The Timber Wall

This is the brief run down of stuff you need to know about working with us and owning a timber frame or log building. There is a lot more we can and will tell you about timber frames, this is just to get the ball rolling.

On Demand: All Timber Frames are cut on a demand basis. We just don’t think it is a good practice to cut and store frames. Nor do we feel that mass producing anything, even beautiful handcrafted timber frames, is a sustainable or responsible practice. If you need it quick, we will work with you.

Models: All our frames are developed in a 3-D computer drafting program, Google’s SketchUp Pro 7. Everyone can download a freeware version of this software and we suggest you do, it’s awesome. If you want to view our models in 3-D, drop us a line and we’ll send you the SketchUp info and the basic file of the frame you’re interested in. You’ll then be able to virtually walk through and around these buildings, even place furniture and figures to scale.

Cost: The figures you see displayed on each model frame page are high-end estimates. Though we build for a living, we do not build for profit. Thus, we prefer to do all of our work aboveboard; you pay for the materials in your project and the hours we work. Our list prices reflect the absolute maximum cost of the frame based on market cost of materials and our labour rate factored against the volume of timbers required and the estimated cutting time. That said, you would never pay a dime over the price listed. Please read through the Cost Break Down for clarification of each listed cost.

Finish: We highly recommend natural oil finishes for all interior timbers — they slow the drying and protect the wood from stains. We do not however include this in our cost estimate. Our Labour Cost reflects the hours required to plane all exposed timbers, four sides smooth, but the wood is still raw. Oiling is additional — labour and material. If your timbers are exposed on the exterior, we recommend letting them grey out.

Embellishments: Carving of pendants, dates, inscriptions, or images are not included in any estimates. Edging of timbers, chamfers, rounded edge, beading, or custom work of any decorative nature is not included in any estimates. All of these features and anything else you can dream up we will happily do at our stated rates. However, if a frame shows arching of knee braces or if other elements are visually crafted these have been factored into the specific frame’s estimate.

Wood: The wood we cut our frames from is locally sourced, it can be certified for sustainable harvesting but this incurs additional costs which we will happily explore upon request. We are Plant-a-Tree timber framers, for every 16 foot timber we have come through our shop we plant or pay out of pocket to have two trees of the same species planted. We have on order or germinating over 350 trees for planting in central Ontario this year.

Wood II: Your new timber frame is wood. This is good for a lot of reasons. But wood came from a living thing and as such it continues, even in death, to display characteristics of life. It moves, it ages, it breathes, it is imperfect. Timber framing and hewn log construction evolved to work with and even benefit from these lively attributes. The techniques we use to join timber to timber to construct self supporting structures are perfectly suited to this dynamic material.

Wood III: These are all going to happen to any timber no matter how it is treated, or where it is located, in a heated home or in a barn: checks (cracks in the timbers running parallel to the grain), wane or live edges (visible portions of the former tree’s trunk), rounding of milled-to-flat faces (tangential distortion, as the deep cells lose moisture they contract and cause a re-rounding of the timber), discolouration when exposed to UV rays in conjunction with humidity, shrinkage, and general fluctuation of size.  None of the above natural processes of wood curing are detrimental to the structural integrity of a frame or cabin. They provide character, distinction and an appearance that is exclusive to heavy timber construction.

Deposits and Payment: We require full deposit on estimated material costs for each frame. You are issued an invoice indicating the the receipt of this payment. It typically takes between two and four weeks for our mill to produce and deliver the timbers. When we begin cutting on your frame you are invoiced bi-monthly for the duration of cutting, not to exceed our estimated cutting labour — if we take too long we finish it off the clock. Payment for in-area delivery of the finished frame is due upon delivery — COD or per prearranged terms. A deposit of 20% of the estimated raising labour must be made two weeks prior to the scheduled raising date. The remainder of our logged raising labour is due upon delivery of a raised, fully pegged, plumb and level timber frame. We accept personal checks, bank drafts, and electronic transfers. Also check out Price Sticker Info.

Tags: carving, cost of shelter, model frames, natural building, new economics, payment, timber finishes, wood

This entry was posted on Friday, April 3rd, 2009 at 4:06 am and is filed under Frames For Sale, Timber Framing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.