Timber Treasure

As soon as Bob Formisano decided to build a second home, he decided to partner with Riverbend Timber Framing. Bob, an architect by trade, already had a floor plan in mind and brought the concept and counted on Riverbend to refine the design and incorporate timber framing to complement the architecture.

“I wanted the home to highlight the best of what timber framing can be,” Bob said, and the expertise of the design team at Riverbend didn’t let him down.

Elaborately constructed timber bents in the great room create steeply arched trusses, giving the space a cathedral quality that’s enhanced by the light spilling in through its wall of windows.

“Creative people get excited when you turn them lose on a project the way Bob did,” Marty Birkenkamp, a Riverbend lead designer, said. The result is a 3,242-square foot home that’s alive with visual interest, from the soaring great room to the smallest hallway.

Beams supporting the loft terminate in scrolled carving. Curved joists create an arched hallway. Walnut-stained braces and cherry pegs contrast beautifully with the fir posts and beams, highlighting the wood-to-wood, mortise and tenon joinery.

As for the homeowners, Bob and his wife Joni couldn’t be happier with the results. They wanted a warm, inviting place for friends and family to relax and reconnect, and say that’s exactly what they got. “We get the comment a lot that the house is big but it doesn’t feel big,” Bob said, “that’s just what we want to hear.”

Architectural Highlight: Open Spaces

One of the distinct advantages of traditional timber framing is the ability to create large open spaces within main living areas. Barns and cathedrals built hundreds of years ago used this trait to build magnificent interiors that could accommodate many, while letting in streams of light. Today that tradition continues in homes like the Formisano’s.

View more photos in the gallery: Pearl Lake Home Residence