Timber Frame Construction

We designed our house using Timber Frame Construction: All About Post-and-Beam Building, by Jack Sobon and Roger Schroeder. This book is an excellent resource for the diy timber frame builder so much so that I would say if you only buy one book this should be it.

The authors cover the basics of history, structural type, joinery, and wood and tool selection in easy to follow descriptions that gave us the confidence to build a timber frame home.

Mike adapted the plans for the 12x16 garden tool shed included in the book to a 12x20 structure for our home. We could have built 12x24 without needing to alter the joinery but at the time we didn't like the aesthetics of that size.  In retrospect we would definitely give ourselves the extra four feet if for nothing other than a real staircase, which takes up so much floor space it is the bane of tiny housers the world over.

plans for a 12x16 garden tool shed included in book

One big way to save money for the diy builder is in the house plans.  Our local building code doesn't require an engineer or architect stamp on building plans under 1500 square feet, saving anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars depending on local rates and how much design time is needed.

The authors give clear instructions for modifying the tool shed design, so there was no guessing on our part as to whether we would need to adjust joinery or timber size to build a larger structure.

These are the bones of our house. I could look at these pictures all day long.

We lengthened the eaves for summer shade and winter light and to keep water as far away from our piers as possible.

We also added almost a full second floor; the side walls of the second story are five feet high but thanks to a 7/12 roof pitch the ceiling rises quickly enough that we don't lose any head space upstairs.

We changed some of the joints on the advice of our timber framing code officer. The rafters, for example, are notched with a birds mouth and then timber locked (heavy duty, kind of pricey "screws" that we also used to lock in the floor joists) in place.  The top plate (horizontal beam on which the rafters sit) are not notched, unlike in the book plans. This saved us some work and we're happy with the result.

So we got some outside help and didn't rely entirely on this book. And we modified the plans a bit to suit our own needs, but the ease with which we did so is part of what makes the book such a great resource.

Buy it, you won't regret it.