About Timberframing

What Is Timber Framing?

A timber frame home is one in which the structural element, the timbers, are joined together using handcrafted joinery. At no time are nails, bolts, or metal fasteners ever exposed. The timber frame of the home typically is wrapped in structural insulated panels (SIPs) that enclose the home and provide protection from the elements, yet the frame itself remains exposed and open to the interior of the home. This wonderful building system allows the homeowner a tremendous range of options for expressing creativity in fashioning a custom home. The beauty of the wood becomes the dramatic backdrop, and the homeowner's fondest desires provide the finish that transforms the home into a showplace. While timber framing is an ancient art, its revival in popularity over the last 20 years or so has adapted the craft to modern spaces. Timber frame home design allows for beautiful, expansive interior spaces with dramatic vaulted ceilings and lots of space for windows with fantastic natural light and wonderful vistas of the home’s site. Moreover, the use of structural insulated panels (SIPs) to enclose the frame creates a home of unparalleled energy-efficiency and comfort.

History of Timberframing

Ancient civilizations, such as Egypt and Rome, used timbers for many of their roof systems. The mortise and tenon joint was developed during this period of time, and these civilizations developed excellent engineering and building skills. In fact, King Solomon hired the Sidonians to provide heavy timbers to build the temple of the Lord 1000 years BC. (1Kings5:6)

The next thousand years brought the expansion of early, civilized development in Europe. Timber resources were plentiful so the use of timber in building was a natural choice. However, the structures were primitive, with posts driven directly into the ground and crossing members lashed together with animal hides.

Between 500 and 800 AD, Europeans developed the joinery techniques necessary to build timber frame dwellings that remained structurally sound. During the 9th and 10th centuries, European people developed excellent timber-framing skills. They began to build foundations that prevented structural posts from deteriorating rapidly, and their structures utilized joinery to permanently fasten or attach its members.

It is important to note that while timber framing developed in Europe many years ago, it also developed in other parts of the world. Many of the Buddhist temples in Japan and other parts of Asia date back 600 to 800 years.

Here in the United States, timber framing flourished from the early 1600s to the mid 1800s. Timber was abundant and today many examples of early-American timber frames stand in Virginia, New England, and along the East coast.

Structurally Insulated Panels

SIP stands for Structural Insulated Panel. These components are also referred to as “stress skin panels” or simply “stress skins.” SIPs are composed of two sheets of OSB (oriented strand board) with rigid foam insulation sandwiched in between. SIPs have exceptionally good insulation properties, offering R values of R-41 on roofs and R-28 on walls—as much as double the effective insulation offered by traditional building methods. The SIP foam core is comprised of either Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) or Polyurethane.

Because of the excellent insulation offered by SIP enclosed buildings, it is not uncommon for heating and cooling of SIP-enclosed structures to cost as little as 25% of traditionally stick build structures, making this type of construction especially attractive in today's market.

SIPs are, as the name suggests, a structural component of the buildings in which they are used, and generally they replace traditional stick built framing of walls and roofs.