Why Timber Frame?

Timber Framing is the centuries old craft that has enjoyed a revival in fine homes across the country and more recently in the Wisconsin area. The brilliance of a modern day timber frame home, with exposed smoothly planed timbers and ornate truss systems, creates a breathtaking view when you enter one of these homes. The hand crafted timbers are connected using joinery called mortise and tenon. This joinery is permanently locked together using oak pegs which eliminate the need for glue or metal fasteners. The beauty and superior strength of these massive timbers enables homes to be constructed with towering ceilings and open floor plans without the use of interior load bearing walls. This allows you the home owner complete flexibility to place full or partial walls wherever you desire and maintain the open view of the aesthetically pleasing timber structure. Living areas flow easily into one another, creating new combinations of kitchen, dining and entertaining possibilities.

Considering a conventional home or log home?

* On the outside a timber frame home can be as conventional as your neighbors, incorporating the use of any form of siding and blends well with settings in the city, small town, lake or country. A log home typically blends well in most rural settings.

* Timber frame can also be unique from the outside, as it is with the North Ridge Timber Frame show home. This home was designed and built by North Ridge Timber Frames and is a white pine mortise and tenon frame from Wisconsin and showcases this construction from timber frame deck to a kingpost truss system set in massive stone columns with rough sawn exterior cedar siding. Expansive arched windows follow the contour of the arching kingposts both inside and out with a towering Great Room that over looks Lake Redstone . This show home demonstrates the blending of a conventional stick built home with timber frame called a hybrid design, which can reduce the overall cost of your project. We feel, if you choose to tour this home, you will agree it is anything but ordinary. If you desire the exterior look of a log home you can have the best of both worlds as timber frame accommodates your choice of exterior siding. Your home can be clad in log siding, as two homes in the Photo Gallery reflect and still maintain all other timber frame advantages. We also have homes that are maintenance free exteriors using cement lap barn board siding.

* Step into a modern day timber frame home and you'll experience first hand the splendor of this ancient craft. No matter what the home owner chooses in styles, from formal and elaborate to rustic and cozy, every timber frame imparts a sense of strength, warmth and lasting beauty. The exposed truss systems, interior wall options and open spaces provide the home owner limitless decorating possibilities with drywall, colors, textures, wood planking and lighting options that a conventional home cannot duplicate.

* Another advantage of timber frame is that when combined with SIP’s (structural insulated panels) or blown in urethane, these insulating packages provide for one of the most energy efficient “Green” homes you can build. When compared to conventional built homes, the panels provide for an unbroken envelope of insulation attached to the exterior of the frame for lasting strength durability and efficiency. A timber frame raising and wrapping with insulated panels for an average size home can be accomplished in 1-2 weeks, reducing the impact of the elements and on site labor costs. If our customers have a preferred builder that is not comfortable with the panel concept and would prefer the stick built wall approach that direction can easily be accommodated with the blown in urethane process.