Timber Frame Facts

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!