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Custom Vs. Stock Plans

21 February 2012, 11:10 pm

The timber framing industry is no stranger to kit companies and stock plans. Many companies who offer these stock plans also provide an estimated price for the timber frame package. Because the Riverbend website showcases floor plan concepts, we are often asked why we do not offer kit or stock pricing; this article is meant to give you some insight as to why.

Conceptual Plan

Oak Grove Conceptual Plan

Stock Plans

In general, stock floor plans are pre-drawn and are not meant to be modified beyond their basic footprint or timber frame structure. Companies often offer stock plans because it creates less detail work for them and a faster build cycle. For some homebuilders, these aspects might fit perfectly with their needs.

Stock plans also offer you the foreknowledge of an exact price for the timber kit, although this price does not include all of your additional costs that come with building a home. If you choose a stock plan that you think works best for you, some changes can be made to these plans depending on the company, but they are usually minor and do not affect the price of the timber package.

Conceptual Plans

Where stock plans offer ready-made plans and set kit prices, a floor plan concept is intended to inspire your own ideas for a custom home. Conceptual plans are a springboard for virtually limitless options on how you want your timber home to look, including the density and style of your timber frame structure. While we share several floor plans on our website, these are concepts, not kits.  Whether you draw inspiration from  past projects or come up with something completely new, a conceptual plan can only be limited by your creativity, budget and engineering regulations.

Turnkey

Here at Riverbend, we believe that designing to a turnkey budget is more important than quoting a portion of your total cost, such as the timber package.  Our turnkey, whole-home approach gives more accurate estimations of what kind of impact your design choices have on the cost to build your home.  Ultimately, by customizing your project, you are more likely to create a home that is aesthetically pleasing, unique to your family legacy and within your overall budget.

No two people are exactly alike and the same should be said for timber frame homes. By giving the benefit of choice and the opportunity to express personal style, a custom-made home offers a deeper connection between it, the surrounding land and the homebuilder that cannot be replicated anywhere else.

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The Progression Of A Canadian Timber Home

14 February 2012, 8:11 pm

Stan and Jennie, a couple from Calgary, were looking to build a unique home in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies. Wanting to leave the bustling city life behind without being completely disconnected, the Rockies provided the perfect haven for them to build their dream timber frame home. Impressed by their services, integrated building system and design options, the couple decided Riverbend was the perfect company to create their home.

Stan and Jennie's Timber Frame

Timber Frame Installation

The couple browsed through several Riverbend floor plan concepts, including the Brookville, which was their initial inspiration. They had already begun the design process with this plan when they discovered the Cattail Lodge design. With an abundance of outdoor living space and an open floor plan, the couple decided that the Cattail Lodge would be the perfect starting point for their unique needs, location and budget.

Riverbend experienced professionals began their timber frame installation in early November of 2011. With the winter freeze setting in across Alberta, the crew faced early challenges during the installation. At times the project location was almost inaccessible due to the steep hill grades and ice that coated the roads. But cold weather would not deter the experienced crew and the frame went up beautifully. Stan and Jennie were on hand and very excited to see their future home rise before their eyes.

Stan and Jennie's home, drying-in stage

Drying-in Stage

 

More recently, construction of their timber home continues and the drying-in stage is almost complete, leaving them just enough time to move in as Alberta shakes off the cold of winter and springs into a new season.

Stay tuned for final stage photos of Stan and Jennie’s timber frame home, coming later this spring.

 

 

 

 

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Choosing A Timber Frame Company

8 February 2012, 12:01 am

Once you’ve made the decision that building a timber frame home is what you want, your next thoughts become about finding the right company that works for you. You know you want a home that is beautiful, well-built and is constructed at a competitive cost, but how do you decide which company is the best fit and what factors should affect how you choose?

Obvious Factors

Finding a timber frame company that has experience and a history of quality will ensure that your home is built correctly. It doesn’t hurt to look into the business’ background; how long they’ve been doing what they do and what styles they offer. Many timber framers offer a traditional look and feel while other manufacturers concentrate on a more robust mountain style of timber framing. Make sure you find a company whose style matches your own.

Architectural Services vs. Stock Plans

One of the most common ways of researching companies is to look through their stock plans. There may or may not be a vast difference in plans from one company to the next, but if you are looking for a basic design, you should have a number of companies to choose from. However, if your desire is a truly one of a kind, custom home that is designed for your budget, then you will want to find a company that offers more personalized architectural services.

