Timber Frame Construction Details – 3 Details That Will Make Your Timber Frame Unique

Transcript:

In this video, we’ll take a look at some of the timber frame construction details that you can add into your timber frame home, not only make it unique and intriguing, but more functional as well.  These details do not always add more costs to your timber frame house but are just some things to think about when in the design phase.

So, the first one that I like to talk about are the different chamfers that you can put in your frame.  Just for those of you out there that don’t know what chamfer is, it is basically taking off the corners off your timbers to create a rounded or beveled edge,  these can be quite intricate as you can see in the photos or you can even make them by hand with a draw knife for a much more organic feel.  The timber frame company that you decide to go with will be able to show you the different styles close up to help you decide.

The second construction detail and one of the structural ones are the pegs.  While there are a couple different species of wood the predominant one is white oak, the other ones being locus or a Brazilian cherry.  You can also always stain pegs to have a more contrasting color with your frame if you would like to achieve different looks.  The other aspect about the pegs I like to talk about is how far they stick out.  Some folks like them flush with the timbers, some like them sticking out only an inch and my personal choice is for them to stick out 2 inches. What can I say- I like the shadow lines that they create.  The last thing to think about concerning pegs is to think about where you want to hang a plant, hang a coat or hang piece of art.  You can always have the timber frame company bring a couple of long pegs to achieve this functional aspect of what a peg can do without adding much cost.

As a quick tip, you can add pegs wherever you’d like after the frame is raised to achieve the above results just make sure to consult the timber frame company and or engineer before drilling extra holes in the timbers.  I was able to add a peg in the right spot so my wife can easily hang her robe next to the bed so it was easy for her to get to.

The last timber frame house construction detail that I would like to discuss today is the use of organic or live edge timbers in your project.  Even having just one of these in your frame may turn out to be the focal point of the house simply because of the uniqueness of the piece.  It has always amazed me how people walk up to these special timbers just to feel them.  I have found it just reminds people that the timbers that have created the house actually came from trees and it makes a special connection with people.  Whether one or many, adding organic pieces is something that you may want to think about adding. I hope the pictures throughout these last couple slides have inspired you to at least think about adding such a dynamic piece to your timber frame.

Those are just three of the timber frame construction details that you can add into your next timber frame construction project.  I hope you enjoyed this video and if you have any other questions about the construction details that can go into your timber frame please visit us at timberframeHQ.com and don’t forget come say hi to us@Facebook.comtimber frame HQ.

Take care and we’ll see you soon.