February
3
2012
Retirement homes are more than a dream and a move to the mountains, or back home, or to the country. Retirement homes should allow you to live comfortably for many years. They space should be comfortable and support your lifestyle today and in the future.
Your new home doesn’t have to be larger to be accessible. Plan for wide (or no) hallways, wide doors, and flexible space. By minimizing or eliminating halls and bearing walls, you can actually build a smaller, more manageable home.
Should your master suite be upstairs or on the first floor? It really doesn’t matter. If you want to have a quiet bedroom upstairs for now, you can do some things to plan for the future. You can also have a bedroom on the first floor and, if life takes you down that path, move your master bedroom downstairs in the future. You can install a personal elevator when you build or you can plan the space to accommodate an elevator should you need it.
Maintenance can be an issue as we age. Look for materials that will withstand the test of time. There are lots of options for siding and roofing today that will last for many years with little or now maintenance. Consider all of your options and discuss the choices with your designer and builder.
Planning your retirement home should be considered an adventure, a journey. Plan carefully, taking advantage of ideas and plans that others have used. Then make your retirement home YOUR retirement home and move forward.
August
1
2011
Goshen Timber Frames has won yet another award for their timber frame home plans and you can only purchase it here at TimberStead!
Residential Design + Build Magazine has once again selected a Goshen Timber Frame plan as one of their 2011 Design Excellence Award winners. Goshen was selected in the timber frame category, highlighting Goshen’s commitment to designing and building timber frame homes that are not only beautiful, but live well.
These homes are both available for purchase here at TimberStead. The Maggie Valley is a stunning mountain home and our ever popular Hillrose is a beautiful craftsman-style home.
Whether you purchase a study set or a full set of electronic files, you will be well served with a TimberStead timber frame home plan.
These homes were designed as dream homes and they can become your dream home.
June
30
2011
Because there are few or no bearing walls in timber frame homes and hybrid homes, the plans are easy to revise. Flexibility is a hallmark of timber frame plans.
Whether you buy timber frame plans “as is” and build your home, or purchase them and work with our designers or another designer to revise them, they are easily modified. Moving interior walls doesn’t create the headaches it does with conventionally built house plans.
A timber frame offers the option to open up spaces as life changes. They also allow for additions with minimal engineering.
I guess what I’m saying is…if you don’t build with timber frame and panels, why build?
Thanks for listening. Give me a call if I can help, Bonnie Pickartz
June
23
2011
Yet another “granny flat”, “nanny flat”, “studio flat” is available from TimberStead and Goshen Timber Frames . These great cottages are designed to work in many ways. Their compact size will make them fit behind an existing home or on a smaller lot.
This one, Country Road, is just too charming.
It’s 480 square feet are well thought out and make living large in a small space a reality. The living area is left open and will be comfortable when company arrives, but is cozy to the max.
These homes are designed to go up quickly with minimal site disturbance and in tight spaces if necessary.
As lives change, it is often necessary to change lifestyles. Instead of paying for space away from home, bring the grandparents, nanny, or college kids home, but give them their own space…their own place. It can easily convert to a guest house or studio…or just a hideaway.
These plans are available for purchase…or buy the entire timber frame kit home at Goshen.
Enjoy!
May
26
2011
We’re excited about our new “Granny Flats”…nanny flats, secondary quarters, guesthouses…whatever you’d like to call them. They are charming and practical and can be built almost anywhere on almost any budget. They work great in the backyard as extended housing.
We’ve designed them with enough timber framing to give them class and with structural insulated panels to make them energy efficient and easy to install…anywhere. 
At Goshen Timber Frames we can deliver the entire kit on a truck or just the timber frame, decking, and panels…all will be engineered to meet your local codes.
The Woods is the first of several new Goshen Granny Flats. At 405 square feet, it is compact and very livable.
The Woods timber frame plan is available if you want to build your own. Call Bonnie Pickartz Goshen Timber Frames at 828-524-8662 if you’d like to get the price on the package delivered and installed on your site.
Download a PDF File of this Home Plan
Just remember, think small but build boldly.
