An extremely unique and complex nine sided reciprocal roof frame in Ashland, Oregon. Exterior walls are insulated with hempcrete and sheathed in a proprietary manner for shear capacity.

We love reciprocal frames!

Timber framer: Jiri Vrsek Deep Spring Timberworks LLC

Project Manager: Ryan Kirkby 

A 50’ x 50’ Caribbean inspired Pool pavilion made from Southern Pine timber on Johns Island South Carolina.

Trusses have clasping and spliced double bottom chords with single columns and top chords.

When you’re building a 23’x68’ pool house  – and with 15’ eaves with 14:12 pitch - you really better be sure the reflected ceiling plan is worthy of that spatial commitment.  Hardwick Post & Beam, working with Oliver Cope architects and (vacuum) kiln-dried oak, even had fun building this during the Covid Crunch.  A ton (maybe more) of steel was (discreetly) involved in getting these high-tied and bladed roof “trusses”  to stay in place.  Thankfully, the designers prevailed in most of their many negotiations with the engineers over how they might make this easier to build.

Hempcrete  (along with hemp batt & blown-in insulation), coupled with a compound roof framing, add a bit of flare to what is otherwise conventional stick framing. 

An upstate NY residential CLT project, where all of the walls, interior and exterior, were framed with CLT.  And good thing.  With the rather interesting floor plan, pretty much all wood fiber in the building was put to use.

So what to do with a big carport, with substantially undersized (sagging) ridge and eave logs?  Hang the middle of the eaves off a king post truss... and then turn the ridge into an inverted king post truss as well.   Amazingly efficient - I only wish we had come up with the idea.

CLTs are a hot topic in commercial construction lately, with a few clunky designs built here and there.  But on a residential front, they are being well employed in a variety of structures, including living space above a 3-car garage.  "Mass timber" isn't just for massive projects.

Most think of cherry as a furniture wood, but, we can use it for timber frames as well.  But make sure you have a frame that is interesting enough to justify it!

A wonderful second generation client with two young children wanted their existing corner minimart to serve as an art studio, and, of course, have the new living quarters upstairs cantilever over the existing brick walls. 

A large clear span decagon roof is a fun challenge in its own right, but when you need 11 posts around the perimeter to make room for a fireplace, you can have some interesting connections at the "Y".  We won't tell all our secrets.

Functionally, CLTs aren't any more exciting than giant sheets of plywood, but, with some fun good design and detailing, they can make for some pretty dramatic spaces.

Steel stringers supporting wood treads can be an effective paring, especially when you are looking for a thin profile. 

The best spot to break lower and upper rafters isn't always over the support.

We sometimes tell people our primary business is reflected ceiling plans.  And cupolas fit in quite nicely.

It is nice to work on real timber frames for real people. 

Full dimension 11x17 rafters seem a bit bigger in person than they do on the screen.  Curved glulams, anyone?

Building a house in the winter in a ski town is a snap, if you first build a scaffold tower over the entire site. 

Fun juxtaposition of some curved grain-matched glulams (each side of the hallway) with a sawn curve tie beam.

Everybody needs a grilling porch overlooking a lake in Whistler.

A spectacular project, and not just because of the site, but, the framer, the wood, the client.  With hidden framing under the bench to help brace this wall of direct glazing, there is a lot going on behind the scenes as well.

Sometimes less is more.  Using timbers to define the space, with minimal bracing, keeps the timber frame being overpowering.

Floor framing for a loft needn't consist of rectalinear grids.  Using European spruce glulams fits with the non-traditional look.

When you have this view, living indoors and out meld together.

A small cottage on a rocky bluff in British Columbia required plenty of glazing, and a unique solution to cantilever stair treads.

Just because you can't get FSC certified South American hardwoods to your site that are long enough doesn't mean you can't have big spans.  As long as you are creative with bolsters and keyed beams.

When building in termite prone regions (like Costa Rica), putting your post bottoms in a moat of oil to keep termites from crawling up the timbers isn't that far fetched.

Great bracketry on this BC residence.