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Your Link to Timber Frame News & Information | |
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November 2008, Issue 2 |
Dear Homeowner,
Welcome home to Issue 2 of "In Touch" - a newsletter that will grow around your questions, concerns and personal stories surrounding your timber frame project. This monthly newsletter will provide information about designs, the "green" nature of timber framing, comparisons to traditional building versus timber framing in safety and energy savings, and much more! We hope you will "contact us" and let us know your questions about the timber framing process and the answer may be contained in the next month's "In Touch."
We hope you enjoy this brief monthly communique. If you would like to opt out, please see the end of this email for opt-out details. However, we hope you stay connected as an "In Touch" reader! The Timber Frame Business Council (TFBC) is a non-profit trade association and will NOT share your contact informaiton as a result of receiving this newsletter!
We look forward to staying "In Touch." |
| A Client's Guide |
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| Getting Started- Your Building Site
Whether you already have property or are still looking for that perfect location for your new home, you should think about possible building site issues. Your aesthetic requirements and practical considerations can both be met. Try to define the qualities you are lookng for in your homesite. Is it wooded or open, sloped or flat, remote or close-in? Proximity to schools and municipal services can be important factors. Here are other factors to consider:
- You will need access to utilities. This includes essentials such as water, telephone and electrical service, and sewage disposal as well as optional hook-ups for natural gas or cable television. Be sure to investigate the connection costs associated with these services, as well as permit fees.
- The costs for building roads and driveways to access your property or for bringing utilities to the site can be daunting. Be sure you have the full picture.
- Exisiting zoning regulations and setback requirements may not meet your needs. If you must request a variance, be sure to factor response time into your plans.
- Be certain your lot has a soil type suitable for building and that it will pass a perk test.
- Topography can have a substantial impact on your costs. Sites that are steeply sloped, rocky, heavily wooded or otherwise difficult to access can add significant time and expense to your project.
- Solar access is critical if you are planning a passive solar/daylit home or want to include photovoltaics.
- Consider natural conditions such as a local climate, geothermal energy, prevailing breezes and indigenous vegetation that will impact the energy performance and comfort of your new home. Taking advantage of these conditions allows your home and building site to stay in harmony with its surroundings.
- Evaluate the "view potential" of your proposed site.
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| Timber Frames- An Old Technique For Today's New Homes |
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"The tried and true techniques, developed hundreds of years ago, are proving to be sustainable."
The sustainable, energy efficient homes of today have their roots in an age old craft. For centuries homes were built with large timbers joined together and infilled with techniques such as wattle and daub, lathe and plaster, and stone and rubble. This system created a structure that was structurally sound and offered superior protection from the elements.
Today, timber frame construction is at the heart of green building. Timbers are a renewable resource and the insulated panel enclosure system provides exceptional energy efficiency. With rising energy costs and an awareness of the impact of housing on our environment, there is a renewed interest in incorporating timber frame construction.
Timber frame construction, also referred to as post and beam construction and heavy timber construction, allows for the creation of open living spaces which are so popular in today's homes. Many people are choosing this method of construction because of the ease in building accessible homes and homes that will allow the owners to age in place. Because there are no bearing walls, the structures provide flexibility far beyond conventionally framed homes. Click here to read more. |
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| Green Furniture |
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 Reprinted with permission from www.usgreenliving.com
Saving the environment has become a global initiative. Ever since the concept of "global warming" was introduced, man as become aware of what he does to the environment. Everyday, there are non-biodegradable items being thrown into the sea. Smoke emissions in many countries are on the critical level and factories have continuously thrown their toxic waste in our waters. Not to mention the deforestation to pave the way for development. We are now aware of these conditions and in our part we have to do something. It's up to the authority to control the factories and the deforestation, but there are things that we can do that would certainly help the environment.
We all know that segregating our garbage, recycling some of the materials and saving water and paper and just the things that we could do to help the environment. But we can also extend our help to the environment not only in proper garbage disposal and controlling the emission of our cars. We can even observe to buy eco friendly furniture.
Our furniture and office chairs and tables could have been made industrially. That means smoke was emitted to create our comfy chairs. If we have a good wood of table, it might have come from an illegal source. Trees are cut off to make tables without even replacing them with fresh seeds to grow.
Click here to read more. Click here to find members of the Timber Frame Business Council who provide furniture.
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| This Old House to feature eco-friendly timberframe home |
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| Want to learn about the construction of an eco-friendly timberframe home?
"Bensonwood Homes, known for its innovative, energy efficient, and highly durable homes, and This Old House, PBS's long-running and venerated home improvement TV series, have joined forces to build a new house. And it's not just any house. This home, with its Open-BuiltŪ, pre-engineered construction elements, super tight envelope, and timberframe structure-capable of holding back the elements for centuries-may well portend the future of homebuilding.
In a shift from their standard format, This Old House partnered with custom homebuilding company, Bensonwood, to build a new timberframe home that will look like an old barn, while at the same time feature energy saving design, sustainable products, and other state-of-the-art technologies."
The show airs for 16 weeks. Check your local listing for new episodes and re-runs. |
| Ask the Expert |
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Do you have a question about your home or building project? Please forward your questions to pam@timberframe.org and the answer may be found in the next edition of "In Touch." |
| Tell Us Your Story |
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If you have built a timber frame home and you'd like to share your story with our readers, please pass along your story (and any photos) -- we'd like to highlight your project! Send your story to info@timberframe.org! |
| About the Timber Frame Business Council |
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Established in October 1995, the Timber Frame Business Council (TFBC) was created as a not-for-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the quality, integrity and marketability of the timber frame industry. TFBC is committed to strengthening and advancing the business, communications and research capabilities within the timber frame industry.
Using its most traditional definition, timber framing is a specific type of post and beam construction in which a frame is created from solid wood timbers that are connected by several types of interlocking wood joinery including mortise and tenon, dovetails or scarfs secured with hardwood pegs.
Timber frames are enclosed using several methods. While traditional timber frames were typically in-filled (between the posts and beams) with various mixtures of clay, straw, lime and other regionally available materials, contemporary frames use several methods that effectively enclose the timber frame and allow the timbers to remain exposed to the interior of the building. Timber framing is a building system which lends itself well to both residential and commercial construction over a broad spectrum of architectural styles such as; traditional, rustic, modern, southwestern, oriental and colonial to name a few. Timber framing integrates well with many other building systems and materials, such as; structural insulated panels, log systems, engineered wood products, concrete and conventional stud framing. |
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| The Timber Frame Business Council is a non-profit trade association dedicated to putting you in touch with North America's best timber framing professionals. Please consider hiring a TFBC member for your next building project! And, remember, to stay "In Touch"!
Sincerely,
Pam Hinton, Executive Director
Timber Frame Business Council |
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Visit Us!!!
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Timber Frame Business Council
Your Link to Timber Frame Professionals, Resources & Information
104 Carlisle St.
Gettysburg, PA 17325 USA
888-560-9251
www.timberframe.org
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We'd like to hear from you! Email to info@timberframe.org or pam@timberframe.org
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