Access To Experience
Established in 2010, Timber Frame HQ takes immense pride in being a self-sustaining, profitable, and remote-centric organization. Our primary mission is to enhance your comprehension of timber framing and guide you throughout the construction process.
With a customer base spread across more than 25 countries, we are privileged to collaborate with top-notch professionals globally. Our team of over six dedicated members, fondly referred to as TFHQ'ers, operates remotely from various locations across the US, Canada, and Australia.
Meet the Team
Brice Cochran
Founder
More than two decade ago, he discovered a passion for timber framing, a craft driven by both artistry and mathematics. The craft of timber framing offers more than one lifetime’s worth of learning opportunities, and to do it well.
William Woody
Designer
William graduated from Walters State Community College with an Associates degree in Industrial technology, with an emphasis in Drafting and Design. He has worked on architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical, civil... Read On
Katrina Williams
Jack of All Trades
Katrina earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in Interior Design from Florida State University. She practiced and taught design in Florida for many years. She truly enjoys being immersed in the beautiful world of timber frames.
Chris Miller
Lead Designer
Born and raised in the northwestern mountains of North Carolina he has been in construction his whole life. He decided to move into timber framing 26 years ago and fell in love with it. He is laid back, and has been told that strongest assets are artistic imagination, and his sense of humor.
Brandon Sullivan
Office and Marketing Administrator
Brandon cannot remember a time when he didn’t want to build his own home with hand-cut joinery and a lot of Eastern white pine. After a stint as a high school math teacher, he apprenticed at The Heartwood School with Will Beemer who introduced Brandon to the craft and trade of timber framing... Read On
G. Mohland
-Homeowner-
I cannot say enough good things about Chris Miller. Not only do we really like this design, but he was also so willing to share his knowledge and expertise with me throughout this entire project. From the minute I decided to buy these plans from TFHQ , Chris was always there , for any questions or concerns I had.
A Note From The Founder
With over 15,000 happy customers and +100 designs packed into this catalog, it’s my hope that one of the designs found here will spark your imagination and help you take the first step toward your dream build.
Seventeen years ago, I built my own timber frame home in the mountains of South Carolina, where I still live today with my wife, Christie, and two children, Maddie and Liam. Each of our DIY Plans and Ready-to-Raise™ Kits has been labored over by my dedicated design team and me. We’ve done our best to capture on paper, the experience we’ve earned milling and raising heavy timbers with our own two hands.
We’ve embedded our favorite ideas, design flourishes, and functional details into every design to make these structures an incredible building experience and a joy to live in and around. With more than one hundred plans and counting, there’s a good chance you’ll find something that aligns with your dream build, but don’t let this collection of designs hold back your imagination.
We’re here to support your vision every step of the way. You can start your build immediately with our stock kits or plans, modify them to suit your setting, or create a custom design from scratch complete with engineering and a full Ready-to-Raise™ Timber Frame Kit, cut and delivered to your site.
If you’ve got the time and talent, our team of expert timber framers is on hand to support your DIY build. If you have less time and experience, our Ready-to-Raise™ Timber Frame Kits can save you months of milling lumber and still give you the experience of raising a beautiful timber frame structure on your land with your contractor.
Each kit comes complete with everything you need from the carefully numbered timbers, fasteners, and fully engineered plans that you’ll bring to life. We’ll even work with you to dial in the DIY level of your project so that you’ll treasure both your timber frame AND your build experience for a lifetime.
Wishing you the best with your build,
Brice Cochran
Our Core Values
Treat everyone like a grandmother
Craft with Passion, Deliver with Pride
Boost Personal Growth, Amplify Corporate Evolution
Pioneer the Path, Lead the Legacy
Empower Excellence, Deliver Distinction
Our Core Focus
Eradicating Obstacles, Simplifying Timber Framing
In this context, the focus is on making timber framing an accessible and easy-to-understand process for everyone, regardless of their background or expertise in construction. This includes providing simplified, transparent pricing and options, providing extensive customer service support, and streamlining the buying process. The goal is to ensure that any perceived or actual complexities should not hinder anyone from choosing a timber frame for their construction needs.
Illuminating the Art of Timber Framing
In this regard, the focus is on spreading knowledge about timber framing, including its benefits, the process, and why it could be the ideal choice for certain building projects. This could involve creating informative content (articles, videos, etc.), conducting workshops or webinars, and maintaining an active online presence to answer questions and share information. The aim is to transform the company into a trusted source of information about timber framing.
Scaling New Heights, Expanding Horizons
Here, the emphasis is on the expansion of the business, both in terms of its market reach and its product/service offerings. This could mean entering new markets (geographical or demographic), increasing production capacity, or diversifying the range of products and services on offer. Growth also refers to the continuous development of the company's internal capabilities, such as improving the skills and knowledge of the team, investing in new technologies, and improving operational efficiency. The goal is to foster a sustainable, long-term expansion strategy that delivers increased value to customers and stakeholders alike.