Comparing Building Systems

Many timber framing companies use some form of mortise and tenon joinery for their building system, but how do you want the timbers to be cut? Deciding whether you prefer hand-cut timbers or machines programmed to cut the frame precisely to plan is a question you should ask yourself. Does the company use only timber framing in construction or do they use additional materials like SIPs or spray-in foam? If you choose a company that utilizes SIPs; do they purchase the materials from a third party or do they manufacture them in-house. The most effective way to have a seamless building process is to choose a company with a complete building system.

Extended Services Offered

Finally, you should ask yourself to what extent your timber frame company will be a part of your entire build project; will they simply design your home and manufacture the timbers or will they truly be with you until you turn the key? Not all companies offer their clients the same level of services.  Discover what kind of experience you want to have with your timber frame company and then find one that matches your needs.

 

As you continue your search for a timber home company it is important to first understand that not all companies operate the same way and second to ensure that your needs match with what they can offer. Learn more about the Riverbend Timber Framing approach: Total Home Solution.

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A Legacy Of Traditions

31 January 2012, 9:58 pm

For those of you who have decided to build a timber frame home, you have chosen a building style that has been rooted in tradition for centuries. While raising traditions differ slightly in definition and regularity depending on region, the history and legacy of timber framing is a common thread that ties these traditions together and creates an exciting and memorable event for those in the process of building their dream home.

The Topping Out CeremonyPlacing of pine bough on timber frame

If you have gone through our photos, you may have come across a picture or two of a tree mounted to a timber frame and have wondered just what exactly was going on. Well, the explanation for this is what is called a Topping Out ceremony. This is the most popular ceremony used in the timber frame building process where a bough or small tree is placed at the highest point of the home. The Scandinavian’s used to place a pine bough at the highest point of timber frames to bring good fortune to the land and the home. This tradition was carried over from European settlers to North America where it has been adopted and adapted. Another connection to this tradition came from Mohawk Indian iron workers who placed a small tree at the top of sky rises in metropolis areas because they believed that no building should be higher than a tree. This tradition is carried on still today by workers in some parts of the country.

Placing of coins at the base of timber postsThe Coin Ceremony

Another age-old tradition is the placing of coins under timber posts in the home’s frame. This ceremony mimics an old maritime tradition called “stepping the mast,” which is meant to bring good luck and fruition to the home. Traditionally, silver dollars are placed under the posts, however, the use of coins originating from one’s homeland or coins minted in a specific year are also very common.

The Peg Signing Ceremony

Gathering family and loved ones together to sign the wooden pegs that connect the timber framing is another tradition observed by some homeowners. Wishes of well-being and good fortune are written on the last pegs and the homeowner is given the honors of driving them in to secure the blessings on their home.

The building of your own timber frame home is a once in a lifetime experience, and there are several traditions that you can choose to participate in as we raise your timber frame. Whether you choose to take part in one of these traditions or make your own, your home’s traditional building style and perfectly tailored design will be a legacy that you can pass on for generations to come.

 

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What Is A Timber Frame Hybrid?

24 January 2012, 10:14 pm

You may have come across the term in magazines or while doing online research, but what exactly does ‘hybrid’ mean in the Timber Framing industry? In a unique market such as this, the term can take on a few meanings. It can mean the combination of different products in your building process, or it can mean the mixture of different stick frame or timber frame styles and materials. At Riverbend, we consider our building system, with a SIP envelope and timber frame interior to be a hybrid timber frame home.

A Better Building System

While timber framing has been a traditional method of construction for over two-hundred years, the walls required to wrap the timber frame structure have developed and changed with time. Over a century ago, homes were built using straw and clay for insulation, with siding lining the exterior. More recently, the use of conventional 2×6 framing was incorporated into the space between timbers. Today, the best and most efficient choice is to use SIP panels.

What Are SIPs? Timber Framing and SIPs Building System

SIPs are structural insulated panels used in building construction, both residential and commercial. Consisting of an insulated foam core and two outer oriented strandboards or OSBs, SIPs are fabricated to envelope the whole house and to fit comfortably into most building designs.

Riverbend Hybrid Timber Frame Homes

Knowing that SIPs and timber framing are a natural fit, we not only began incorporating them into our system but we manufacture SIPs as well. Seamlessly integrating Insulspan SIPs and Riverbend timber framing into a single design unit, we have created a well-crafted and quality system from this hybrid style of timber home design.

 

Learn more about our Building System.

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