Energy Efficient Elegance

Timber Frame Homes Combine History with Modern Amenities

 

A small beach home blends in with the wooded area around Cayuga Lake, one of New York’s scenic Finger Lakes. With their primary residence just 200 yards away, the Davis family of Interlaken, NY, use their beach house in the summer for family activities with their children, grandchildren, and chocolate labradors, and in the winter for a peaceful space, heated by a simple stove.

In Stowe, VT, another home sits beside a meadow overlooking Mount Mansfield, Vermont’s highest mountain. The Pressman’s home is just the home they dreamed they would own: a way of integrating their lives into the area where Wendy Pressman’s family has lived for six generations.

Anyone can explain the idea of their perfect home, from the location and what’s around all the way down to details of the look and size. But it takes a lot more than just an idea to see that vision through to completion. How do people find that perfect location? Who will help them draw up plans for the house? What materials do they choose? The homes we build last for generations if designed properly, so we want to create something we can happily own for some time, whether it be a simple beach house or a comfortable home in the mountains that may be passed on through generations to come.

Everyone’s taste is different. Some prefer a modern style, with a clean design mostly bare of details. Some prefer something more classic—an older design with visible wood framing and carefully fitted joints. Most can agree they want their home to be as energy efficient as possible to reduce heating and cooling costs. And everyone wants a say in how their home looks, whether they see it through from design to the completion of the construction or pick it out from a selection they are given.

For that classic, natural look, one good option is building a timber-framed home. Timber framing, also called post-and-beam construction, involves joining together large, squared timbers with wooden pegs at the joints instead of nails or other fasteners. This method can give a home a natural look, with exposed timbers visible from the outside, inside, or both. An old practice, timber framing has been revived in recent decades, but now with more precision and ease of manufacturing, thanks to newer technology. To surround the timber framing of a house, structural insulated panels (SIPs) are often used, which provide a high degree of insulation, and consequently, a low energy bill. SIPs are composite panels, made from an outer sheathing of structurally engineered oriented strand board (OSB), and an inner layer of rigid insulation.

If the timber-framing design appeals to you, and you want a way to mold it exactly to your vision, one option is Woodhouse^®: The Timber Frame Company. Located in rural Pennsylvania, Woodhouse specializes in timber-frame homes, personalized for each customer. Depending on a customer’s need, Woodhouse can work with drafted designs, or start from scratch and offer their own designers’ expertise.

Woodhouse’s History

The history of Woodhouse goes back to the late 1970s. In encouraging the United States to become more energy efficient during the first oil crisis, the government, led by the Carter administration, created incentives to boost the production of energy efficient buildings and homes. Founders Steve Keller and John Saveson saw a chance to open their company, a move “based on environmental responsibility and community service [which] has taken [them] to a leadership position in a beautifully artistic and craft-oriented industry.” Thus, Woodhouse was founded in 1979.

Initially, the company focused their efforts largely on passive solar designs, models that work with the path of the sun to heat and cool the house. To make these designs more efficient, the team then coupled them with insulation, which is when they began looking into SIPs. To support the sturdy SIPs, they began using timber frames, initially turned onto the idea by a customer’s request. Rather than purchase pre-made frames for a high price, they decided to build their own.

Less than a decade after its founding, the company was one of the main consumers of SIPs, but they were never fully satisfied with the quality. After failing to find suitable panels, they decided to open a sister company to bolster their design and construction company. Murus^® was born in 1987, and has since become the leading producer of polyurethane SIPs in the world. With the combination of sturdy timber framing and the new production of quality SIPs as insulation, Woodhouse had the perfect combination for elegant, energy-efficient homes.

Today, Woodhouse is one of the largest US manufacturers of timber frames, and ships not only all over the country, but as far as Asia, the South Pacific, and Europe. Since its beginnings in 1979, Woodhouse has built nearly 800 residential and commercial properties.

Efficiency and Sustainability

What makes Woodhouse’s methods more efficient and sustainable than houses that are cheaper to build? After the dawn of mass production during the Industrial Revolution, the construction of one-family homes became easy, and after some development of design ideas, stick framing construction became the norm. Stick framing involves fastening wall studs with nails at regular intervals. This method requires many different materials and uses a large supply of dimensional lumber to ensure the frame can support loads due to wind and snow accumulation, and the wear from regular use.

Although stick framing is speedy and fairly low-cost to build, it loses a lot in energy efficiency when compared to other methods of construction. Because the walls in a stick-framed house are made of a large number of parts, there can be excessive air leaks between sections. Extra layering or building two adjacent walls with space between them can allow for more insulation, but this adds to the labor cost, which is already generally the largest portion of the cost for such a home.

Timber framing, on the other hand, uses SIPs, which connect with a tongue-and-groove system that leaves no space for heat gain or loss through air exchange. Using quality material in the SIPs, timber-framed houses require much less energy than a typical home, somewhere between 30% to 70% less, to keep at a comfortable temperature. Over a lifetime, the amount saved on energy bills for houses like these will far outweigh the difference in price of construction. Besides the individual’s savings, this also contributes to the reduction of oil and gas consumption.

Not only are SIPs energy efficient, but using SIPs for paneling allows builders to dip into the supply of timber less and less, decreasing the amount of deforestation. The trees used for the wooden interior framing and the outer sheath of the SIPs come mainly from sources that practice sustainable foresting methods; thereby leaving a much smaller carbon footprint. And, Murus SIPs are rigid enough that they provide structural support that adds to the integrity of the frame. This is what reduces the need for excess timber and makes homes with SIPs sturdier than most homes. Despite the sturdiness of SIPs, they are still light and easy to put up, so the labor required for construction is minimal.

