Craft of timber framing has local advocates
By JoAn Bjarko
North Forty News
It's sturdy, energy efficient, aesthetically pleasing, expressive and,
yes, more expensive. But advocates of timber framing say it's worth every
penny, and it can still be affordable.
Timber framing has been practiced for centuries in the Northern Hemisphere.
"Some structures in Europe are 800 years old or older," said Steve Rundquist,
owner of Brewster Timber Frame Co. in Bellvue, adding that in Cape Cod,
where he learned the craft, timber frame buildings are 300 to 350 years
old.
For a variety of reasons, however, the craft faded from use during this
country's western expansion, and Rundquist would like to see that change.
He is one of small group of local builders and engineers reviving the tradition.
Peter Haney, founder of Rocky Mountain Workshops, said some Colorado pioneers
used timber framing for barns, which are still standing. One of the county's
first settlers built a timber frame barn near Bellvue in 1862. About 1865,
a city founder used a combination of steel and traditional timber framing
for a barn standing in the middle of the golf course at Lincoln and Lemay
in Fort Collins. An "amazing barn," 150 feet long by 50 feet wide, was
constructed south of Berthoud in 1874, Haney added.
Haney surmised that the advent of sawmills, combined with a poor timber
resource in the Rocky Mountains, contributed to the popularity of typical
light frame construction. "It was a fast and easy way to build," he said.
"Timber framing is a very time-consuming way to build."
Rundquist explained that his craft uses heavy timbers to build the bones
of a structure. Wood joinery techniques are used to tie the timbers together
for the frame. It can be enclosed in several ways, but the sturdy, beautiful
beams remain exposed on the interior.
"The outside looks very ordinary," Rundquist said. "It's the inside that
catches your attention."
He is quick to explain that this is not a log home. "Log houses are visually
appealing from the outside," Rundquist said, adding that it is possible
to add log siding to a timber frame home if a person wants that effect.
A Bellvue engineer, Mark Benjamin, is currently designing a timber frame
home for himself. The exterior walls will be made from straw bales. On
the interior, the walls will be covered with clay and straw slurry. The
framing material will come from an old barn in Michigan, which is one way
to get the large timbers needed for timber frame construction.
Rundquist is building a large timber frame horse barn in Lafayette using
Douglas fir from Idaho. At 80 feet long by 62 feet wide, the barn has 25,000
board feet of lumber. It's one of the largest timber frame buildings Rundquist
has constructed.
To enclose his buildings, Rundquist usually uses premade foam-core panels
that interconnect. "They're very tight and go up quickly," he said.
Large does not have to be the operative word in timber frame construction,
however. At Rocky Mountain Workshops, for example, some classes work on
cruck frames, which use crooked timbers. Last year, a class built a cruck
frame from locally cut cottonwoods. Haney, who organizes the workshops,
said it was a challenge to find trees big enough and bent enough to make
the frame, but he managed with the help of an irrigation company that needed
to remove some trees.
To keep the cost of the workshops affordable, Haney sells the completed
frames. In this case, Rundquist's barn customer bought the cruck frame,
and the building will be used for a weight room and workout room.
As he promotes the craft of timber framing, Rundquist is quick to say it
is affordable. "Timber frames aren't just for millionaires," he said. "With
a proper, straightforward design you can keep costs down." He can also
cut timber frame kits that homeowners can assemble themselves.
A skilled builder, he added, won't make mistakes when cutting the frame.
"You have to be able to see the end product the day you start," said Rundquist,
who started learning the technique in 1983. "If you make mistakes early,
it gets really expensive."
He enjoys the challenge of keeping focused on every piece. "It's so rewarding
to put the pieces together and stand back and take a look," he said.
He also noted that once the frame is up, a wall can be put anywhere, and
it can be moved. "People wind up sharing spaces for different purposes
because they like to leave the interior open," Rundquist said. "In my opinion,
a timber frame home is much more comfortable."
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