Log and Timber Home Living Timber Home Annual Buyers Guide 2024

The holidays are here! But that’s not the only thing that has our staff as excited as kids standing in line to whisper their heart’s desire in Santa’s ear. Every December, we are laser-focused on helping you make your grown-up wish for timber home ownership come true. ‘Tis Timber Home Annual Buyer’s Guide season! This highly anticipated annual edition of Log & Timber Home Living has one purpose: to equip you with essential planning, designing, building and finishing information you need to craft the house you’ve been longing for. These pages are infused with basic timber terminology, property-buying and financing advice, design fundamentals, construction specifics and finishing material details so that you can work with architects, general contractors and other members of a top-notch design/build team to create your own…

Deciding to build a custom home of any type is a monumental moment in anyone’s life. But for those who choose to craft their home using timber frame or post-and-beam construction, well that’s cause for extra celebration. The person who opts for this type of house usually appreciates the history of the medium, the craftsmanship that goes into it and the absolutely jaw-dropping natural beauty that comes with owning a home with so much exposed wood. Yet even for those in the know, stylistically versatile timber frame homes still remain a bit of a mystery to most homebuyers. In order to get exactly what you want, it’s helpful to be well-versed in how to plan, design and build these beauties. At its most basic level, a timber home uses a…

Making the leap to live in a timber frame home is rarely a spontaneous decision. It’s the final destination after years and years of dreaming, saving and planning. But the journey to get here often can feel a bit like navigating a foreign country, as timber homes come with their own unique vernacular. It’s essential that you speak the language of timber design and construction to fully enjoy it. So let’s start at the beginning by getting comfortable with the terms and players you will encounter throughout the process. Consider this your primer on the nuances of this remarkable style of home. Soon, you’ll be fluent too. TALK THE TALK Every timber home has one thing in common — it showcases the incredible natural beauty of wood by allowing it…

Ask: Does your company provide free preliminary estimates? Why: Precise cost figures may require blueprints, which carry a fee. This design fee is often applied against the cost of the package when you commit to a timber provider. Ask: What is included in the price? Why: Every home (and site) is unique, and price quotes should reflect the cost of exactly what’s needed to build the home. The quotes you receive should contain specific information on the payment schedule, delivery cost, service policies, warranties and any special charges in designing and building your home. Price quotes also should include a complete bill of materials, including specifications for the quality or grade of materials. Ask: Will you need a deposit? Why: Before working on blueprints or providing finalized price information, many…

It’s easy to dream about your exquisite timber home lording over the grounds of your new location. However, the process of finding that perfect piece of property will bring you back to reality in a hurry. For most people, buying raw land is a task they’ve never taken on before, and there are some essentials you need to know. Here are the basics you should ask to get the right intel: Will a land purchase interfere with your loan? Often, it’s advisable to have land in hand — perhaps even holding a free-and-clear title — before you apply for a loan. You even may be able to use it for collateral. Can you design your home to fit within the size, shape and topography of the parcel? The more you…

When taking on a project as large and expensive as building a home, it’s vital to gain as much professional insight as possible. This starts with step one of the process: Purchasing land. To give you a jump start, we consulted with Brian Sielaff, founder of Boise, Idaho-based Tamarack Grove Engineering. Brian has more than 25 years of experience engineering log and timber frame homes and is licensed in all 50 states and all Canadian provinces. According to Brian, one of the smartest moves you can make is to employ a contingency agreement — usually for 60 to 90 days — with the seller to discover if it’s a buildable parcel before buying the land outright. Even he’s had surprises during this phase. “My wife and I were looking to…