Timber Frame Consultants, LLC

How to maintain control of a timber frame project

The big manufacturers are timber frame experts, and they survive because they are good at what they do. Unfortunately for builders and home owners, sales is one of their areas of expertise. Since the 1970's, the larger post & beam and timber frame companies have been getting to the customer before the customer gets to the builder. It's been that way so long it almost seems normal. The manufacturers have become the timber frame customer's first stop, effectively cutting the builder -who will execute the plan- out of the planning process.

Typically, a customer who goes straight to the manufacturer hires their in-house designers to draw the plan so the salesman can give an accurate estimate for the cost of frame and materials they want to sell. But it is well understood that once the customer has put down a few thousand dollars for a design deposit, they are pretty likely buy the manufacturer's entire package.

Buyers should be aware -but often aren't- that the estimate they receive from the manufacturer can and will only accurately represent the price of the products the company is selling. While they are selling a frame and perhaps some panels, a complete timber frame home is much more than those pieces. To sell a package, they might well undervalue the other essential costs, which will be the responsibility of the builder.

These include:

-Site design and compatibility
-Clearing the land, retaining walls and landscaping
-Digging, pouring and back filling the foundation
-Septic, getting utilities to the site
-Mechanicals -plumbing, electrical, heating
-Finishing -flooring, trim, door, cabinets, fixtures, counters
-Interior finish including painting and staining.

Again, the manufacturers are experts, and buying a well-cut frame from an experienced manufacturer makes sense. But the homes they design are created to sell their products, not necessarily to facilitate easy installation of mechanicals, cabinets and appliances, situate the structure for aesthetics and efficiency, or accommodate the complicated finish requirements of a timber frame home. While an outside architect will see your project through to the end, the company designers' responsibility dries up at the
door.

Builders who are new to timber framing should be aware that it's easy to be caught off guard by the extra expense of finishing a timber frame home.

There are few things you can do as a home owner or builder to stay in control of the project, stay on budget, and avoid unexpected problems.

• Hire an architect or designer -preferably with timber frame experience- to do the initial design work. The in house design team will ask for a larger deposit, and are ultimately not responsible for your satisfaction with their work. An outside architect is signing on to the responsibility of designing a home that incorporates the list of project elements above. That is what you pay them to do.
• Make the manufacturers compete for your business by putting your frame design out to bid. Make sure the design speaks their language, if they have to translate the basic layout into a timber frame plan it will cost you credibility, and in turn, money. It is worth learning how, or finding a designer experienced with timber frames.
• Avoid buying a whole "package" with its inherent murky mark-ups by understanding the elements of timber frame projects, and put each of them out to bid separately.
• Learn about cost for finishes and mechanicals when using timber frame construction.
  The Timber Frame Consultants, LLC website provides more information on the pre-design services and discounted materials they offer to help builders and homeowners stay in control of their timber framed projects.

The Timber Frame Consultants, LLC website provides more information on the pre-design services and discounted materials they offer to help builders and homeowners stay in control of their timber framed projects.