"Tradition With a Twist"

"Tradition With a Twist" is the Settlement House motto. This is evident throughout the entire process of building a modern timber-frame home, from the planning to the raising. The marriage of time honored craft and design with modern engineering and design, as well as the use of ancient tools along side modern machinery brings together the best of both worlds. We hope the information and photography that we’ve compiled and the question/answer format are easy for you to follow. Please email or call with any further questions you may have and we would be happy to answer them.

The History of Timber-Framing

According to timber- framing expert Ted Benson, recognized as the foremost authority on this ancient mode of construction, timber-framing has been in active use for well over 2,000 years in all parts of the world. Many of the most impressive examples of architecture to have survived over the centuries are a form of timer-frame construction, including cathedrals, temples and palaces all over the world.

For most of its history the sharing of knowledge and information among timber-framers was haphazard or nonexistent. We are the first generation of timber-frame craftsmen able to easily learn from master builders in any part of the world as well as from any time in history. When we build a timber-frame structure today, it is quite possible that a single frame will employ joinery or frame details from Japan, England, France, Holland, Germany or early America. The tools will probably have come from at least three different countries, some will be modern and some will be ancient. The structure will probably have been engineered by computer and will be to modern industry standards.

Timber-framing has recently had a resurgence in popularity as a building method for its rugged beauty, undoubtable strength and ability to support large open spaces. Settlement Post & Beam Building Company serves customers looking for this traditional strength and beauty with the added benefit of modern engineering. The motto for Settlement House "Tradition with a Twist", references the past tradition of the building form coupled with the versatility of modern construction. The photo essay helps to breakdown the steps involved in the building process as well as examples of truss styles and a sampling of home styles.

The Story of Settlement House

Greg and Connie Sickler owners and operators of Settlement Post & Beam Building Company and Settlement House Fine Arts have a dual marriage, one personal and one business. Greg and Connie have been happily married for 21 years, and have known each other most of their lives. Connie moved to the neighborhood from the state of Washington when she was 10 years old. They became friends and ended up the classic neighborhood romance when they got older. They eventually got married and have two children, a daughter Gabrielle who is 20 years old and attends Mansfield University and a son who is attending Penn State University on a baseball scholarship the Fall of 2006.

Their respective businesses operate under the umbrella of Settlement House, located on scenic Route 6. Settlement House and Greg’s workshop are built on land bought from his grandparents’ estate. The marriage of the two businesses has been just as successful as Greg and Connie’s marriage of 21 years. Settlement House serves as the model home for Greg’s Post & Beam Building Business and also as a studio for Connie, who has a Master’s Degree in Art. Greg and Connie both have a love for art, tradition and handcrafted work, so along with signed limited edition prints of her paintings Connie also sells the work of Pennsylvania and New York State artisans in the gallery on consignment. The collection of work includes: hand-woven baskets, hand-woven shawls, runners, purses, scarves and ornaments, hand-quilting, pottery, wood -turning, traditional wooden games and other wood-work, antique replica furniture, carvings, beadwork, hand-forged ironwork, hand-felted work, textured tile paintings, jewelry and much, much more. Connie also offers art classes in her studio space. The businesses compliment each other well, because as Connie says Settlement House makes a perfect place to display artwork and her collection of artwork naturally draws many more customers through than would normally come through a model home. Many times they may not be planning to build but they often know someone who is and they nearly always bring them by to talk to Greg. We hope you come to visit sometime. To read more about Connie’s artistic background and to view prints of Connie’s paintings you may visit the juried artists’ website: artshow.com and click on Sickler.

Greg and His Work

Greg originally went to Lock Haven University with a major in physical education. He still uses this knowledge in coaching but ended up in the construction field instead. He always worked construction during his summers and it just seemed to be his niche. He worked in general construction for a number of years and then his interest in timber framing as a building method led him to take a job with a large timber frame company. He worked for them for nearly nine years, honing his skills and becoming knowledgeable about all phases of the ancient building method, from print reading and layout, to cutting and raising. He left this company in 1996 to create Settlement Post & Beam Building Company, and has been busy ever since.

Connie and Her Art

Connie went to Mansfield University and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Studio Art in 1986 and a Master’s Degree in Art Education in 1989. She taught Art for the Troy Area School District for 9 years and then resigned to spend more time on her art and also to help manage her husband Greg’s timber frame business. Her work has been well-received and is represented in galleries in Pennsylvania, Virginia and North Carolina, as well as on the internet. She has been invited to participate in the International Art Expo for the past three years and her prints are in collections all over the world. Her paintings are executed in watercolor and her style is what she calls Symbolic Still Life, although many of her paintings have elements of life in them. The paintings actually begin with a title conceived in Connie’s head. She then spends time searching for the objects needed to illustrate the idea. Often she uses family heirlooms, but she scavenges friends’ and families’ homes for items to use as well. In return they get a free print. The objects are then arranged and rearranged until she gets the composition right and then the real work begins. An extremely detailed drawing of the setup including reflections and shadows is done. From there the process of painting begins. A painting will usually take 400 to 500 hours. Because of the extensive amount of time her original paintings take Connie sells only signed limited edition prints of her work. The originals are given to one of her children to assure that they stay in the family.

Connie believes that art should always have personal meaning to the artist to be considered a worthy statement. It may be a comical, sentimental or serious statement but the artist should have something to tell the viewer that inspires the viewer to think as well. Not all books are appreciated by all people and neither will all paintings be, but to the portion of the world that does relate to any single piece of art the statement was worth making.