Frames, based in Saluda, North Carolina, shows off a portfolio of prime examples on its website.

Eco Timber Frames creates artistic timber frame homes using post and beam construction, crafting the frame from solid timbers connected by mortise and tenon joints and secured with oak pegs. The company chooses Eastern White Pine selected from slower growing New England Forests because it’s “easy to work, structurally stable and has remarkable aesthetic character.”

That character shines through in the remarkable homes that the company has designed. Customers can choose the floor plans and frame style they prefer, and add their own custom details as desired. Notable features include front porches that extend the characteristic timber frame of the home past its walls so it becomes a major highlight of the exterior, as well.

Why Use Eastern White Pine for Timber Frame Buildings?

Posted on December 17, 2013 by Jeff Easterling

When planning a timber frame home or other building, consumers are often asked to choose from a variety of wood species. Eastern White Pine is one of the most popular choices, found in heavy timber frame construction all over the United States and beyond. What makes this pale softwood ideal for this type of building?

Eastern White Pine is especially popular in the Northeast, since it’s grown locally, and therefore its environmental footprint is smaller than when shipping in other species of wood grown farther away. It’s also sustainably grown in mixed hardwood forests, allowed to reach great heights and serve an important role in the ecosystem before it’s harvested. Softwoods grow faster than hardwoods, and pine trees are among the first to mature in a developing forest, making them highly renewable.

You might think that the heavy beams of a timber frame home would require a strong hardwood species. Eastern White Pine’s softness makes it easy to work with, but more importantly, this particular species is quite strong for its weight, and doesn’t have as much of a tendency to twist as some hardwoods, like oak. Because it grows so tall, it’s easy to find Eastern White Pine timber that spans as much as twenty feet across.

Eastern White Pine also doesn’t shrink as much as many other species when properly treated, and has a strong cross-grain fiber that prevents it from ‘checking’ too much. A check is a split that runs parallel to the grain, affecting the sturdiness of the wood.

For many consumers, Eastern White Pine is also a natural choice because it’s so economical. Talk to your local timber framing company about sourcing high-quality sustainable Eastern White Pine for your project.
Image via: Woodhouse Timber Frame Company

Dreaming of a Timber Frame Home: Truss Styles

Posted on November 21, 2013 by Jeff Easterling

A truss is a basic architectural component of a timber frame structure, spanning the length or width of the building to bear heavy loads. They’re also often highly decorative, adding a lot of character to the overall look. In fact, the type of truss chosen can make the difference between a timber frame home that’s spare, simple and rustic to a structure reminiscent of a cathedral. These five basic truss types are offered by most timber frame home builders, but they’re just the beginning. You can get creative with the design, making it ideal for your needs.

King Truss

This is one of the most basic of truss styles for timber frame construction, and can include curved or raised bottom chords.

Queen Truss

Queen truss differs from the king style in that it features two main posts instead of one, making larger spans possible using shorter timbers. It’s also more decorative.

Scissor Truss

This style helps solve a common problem: when one supporting wall is a different height than the other. Angled chords overlap the king post in the center.

Bridge Truss

Parallel chords are used to create the bridge truss, which features top and bottom chords running lengthwise through the structure rather than across the width.

Collar Tie

This most basic, frills-free truss style consists of a single horizontal beam across the width of the structure.

Images via: New Energy Works, High Country Timber Frame,, Precision Craft (main image)