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- How long does the process of building a timber frame take from start to finish?
On an average sized home (1500- 2500 sq. ft.), plan on about three to three and a half months, from the planning stage thru the raising of your frame. A large home (3,000- 7,000 sq. ft.) could take up to a month more. Don't forget though, sometimes bank financing takes longer than a customer expects. We recommend having preliminary plans drawn well in advance of your target building date so you can get bids for both the timber-framer and from a general contractor for finishing off your home. Then if you need to scale down in any part of your plan to fit your budget, you won't have thrown off your schedule.
- How far ahead of our target move in date should we ideally begin the planning stage?
For a typical home you should begin your plans 12 to 18 months ahead of time to lock in an experienced contractor and to be assured of your financing if need be. Having fairly completed plans will allow you to obtain a more accurate bid for the timber portion of the home as well as from the general contractors who may be competing to finish off your home. Having your bids in hand will allow you to get to the bank in good time to guarantee your financing and lock in a spot in the Settlement House Post & Beam schedule as well as in the schedule of the general contractor that you choose.
- How far does Settlement House Post& Beam travel?
We will travel any where in the continental United States. 90% of the work to build a timber frame is in the cutting. This is all done in our shop nestled in the hills of Northeastern Pennsylvania located on scenic Route 6 in the village of Sylvania. The raising process normally takes about a week for a typical home so distance isn't a factor.
- What species of wood do we offer, and what are they typically raked in order of popularity, price?
Around 80% of the homes that we build are Northern White Pine, 10% Hemlock and 10% Red Oak. All of the blank timbers are from saw mills in upper New York State and Massachusetts. We also have a supplier for Douglas Fir. We have long standing relationships with the mills we deal with, so we receive timbers timely and are sent premium quality.
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of the various species of wood?
Pine is the most reasonably priced, has a warm beauty and is very stable so gets relatively few checks or cracks. Pine tends to have more knots because of the number of branches. If you aren't a fan of them, this could be a disadvantage to you. Many customers like the knots though, and only tight knots are used in our timber frames.
Red Oak is strong, has beautiful character in the grain and has fewer knots. If you intend to stain your frame, it will also take a stain evenly if applied correctly. Oak will sometimes check and twist more than pine, and is more expensive.
Hemlock is strong and beautiful. It is considered to be a semi-hardwood. It usually has smaller knots than pine, but will cheek more than pine. It is slightly more expensive than pine and will sometimes get shake. Which is a condition where the wind breaks the fibers of the tree.
Douglas Fir is strong and stable. It resists checking and usually has few knots. It is expensive though and has less character in the grain.
- How does the design phase typically work?
You can come to visit us, send us or fax a floor plan. This can be a fairly complete plan that you have already worked on with a designer or architect in your area or a plan that you have purchased. It can also be your initial ideas and simple sketches with a collection of ideas listing what you like, size, truss possibilities, roof pitch, whether you want any cathedral space, wood species, do you want the entire home to be timber-frame or just portions of it.
We can usually give a rough estimate of cost once these things have been nailed down. This rough bid will be helpful in planning your building budget. Adjustments in frame style, size, wood species etc. can then be made to fit your budget before your architectural plans are completed.
Once the customer has complete plans a firm signed bid can be given and your plans will be passed on to our architect to have shop prints drawn. Shop prints are detailed drawings indicating beam and rafter lengths, pocket and mortise locations, as well as other details.
- How will my timber frame be cut?
All cutting is done in our workshop with a series of different sized saws and chisels. Greg does all of the cutting.
He has been cutting timber frames for 20 years and is considered to be a master of the timber framing craft. He is capable of laying out and cutting virtually any plan designed. All frames are mortise and tenon with ash or oak pegs pinning them together when the frame is raised. - What can we expect the week the frame is raised?
(Include photo examples of a raising) The frame will arrive on the job site by tractor trailer. A crew of three experienced men will raise the frame with Greg in charge. The frame will be assembled largely on your deck and then raised in a day or two with a crane. There will be a day to finish pegging the frame. It typically takes one to two weeks to assemble a frame. You may choose to be around the day the crane raises your frame. It's a good day to get pictures too!
- What is included in our price?
Typically our price will include shop prints, blank timbers of the size and species specified by the plans, all cutting, trucking the frame to the site, labor to raise the frame as well as the rent of a lull and a crane to aid in the raising process.
We will deduct allowances for certain aspects of the package price if the customer wishes to provide those services on their own. For example: If you would like to be responsible for your own trucking, we will deduct the allowance for this from our price.
- What are the most common timber designs?
King posts are perfect for great rooms or areas where the trusses will have to span greater distances. The full-length king post allows for wider spans, but also includes a vertical post that transfers the load of the ridge beam to the floor.
A queen post is a rectangle within a triangle and effectively opens up entryways and focal points in your home. This design allows for a window or eye-catching architectural element under the ridge, while keeping the lower part of the wall open for picture windows or large furnishings.
The strength of the hammerbeam offers the possibility of wide expanses of about 34 feet without the need for vertical support posts. That means you could include a whole wall of uninterrupted glass with only enough framing to hold the glass together and a hammerbeam supporting the roof.
Reference: Timber Home Living - November 16, 2005.
- Are all of your homes custom designed?
Yes, we find that in general people who are interested in owning a timber frame home, enjoy the individuality that a timber frame lends to the designing process, and typically enjoy custom-designing their home.
There are many plans already on the market if you search the internet for timber frame plans though. These can often times give a starting point, but because all families have varying priorities for their personal space most customers will want modifications made to these basic plans to individualize them to their taste and needs. Gleaning ideas from books, magazines and important what you don't like.
Architects are also great sources of information to help owners in resolving their needs and wants, while taking advantage of new developments in materials and methods in the building industry.
- What surface treatments can be used on a timber frame?
The surface of a timber frame is the choice of the customer. It can either be rough cut or planed smooth depending on the individual taste of the customer or the purpose of the structure. Typically homes use planed timbers and barns use rough cut timbers. We will order your choice.
After the frame is standing and has dried for a few months the owner may then choose to lightly sand the frame and apply either an oil finish or a polyurethane to protect and seal the wood. Most customers use two coats with a light sanding between coats. We've seen customers put on as many as four coats of finish, sanding between each coat. This is obviously beautiful and very touchable.
- Does checking of timbers effect the strength of the timber frame?
No, checking is a natural part of the drying process. Historically timber frames have been cut from green timbers and the pegs are dry. The timbers which actually are the center of a tree will check as the moisture leaves. While this checking is usually minimal and doesn't pose a threat to the strength of the frame, potential timber frame customers should be aware of the nature of the drying process.
- Can we tour homes, other than the model home, that Settlement Post & Bean has built?
Yes, we would be happy to set up a visit to some of the homes we have built in the locality of Settlement House.
