Custom Timber Framing
Hand-cut frames, engineered for long service.
A good timber frame is structure first. Posts, beams, braces, and trusses carry the load through wood joined to wood. We cut the joints in our New Richmond shop, test the fit, finish the timbers, and raise the frame on site.
What custom framing actually means
A custom frame is engineered around your home, not pulled from a catalogue. Working alongside your architect, we resolve every post, beam, and truss in three dimensions, then translate that model into shop drawings precise to the millimeter.
From there it becomes handwork. Mortise-and-tenon joints, scarf joints, and king-post or scissor trusses are cut on the bench, fitted, and draw-bored with white-oak pegs so each connection pulls tight and stays tight as the timber seasons.
- Mortise-and-tenon, dovetail, and scarf joinery cut by hand
- King-post, queen-post, hammer-beam, and scissor trusses
- Draw-bored and pegged with white oak - no visible steel
Engineered for a hundred years
Traditional joinery and modern engineering work together. Every frame we raise is modeled and stamped for the loads, spans, wind exposure, and code requirements of the site.
We choose green, kiln-dried, or reclaimed timber for a reason, then detail each joint around the natural movement of wood. The goal is simple: a frame that passes inspection and still looks right decades from now.
Projects in this discipline.
Custom Timber Framing - questions & answers
Is a timber frame stronger than conventional stick framing?
For the long spans and exposed structure of a great room, yes - heavy timber and engineered trusses carry loads that dimensional lumber cannot, and they char predictably rather than failing suddenly in a fire. For ordinary partition walls, conventional framing is perfectly adequate, which is why many homes use both.
Can you work from my architect's drawings?
Absolutely. Most of our frames are collaborations with the client's architect. We join early to make the structure both beautiful and buildable, producing the shop drawings and engineering the frame requires.
Do hand-cut timber frames meet modern building codes?
Yes. Every frame is engineered and stamped by a licensed structural engineer and detailed to pass inspection in demanding snow- and seismic-load regions.
Which species do you frame in?
Most often Douglas fir for its strength and long clear lengths, white oak for traditional joinery, and western red cedar where weather resistance matters. We match species to span, exposure, and the light of each room.
Have a timber project in mind?
Tell us where it is, what you are building, and what you need from the frame. We will let you know if the project fits our shop calendar.