When it comes to building a custom log or timber frame home, the options are endless. Whether you’re looking for a traditional log look, or a more contemporary mountain style, Sierra Log & Timber can help you create the perfect home!
These two styles of homes share certain design conventions, including open layouts, cathedral ceilings, walls of windows framing great views and intricate roof trusses. But they also offer a variety of unique options for customization, energy efficiency and durability.
Customization
Timber frame homes use a historic building method that relies on a super-strong, interlocking frame to create a skeleton of vertical and horizontal beams to form the shell of the home. These heavy timbers add a sense of stability, strength and hardiness to the house while at the same time providing an impressive eye-catching design.
Timber framing also allows for a larger degree of customization than a log home because the walls and roof are attached to the frame. This means that a variety of wall finishes can be used, including drywall and stone. This can offer a more modern look than a log home and helps you to create a unique space that matches your style.
Often, a timber frame home looks like a conventional home from the exterior, but features magnificent exposed wood on the interior. This gives it a unique character and a rustic beauty that appeals to many people.
A timber frame log home can be constructed with a variety of different styles and designs, from soaring cathedral ceilings to walls of windows framing great views. Its traditional style combines an emphasis on the beauty of wood with modern features and amenities that make it easy to live comfortably.
In addition, a timber frame home is insulated using structural insulated panels (SIPs) which help keep the home warmer in winter and cooler in summer. This insulation is more efficient and stronger than fiberglass, reducing the energy bills for heating and cooling.
As a result, timber frame homes are more environmentally friendly than log homes, reducing carbon emissions while maintaining the charm and character of log homes. Additionally, timber frame homes can be designed to take advantage of passive solar, helping homeowners cut their electricity costs.
Both timber frame and log homes feature large, open living spaces with cathedral ceilings, walls of windows, soaring fireplaces and intricate roof trusses. These are all classic features found in many custom homes today, and they can be used to help you craft your dream home.
At Beaver Mountain, we can customize your timber frame or log home to meet your specific needs and tastes. Our talented team of designers and builders will work with you to create a truly unique and stunningly beautiful home that reflects your personality, lifestyle and vision.
Energy Efficiency
Whether you’re building a new home or renovating an older one, the energy efficiency of your structure can make a big difference. Green construction minimizes energy use, saves money, and protects the environment. It also helps ensure that your home is more comfortable and enjoyable to live in.
The most efficient homes are often made from timber frame. These homes have the advantage of a tight, highly insulated framework that is very airtight and prevents drafts.
Another benefit of a timber frame is that it can be designed to accommodate the specific needs and desires of the homeowner. You can choose from a variety of floor plans and add features to create the home of your dreams.
For example, you can create unique features and a sense of history by using timber frames in your home’s interior details. Exposed log beams can bring a rustic touch to your living spaces and can even tie in with the outdoors by providing beautiful views of the wooded area around you.
In comparison to a stick-built home, a timber frame home can be built faster and more efficiently. This is because the timber frame framework can be assembled onsite in 3 – 5 days. In addition, timber frame walls can be insulated with structural insulated panels (SIPs) that go up quickly and are highly efficient at keeping warm air in and cold air out of the home.
As a result, timber frame homes are 15 – 20 percent more energy efficient than conventionally framed houses. This is due to the design of the timber frame and the fact that these homes are often insulated with SIPs, which are rated at up to R67.
Durability
The durability of a timber frame log home depends on the selection of quality wood, the construction techniques used and the maintenance that is maintained throughout the years. A properly built and maintained timber frame log home will last for decades, if not centuries.
While a timber frame house can be made from a wide variety of materials, it is most often constructed with large, load-bearing hand-hewed or milled logs that are joined together using mortise and tenon joinery or post and beam construction. The open area between these heavy logs is insulated with Structural Insulated Panels (SIP), which create the walls of a timber frame home and seal the interior from outside weather elements.
Traditional timber frame homes are a form of construction that has a long history in the building industry. It differs from stick framing and log cabin construction in that it is built with larger dimensions, requires specialized carpentry skills and uses complicated wood joints such as mortise and tenon joinery and wooden pegs.
It has been reported that some traditional timber frames have lasted over 800 years. This is a testament to the superior strength and endurance of these buildings.
Modern timber frame buildings use structural insulated panels to sheath the timbers for better energy efficiency and less expensive heating and cooling. This allows for fewer load bearing walls and more flexible floor plans, while still keeping the beauty of timber in the design.
Another advantage of a timber frame is that they can be easily repaired and reassembled in the event of a fire or hurricane. This makes them a great option for people who want to relocate.
A good timber frame home should be treated with borate solutions at the time of construction to increase its durability against termites, carpenter ants, wood-boring beetles and dry rot. This can also help to prevent moisture and mold damage.
When looking for a builder to build your timber frame log home, it is important to ask about the construction techniques used in their projects and how they maintain the durability of the timbers. Investing in a quality builder will not only ensure the longevity of your new timber frame home, but it will also ensure you are getting the best value for your investment.
Natural Beauty
The natural beauty of timbers, exposed beams and trusses is something that can be hard to miss. They are often used to highlight features and details, such as the front porch, the fireplace mantle or a great room with a soaring ceiling. These rustic accents give timber frame homes a touch of elegance and sophistication that can make them stand out from the crowd.
Many buyers love the look of wood on the outside of their home, but they want a little more flexibility when it comes to the interior. Unlike log homes, timber frame homes are typically designed to be finished with interior drywall and other wall finishes. This means they can be customized to suit a variety of style preferences, from traditional to rustic to modern.
Both styles share certain design conventions: open layouts, walls of windows framing great views, intricate roof trusses and soaring fireplaces. But because each timber framer has a specific building system that he or she has fine-tuned over time, each house has its own distinct character and feel.
A timber framer may also choose to create a house with logs and post & beam construction, rather than round or square timbers. This is a more versatile and economical way to have a timber frame home that allows for a greater variety of interior designs.
One of the main benefits of this style is that it can be finished with any interior wall finish you desire, from drywall to stone to plank siding. It can even be decorated with hand-carved animals or scenery on doors.
Another benefit of timber frame homes is their energy efficiency, which is due in large part to the wood’s naturally insulating properties. This is a huge win for homeowners who are looking to conserve energy and reduce their carbon footprint.
Using superior-rated components like structural insulated panels (SIPs) in their homes, log and timber frame homes can have tight building envelopes that require less energy to heat and cool. This helps lower energy consumption and can help reduce household costs.
A few years ago, a client of 1867 Confederation Log & Timber Frame in Millersburg, Ohio, asked Rich Kinsman to build him and his family a larger timber frame home. With a growing family, he knew that he needed to build a bigger house than the one he had previously built. The result is a stunning timber frame house that captures the beauty of the surrounding mountain landscape while also providing the comfort and space for his family.