Timber Frame Facts

Duke Energy in North Carolina offers a discounted electric rate to homes that meet Energy Star requirements.  The homes must be inspected by a third-party inspector, but the 5% savings makes it an affordable option.

The savings, when coupled with the reduced energy cost to maintain a home that meets or exceeds the requirements, are significant.

There are lots of incentives for building an energy efficient home.   We’ll outline some of them in coming weeks.  Stay tuned.

As David and I have researched the products that will go into our new home, we’ve gone back through the articles and ads that drew our interest and looked at products that are often not quite mainstream.   The common denominator to these products is that they are 1) energy efficient, 2) convenient, 3) comfortable.

We are looking hard at LG’s washer/dryer combination.  What a novel idea…put the clothes in dirty and take them out dry and ready to wear.  No more …”oh, I forgot to put that load in the dryer”.  This is a solution that is long past overdue.

Of course, radiant floor heat isn’t new, but we are using hydronic radiant floor heating…heated with an on demand hot water heater.   We will have a separate unit for our domestic hot water (I require lots of hot water), but what a great solution to a comfortable, energy efficient system.  Several systems are on the market…and they aren’t inexpensive…but we believe it will be cost effective and comfortable.

Cable lights.  We’ve seen them, but not often, and have always thought they looked interesting.  We are incorporating them into the timbered ceiling to accent those beautiful beams.

Concrete countertops.  Our son had them installed in his new timber frame (yes, he built a timber framed home before we did) and they are absolutely beautiful!

Salvaged materials.  Our roofing came off of an old chicken house that we tore down years ago.  We used some on our new timber framed barn and loved the look.  Of course, the roofing paper will be more important, but this is a great look.  Our front door and french doors came from a home built in the 1800′s.  They are solid oak and magnificent.  We picked them up for a fraction of the cost of new doors of similar quality.   Ceramic door knobs are really nice.  We bought several sets (including skeleton keys) and will use them in our new home.   We are collecting old six panel doors to use for our pocket doors.   These products haven’t nearly outlived their useful life.  Talk about sustainability!

Well, the election is over.  We can all go back to our “real” lives.  Whether you are pleased or dismayed with the outcome, life will go on.  We will, of course, have to get over our addiction to the pundits and polls.  That may be difficult, but we will be more productive once we take that step (or that 12 step program…if there is one).

What we can do is stop waiting for the other shoe to drop, stop waiting for someone to tell us that things will be better…or worse.  We can move forward…boldly.

There are good reasons to build today.  With the slowdown in construction, finding a builder may be easier, finding tradesmen who want to work is easier, interest rates are down, and construction loans are available.

David and I are taking advantage of this slow down and are building our timber framed home.  We have already seen economies and savings.  It is working for us.  We are seeing savings of ten percent and more in our budgeted costs.  This is a significant savings.

So step out there.  Build that home or vacation retreat and enjoy it now, not later.  You’ll be glad you did.

I did say quiet…the hammers aren’t hammering much, the power tools are still, the construction trades are slower than they’ve been in many years.  The advantage goes to the you.  There are talented carpenters, masons, plumbers, and electricians ready to work.

Two purposes are served.  The first is the opportunity get some very competitive pricing by utilizing the available labor.  The second opportunity comes to the tradesmen/tradeswomen who can continue to work.

David and I are stepping forward.  We see this as an excellent time to build and our home will be out of the ground in a couple of weeks.  We are finding the proposals we’re getting are competitive and we are pleased to be able to reach out to these tradesmen.

Step back and look at where you are and where you plan on being in a couple of years.  Building while there are available contractors may be your best choice.   Building now, and building a smaller, sustainable, energy efficient home will no doubt serve you well.

 As we become more aware of the advantages of living in a smaller, more sustainable space that has a smaller footprint and uses fewer resources to build and less fuel to heat and cool, we look for small designs that are livable.  They must meet our needs or we’ll be looking for a larger home…quickly.  Goshen has launched a new line of small, sustainable homes that live well.  Each is smaller than 2,000 square feet, yet lives much larger.  Check out these plans at Goshen’s CottageBuilt Homes to see what we’ve done.  You’ll find styles reminiscent of the Sears Kit Homes from the early 1900′s and of the many bungalows and cottages from that period.

The Goshen Timber Frames ‘ Team worked hard this Memorial Day.  They raised this beautiful pavilion at the Bridge Park in Sylva, North Carolina.

With community support, the Downtown Sylva Association made this happen!

Assembled Trusses Go Up!

Cupola Tops It Off!

Green Building, in it’s new and sometimes abused persona, is not really a new concept.  It has always been important to use resources wisely, to build with the materials at hand, and to conserve energy.  New technology has helped us to achieve some of these goals, but if we look back, we see that many before us have built green, without all the hype.  Adobe homes protected Native Americans in the Southwest from sweltering heat, wattle and daub homes used materials at hand to build shelters, skyscrapers built in the late 1800′s made use of urban space.  So while architects, designers, and builders today would like to take credit for this movement, they are truly just making the public more aware of the importance of building green

 A  Goshen Timber Frames home was chosen for the cover of Residential Design Build’s latest issue.  The feature article “Vacation Homes: Family Affairs” by Chuck Ross explains the differences in designing vacation homes as recreational homes and as vacation/retirement homes.  Ross spoke to builders nationwide, including the folks at Goshen.  The magazine is a trade magazine, but offers insights to anyone considering building a vacation home.  Additional photos of Goshen homes are included in the article.

Goshen Timber Frames is pleased to announce a Memorial Day raising for the Bridge Park Project pavilion in Sylva, North Carolina.    This frame will serve as the centerpiece of the new Bridge Park which will be home to the farmer’s market, festivals, and all sorts of events in downtown Sylva.

The pavilion came together nicely as the Goshen team  trial fit it in their shop.  Photos were passed around at the Monday night meeting in Sylva’s town hall.

This will be a great event to attend.   Fun will be had by all!

We attended the Timber Framer’s Conference in Coeur D’Alene, Idaho last week.   With 300 or so timber framers and many timber frame companies and timber frame suppliers represented, it was worth the trip.  The Timber Frame Business Council’s Trade Fair was well attended and proved to be a good place to explore the options available for materials, tools and software.

Jerry Rouleau presented a couple of great seminars that, as always,  energized the attendees.   Some of his topics are “Gotcha’s” and others are “I knew that, but didn’t know that I knew it”.  He offers fresh ways to present information and reminds us that it’s all about the client.  If you get a chance to hear him speak, don’t miss out.

The Timber Frame Business Council’s member meeting was an opportunity for members to voice concerns and offer suggestions and for the Board to give an update on the new initiatives and work in progress.  New Executive Director Pam Hinton was introduced to the members.  She’s already working hard to make sure that everyone knows that the timber frame industry is as green as it gets and that working with a member of the TFBC is a big plus as you plan and build your project.

We are proud to be part of the timber frame community.   You’ll not meet a group of more dedicated people.  Here at Goshen Timber Frames our team of talented designers and craftsmen just “get it”.   What a pleasure it is to work with both timber framers all over North America and to work with our own team.