Home Options

There is no feeling a family can have like that of seeing their home come together just as they imagined it: the rooms all where they belong, the porch looking out into a plunging valley, or across the lightly moving waves on the surface of a lake, the sunlight streaming in the bedroom windows as the sun rises for the first time after the house has been raised. Reaching this point is no small task, and making the right moves throughout the process is important to find that moment of soaking in the knowledge that your home is exactly where you want to be.

When thinking of your design, the options can seem overwhelming. Consultants and architects who have seen different successes and failures may have some great advice, but more importantly, everyone should think about what it is they prefer and reflect on their own experiences. In a previous home, a person may have loved the space in their back yard, but wished there was a larger seating area on the deck. Looking back on past issues, no matter how small, can help set up a good layout for a new home.

Considering lifestyle and habits is also an important aspect of designing a home. Design consultants won’t know how close parents want their rooms to be to the children’s rooms, how much closet space everyone needs, how far people are willing to carry their groceries from the car, or other life aspects that influence layout. Because of their thoughtful design team, Woodhouse is willing and able to cater to each desire.

Though their method of construction holds to a specific vision, the types of homes and office buildings Woodhouse offers are many and varied. Woodhouse offers custom designs to suit different housing needs, landscapes, and design preferences. The design team at Woodhouse is unique in that there are architects and home designers on staff, a rarity for timber frame companies. These architects and designers are ready to take on any task to bring visions to life. During consultation, customers can choose the type of timber and the method of joining the beams, the floor system, the wall and roof SIPs, and the finishes for the home, including exterior siding, trim, roofing materials and colors, and window styles. Depending on the customer’s desires, Woodhouse can also meet with the customer’s own personal architect if they have already begun drafting plans for the home prior to consulting the company.

For a more cost-conscious customer base, Woodhouse also offers pre-designed SmartWood^TM home plans. While still keeping the quality of the typical Woodhouse timber frame, customers can choose from a selection of plans for their SmartWood home, ranging from a ranch house, to a barn home, to a carriage house.

Once the design is decided, timber experts begin crafting the materials on computer numeric controlled (CNC) machines. These allow a high level of precision in the cuts. Each piece is finished by hand and planed to a smooth texture. When all the outside materials have been gathered—wooden pegs, adhesives, doors, windows—the company delivers it all to the building site.

Building Your Home

You have prepared a house exactly the way you want it. Now that moment has arrived when all the pieces come together at the perfect site. While the materials are unloaded, you look out at the view over the lake, or through the trees to the mountain, or out to the meadow; and this is where you will be, living. Or, vacationing in a spot chosen by you.

The first floor is built, with support columns rising up out of it. Once the timber frame is raised, ceremoniously, Woodhouse recognizes the trees it has used by placing a small bough at the peak of the frame. Then it is time to cover the frame using the insulated wall panels, followed by the windows and doors.

Woodhouse is ready to face any challenges unique to the landscape where a home will be built. Around lakes and oceans, homes need to be equipped to handle the complications of living beside water. With Woodhouse, rising water levels and erosion affecting the well-being of your home’s structure won’t be a concern. Through their years of experience, Woodhouse has also learned to take into account any practical aspects of what it is like to live on the water, so that you won’t have to worry about additional chores to keep up the house. In mountains, the terrain needs to be considered. These homes will nestle into any nook and can withstand snow-filled winters without losing their structural integrity.

One extraordinary home, settled into a narrow space in the Catskills, demonstrates the customizing expertise Woodhouse boasts. Though the lot is narrow, this three-story home rises neatly out of the mountainside, complete with paths to ski in and out. The Douglas fir timber framing and the walnut flooring are hand-finished. Both the floors and the pavement outside are heated—radiant heating inside for comfort, while the driveways and sidewalks feature a heating snow-melt system to relieve the homeowners of shoveling.

Regardless of whether you want a more professional, comfortable environment for your business, a retirement house catered to your needs, or a simple and environmentally-friendly home, this type of timber framing and insulated paneling can suit your needs. Pleased Woodhouse homeowners, the Ciscos, said of their large lake home in New York, “It was a treat to witness the piecing together of these SIPs—like a three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle being put together…It was the chemistry between us and the Woodhouse team that made Woodhouse the right company.”

Beside Cayuga Lake, the Davis family’s beach house stands as a sanctuary. Their dogs run along the shore watching the family swim. Because of their beach house, the whole family is at home here, everything carefully laid out to fit their lifestyle. As they uncleat their sailboat and push away from the dock, they stop for a moment to appreciate the view — of their timber frame home.

For more information on energy-efficient homes and commercial properties, contact Woodhouse: The Timber Frame Company at 800-227-4311 or online at timberframe1.com.

Benefits of a Timber Frame home

Aesthetics. In the beauty of an exposed, natural wood frame, one feels warmth, strength and security. The quality of the woodworking is apparent everywhere you look, reminding you always of the care and craftsmanship that went into the construction of your home.

Open Floor Plan. Openness is practically inherent in the timber frame design, since there are rarely any interior load-bearing walls. This leaves space for easy alterations as the needs of the occupants change.

Longevity. Timber frames are structurally-sound buildings lasting hundreds of years. Unlike log homes, timber-framed homes require little to no maintenance and have no settling problems.

Energy Efficiency. Timber frames are typically completely enclosed in an envelope of insulated panels. These panels are more energy efficient than conventional framing and insulation methods, preventing air leaks so that heating and cooling costs are lower.