If you're researching timber frame kits for the first time, one of your first questions is simple: What exactly do I get? The answer varies more than you'd think, depending on who you buy from. This matters a lot before you commit to a project.
This article breaks down what's included in a Timber Frame HQ Ready-To-Raise™ Kit, what's optional, and what you'll need to source separately. No surprises.
What Is a Ready-To-Raise™ Kit?
A Ready-To-Raise™ Kit is exactly what it sounds like: a complete timber frame package that arrives at your site pre-engineered, precision-cut, and ready to go up. Every component — from the posts and bents to the last peg — has been designed, cut, labeled, and bundled before it ever leaves our facility.
The goal is to eliminate the guesswork and the prep work. You don't need to size timbers, cut joinery, or figure out which piece goes where. You just follow the plans, work with your crew, and raise your frame.
TFHQ kits are designed for a wide range of structures: barns, pavilions, covered patios, porches, garages, carports, and full timber-frame homes. The contents of each kit are specific to the design you choose, but the core components are consistent across all of them.
What's Included in Every Kit
Design and Engineering
Every kit starts with a full set of construction drawings. These are not generic diagrams but plans specific to your project and location. This includes:
- Detailed construction drawings with dimensions, assembly sequences, and joinery callouts
- A complete timber and fastener schedule listing every component in the kit
- Engineered reaction diagrams and permit-ready documentation
- State-specific engineering stamps (available for locations with stricter local requirements, for an additional fee)
Our engineering team specializes in timber-frame structures. Many hold advanced degrees in their fields. The documents you receive are designed to move through a permitting office—not just look good on paper.
Before ordering, it's worth checking with your local building department to confirm what they require. Most jurisdictions accept our standard engineering package; a few require a locally stamped set.
Timbers, Joinery, and Connections
After your design is finalized and the species is selected, we source timber through our trusted mill network. Then we transport it to one of our CNC cutting facilities. Every piece is cut to tight tolerances. Mortises, tenons, peg holes, rafters, and all other joinery features are machined, not hand-cut on site.
What you receive:
- Posts, beams, ties, rafters, and joists sized and cut to spec
- Mortise and tenon joinery (and other joint types as required by the design — scarf joints, tusk tenons, half-laps, spline joints, etc.)
- Pre-drilled peg holes — no boring on site
- Numbered and labeled pieces that correspond directly to your construction drawings, so you always know exactly which timber you're working with
- All pegs, fasteners, screws, and connectors needed to raise the frame were included and inventoried.
Species options depend on the specific project and design. Most kits are cut from Douglas Fir, Eastern White Pine, Cedar, or Southern Yellow Pine. Each species has different characteristics in strength, grain, and weathering behavior. Your project manager can explain these tradeoffs.
Shipping and Delivery
The kit ships via freight carrier to your location anywhere in the Continental United States or parts of Eastern Canada. Typical lead time is about eight weeks from deposit for stock designs. Custom or modified frames may take longer. If your project has a specific raise date, order up to 6 months in advance.
Once the kit ships, you'll receive a tracking number. Our team will also coordinate with the carrier to confirm delivery timing with you. Be prepared with a few practical things:
- Equipment capable of lifting 5,000 lbs — a forklift or similar is required for unloading most full-size kits.
- Clear truck access — the delivery vehicle is a full-size tractor-trailer that needs to pull entirely off the road and turn around.
- The truck driver is not responsible for unloading; that's on you or your crew.
For smaller kits (under 3,000 lbs), it's possible to unload piece by piece with a few people — but have the manpower ready before the truck arrives.
Project Support
Every TFHQ kit comes with a dedicated Project Manager assigned from the start. We call it 'One Person, One Project.' You are not bounced between reps or forced to explain your situation every time you call.
Your project manager handles:
- Design coordination and modification discussions
- Engineering documentation and permitting support
- Pre-delivery questions and preparation guidance
- On-call support during the raise
The testimonials on our kits page include more than a few references to weekend text messages getting a quick callback. That's the level of support we aim for. When you're mid-raise with a question, you shouldn't have to wait 2 days for an email reply.
Optional Add-Ons
Enclosure System
For roofed structures, we offer a Ready-To-Raise™ Enclosure System — either for the roof alone or as a complete structural enclosure. This is a SIP-based system (structurally insulated panels) that arrives with:
- Window and door openings already cut to spec.
- Electrical chase pre-cut
- All installation hardware
If you're building a barn, pavilion, or home and want the enclosure to go up as smoothly as the frame itself, this is worth discussing with your project manager. You can read more about enclosure options in our Timber Frame Enclosure Systems article.
What's Not Included
Being straightforward about this matters. Here's what our kits do not include:
- Foundation or site prep — you're responsible for footings, slabs, or piers; we do provide connectors to attach posts to your foundation.
- Roof shingles and roofing materials — these are sourced and installed by you or your builder.
- Windows and exterior doors — unless you've added an enclosure system package
- Siding and exterior finishes
- Interior work — insulation, drywall, electrical, plumbing, mechanical
For outdoor structures like pavilions and covered patios, some of those items simply don't apply. For a full home or an enclosed barn, you'll need to budget for and plan them as a separate phase of the project.
Stock Kits vs. Custom Kits
We offer both. Stock designs span a wide range — barns, pavilions, carports, garages, porches, homes — and can be quoted instantly using our online kit calculator without a phone call or email submission.
If none of our stock designs fit your project, we can build a custom kit from scratch. That process involves a collaborative design phase, engineering, and a longer lead time — but the result is a frame built exactly to your site conditions and specifications.
How to Get Started
The fastest path is to use our kit calculator to get an instant quote on any stock design. No contact info required — just select a design and get a number. If you have questions or want to talk through modifications, you can reach us at projects@timberframehq.com or call (888) 552-9379, Monday through Friday, 9–5.
A timber frame kit is a significant investment and a significant project. The more clearly you understand what's in the package before you start, the smoother the whole process goes — from permitting to delivery to raise day.