March
23
2011
“Educate Yourself” 2011 Schedule
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Sign up at “Educate Yourself” Webinar Registration and check out our local seminars and open houses .
March
13
2011
Timber – a minimally processed renewal resource. It just doesn’t get any better than that. We’ve been given this great material, so what do we do with it…we build a timber frame.
TimberStead’s house plans are designed to make use of this remarkable material. The massive timbers will form the structure, beauty, and character of your home. They will frame your daily life and bring life to your day.
Your timber frame plan will give you a place to start, to develop your space, and to allow you to live comfortably, unencumbered by bearing walls, inefficient design, and plain vanilla space.
Think about where you live and how you live and choose a plan that will work on your site. Discuss changes that would make it work better for you. Small changes can make a big difference.
Timber frame homes are in a class by themselves. Why settle for anything else?
Build well and build boldly.
March
1
2011
Designing your timber frame home can be a challenge or an adventure. There are several ways to approach the design process and each one has its advantages and disadvantages.
You can work with an independent architect or designer to design a custom timber frame for you. You are starting with a blank slate and can design your home to very exacting specifications and you benefit from the expertise of the designer or architect. However, the vision of the designer or architect may not be your own vision and the process can get very costly.
You can work with a timber frame company’s in-house design staff to develop your timber frame plan. They are probably very well-versed in timber frame design and will have the advantage of having worked with other timber frame homeowners. You will probably not, however, have the opportunity to get competitive bids on the timber frame package. And timber frame companies often favor one style of timber frame or another, so you may not have as many choices in the style of your new home.
You can find a conventionally built home plan online or in a book and have an independent designer or architect, or a timber frame company adapt the plan for a timber frame. The advantage is that there are thousands and thousands of plans online from which to choose and they are relatively inexpensive to purchase. The disadvantage is that there are thousands and thousands of plans online and it can be expensive to adapt them to a timber frame home.
Finally, you can purchase a timber frame home plan that can be built “as is” or revised to work better for you. These plans have been designed by timber frame professionals with the input of homeowners who were building timber frame homes. With plans in hand you also have the opportunity to shop for a company that will be a good fit for your project and your budget. There aren’t as many timber frame plans online as there are stick-framed plans and revisions can be costly if you change the plan drastically.
That said, these choices do offer something for everyone. Building your new timber frame will be easy once you look at your options and decide which one works best for you and for your budget.
At TimberStead we are pleased to offer timber frame home plans in a wide variety of styles and sizes. We, of course, think this is the best place to start on your journey to build a beautiful, sustainable home.
February
3
2011
Planning your timber frame home is a process far more complicated than just choosing your timber frame plan and hiring the contractor. Our three favorite words are …plan…plan…plan. This is a mantra that will serve you well as you plan your new home.
Sure, timber frame plans are a great start. They will help you get your budget fine-tuned and are necessary in order to begin the financing process. They are needed to lay your home out on the property so you’ll know where the septic, well, and driveway will be. If you are starting the project well advance of building your home, starting without plans can leave you with few options as you situate your new home on your lot.
So, the process should include defining what you are looking for in timber frame home plans. We’ve put together a home planning sheet that will help you think about how you live, what your needs are, and what you need/want in your new home. This worksheet will be a great help in getting your thoughts organized so you can begin to move forward.
Purchasing your plans well in advance of building will help you focus on what works and what doesn’t. It will give you time to make changes on paper instead of costly “change orders” after you’ve broken ground. Your investment in plans in a small investment when you think about the cost of your entire project.
So, plan…plan…plan…and how better than with a TimberStead Timber Frame or Hybrid Home Plan?
January
24
2011
The beauty of timber frame homes is the structure. In this new plan, simplicity and a smaller footprint come together to create a home that has style.
The Buttonwood – A home or a cabin, it makes no difference, it’s perfect.
This timber frame hybrid home is designed for a mountainside, making best use of the land. With one bedroom on the first floor, along with an open great room, dining room, and kitchen and a second bedroom, utility room, and garage downstairs, this home sits very lightly on the land.
The timber frame porch to the view adds 220 square feet of living space and brings the outdoors inside.
Check out the Buttonwood and all of TimberStead’s other plans. There is one with your name on it.
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