Why build a timber framed home…?

A timber frame home provides its owners with a whole list of benefits. In no particular order, here are a few: Beauty, strength, design flexibility, energy efficiency, quicker build times, and increased resale values.

In Canada we have a rich tradition of building with wood, especially in provinces like British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec where a vibrant forestry industry has been a major engine in their respective economies for centuries. Who wouldn't want the warmth, grace and character of heavy timbers on the inside of their home? Enter timber framing, one of the oldest methods of building in the world, which involves the use of heavy timbers joined together with furniture-like mortise & tenon joinery, and hardwood pegs.

On top of providing beauty and warmth to a home, the sheer size of the timbers makes the home very study and long lasting - existing timber frames in Europe have been around for over 800 years. As well as strength, you get design flexibility from a post and beam home. Due to the fact that the large posts in the home take all the vertical loads, interior partition walls can be placed anywhere - or not at all - depending on how open a floor-plan you want.

The last major benefit of timber frames homes comes in the form of energy efficiency. The walls and roof system are built around the timber structure, providing clients with an uninterrupted thermal envelope, full of insulation, instead of structural members. It's the timber structure on the inside that resists dead and live loads, which allows increased levels of insulation inside the walls.

Finally, with all the craftsmanship and high quality materials found in timber frame homes, it's no wonder that they consistently out-price similarly sized conventional homes when it comes time to put them on the real-estate market. With all the benefits associated with timber framing, wouldn't it make sense to consider it the next time you build?

Further information:
Daniel Addey-Jibb is co-owner of Hamlet Heavy Timberwork Ltd., a custom timber framing company that produces and installs traditional timber framing in Quebec & Ontario, the USA and Europe. For more information on their product please visit their website at: www.heavytimberwork.com