Our Signature Series is named to reflect nearly 50 years of expertise in crafting exceptional timber frame homes, commercial spaces, churches, and barns. This collection includes more than 30 floor plans, each offering inspiration as you work with our designers to create a truly one-of-a-kind, custom timber frame home.
Before we begin the process of designing your custom home, there are some important factors for you to consider – like where you will build and how much you will spend.
We design your home to fit your site and your needs. When searching for land, there are some factors that impact the design of your timber frame home you should consider.
Read more about how we design for your lot.
Creating your dream home takes time and is a process that you do not want to rush. The process — from design to construction — can vary greatly. Here are some guidelines for your consideration:
2 or More Years Before You Start: Gather ideas and start to develop your preferences for aesthetics and layout. A lot can change over time, so don’t worry about the details at this point.
1-2 Years Before You Start: If you have not already, now is the time to set an overall budget for the cost of the home, purchase land, and create a list of needs and wants for your design.
When You Are Ready to Start: Once you have executed a Design Development Agreement (DDA) with us, the design process begins in earnest. Your Riverbend team works with you to design and build your timber frame home based on your vision and your budget.
Once you are ready to start the Total Home Solution™ process with Riverbend and have signed a Design Development Agreement (DDA), your design meeting is scheduled. Prior to the meeting:
You can choose to travel to our facility or join a video call via the web. Either way, you will see the screen come alive as your designer sketches and alters your plan based on your direction. Whether you start with an existing plan or create a custom home from scratch, your Riverbend designer will do more than illustrate, in real time, the changes to your conceptual design. They will also explain how these changes affect your overall design and the whole house cost to build to ensure alignment between your overall budget and desired square footage, architectural styling, layout, and functionality. You will also be introduced to your project manager, who will become your point of contact once the design phase is complete.
During the weeks following your Design Meeting, your designer will take all your information and sketches to create your conceptual design drawings in AutoCAD, as well as a virtual reality (VR) presentation of your home’s exterior and interior.
Here’s an example of what it’s like to take a VR tour of your custom home’s conceptual design.
Once complete, your team will present your conceptual design set and VR tour of your home to you. The conceptual design set includes detailed floor plans of each level, a 3-D color rendering, and isometric drawings of the timber frame and structural insulated panels (SIPs).
If your design meeting occurs at one of Riverbend’s U.S. offices, you will be able to virtually tour your home in person. If the meeting is done remotely via the web, your designer will present a pre-recorded virtual tour of your home. The VR tour completely immerses you in your new home before you build it.
As soon as you are confident that your overall design matches your vision and budget, you execute a Custom Design Base Contract with Riverbend, which includes engineered construction drawings, timber framing, structural insulated panels (SIPs), and insulated concrete forms (ICFs).
After you have signed the Custom Design Base Contract with Riverbend, the preconstruction phase of your project is initiated.
At Riverbend, design congruity is very important. The best way to ensure the consistency and quality of your design from concept through construction is to create a full set of detailed, engineered construction drawings. The same Riverbend design team that drew your conceptual plans will create the construction drawings which will be used by our manufacturing team to fabricate the timbers and SIPs, and then by your builder in the construction of the home.
During this phase, the following steps also occur:
Manufacturing starts with Riverbend’s fabrication of your timber frame and SIPs. During the manufacturing phase:
Meanwhile, at your build site, you and your general contractor will:
After your materials are shipped to your build site, the Riverbend construction crew will arrive and begin the timber frame installation.
Installation of your timber frame structure by our expert crew ensures:
Following installation of the timber frame structure, one of Riverbend’s technical advisors works with your builder to install the SIPs. The TA will teach your builder how to properly install SIPs and answer any questions he may have during the installation process. Constructing with SIPs:
If you opt to add Shell Construction onto Riverbend’s Custom Design Base Contract, Riverbend will complete the SIP installation for your builder. Learn more about Riverbend’s Add-On Shell Construction Service in the next step.
The Riverbend Custom Design Base Contract includes:
Materials and Installation of:
Whether you’re looking for more information or would simply like to learn more about us and our services, don’t hesitate to contact us. Please follow the link below to access our online form or call us at 888.486.2363. We look forward to hearing from you.