Timber Frame HQ's founder, Brice Cochran has been working in the timber frame industry for 17 years as a timber framer in the shop, project manager, designer. He is now the President and . He is the proud father of two: Maddie and Liam. And he is happily married to his beautiful wife Christie.
He also finished building his own 3,000-square-foot timber frame home in SC while starting his career in the timber frame industry. He learned a lot through that process and is at the core of what he is trying to achieve by building TFHQ and helping people build timber frames.
Hey TFHQ Team. I just wanted to show you some pictures. We got it up and it all fit perfectly. I want to say thank you. You did an awesome job on the plans I couldn’t have done it without them. Thanks again.
- Mark McColloch
If I order one of your sets of plans. How long will it take to arrive. I live in Vancouver Bc Canada
The plans come via PDF so you get them as soon as you order them, let me know if you have any other questions.
Do your plans include a cut list with all the locations of posts and beams?
Most of the plans do, the only ones that don’t are the full house plans.
Good evening. I’m looking for timber frame plans for a small house/cabin that is 24×34 with 1 bdr down/loft bdr, kitchen, bath, living area. Do you have one or can you make one?
Thank you,
Jim Hathaway
Jim, we don’t currently have plans as you describe. We could work with you on a custom basis, however. We do take on custom projects and would like to talk to you further about yours. Check out our page, HERE, describing what we offer and the process of our custom design services.
Scroll to the bottom of the page and fill out the design questionnaire so we can understand your needs. That’s the best way to communicate with our team and get an estimate for design services.
As soon as we get your information and give it a quick review we’ll contact you. Please allow a couple of days for our designers to respond.
Good luck with your project.
Hi Brice,
Nice Site
I am building a porch onto a small cabin and like your 8 x 12 12 /12 pitch with 8×8’s design. Structurally can I change the pitch to 5/12 and it still be structurally sound?
Just, that frame uses a structural ridge which put no outward thrust on the plates.
Nice house plans
Thank you!
Would you be able to modify your 32×28 Timber Frame Monitor Barn plans to accomodate a 32×50 dimension?
Michael, we can accommodate your change on a custom basis. PLease check out this page for more information.
Hi for the fire wood storage unit, what is the foot print size of the roof.
Thanks
The dimensions are 6′ x 10′ from outside to outside of the posts. The overall roof/beam dimensions are 10′-10″ x 12′-8″
Hi, plans look great but I’m just wondering what exactly you get with the plan? Are these plans all engineered and ready to take in for building approval from my local county? Are the plans wood species dependant or do they assume a specific species? Are loads calculated to include most snow and wind load or other factors that may vary from region to region?
Also, what is included in the membership? Does one have access to all the plans?
Thank you.
Dennis, The plans we offer on our website have all been reviewed by an engineer, but not stamped. People build our frames all over the country, and in each location, there are different requirements. Timber species, design loads, and values needed are just some of the factors engineers need to take into account in each case. In fact, an engineer will not stamp a set of drawings unless the site address is on the plans.
We do offer engineering services as an add-on to our standard plans. If this is something you are interested in, head over to https://timberframehq.com/custom-design/questionnaire/ and fill out the brief questionnaire. Armed with that information, we can get our heads into your project before we speak. That way we are best prepared to answer all of your questions.
Getting an engineer to review and seal them begins at about $250 depending on your location and the complexity of the plan.
You can check out the plans that are included in the Plan Bundle here.
We want to build a timberframe barn like your monitor style 32×28 barn for livestock. We don’t need to have an engineer stamp it to go ahead, but can you tell me if it was designed to be built with pine timbers? I’ve done a little timberframing for a porch in the past that was built with oak timbers and that was pretty hard stuff to work with.
We don’t really assume or design the frames to one spec. There are too many variables. We do try and design them so they can be built in most places with a #2 Doug fir in mind.
Hello are the plans paper or a download? Thanks
When you buy the plans you will receive links to download the PDFs
When you purchase plans is there a way to print out to full scale for making templates. Thanks
The drawings are all printed to a scale, you can enlarge the PDF to full size that way.
Do you have lists of builders that I could speak with and potentially select? I want to do most of it myself, but will need help with the frame assembly.
We do not raise the frames so we don’t have lists of builders. You might check here: https://www.tfguild.org/tfg-companies
Does the plans for the 18×24 pavilion come with material list for wood and metal brackets?
Yes, it comes with a complete material list.
I would like to begin a business building and selling small, ready-to-assemble timber frame kits. How would you recommend my best options for selling these things and getting a business off the ground?
Best,
Ernie Frank
Ernie, I’m afraid there is too much in that question for us to be able to answer on the website. But good luck to you!
What size timbers are specified in the 12×12 pergola?
Posts –8×8×10
Rafters – 6×8×16, 4×8×16
Plates – 8×10×16
Braces – 4×8×5