Woodborne Design - Residential Design
 
   
 

19 articles in All

My Home Can Help Reduce My Carbon Footprint?

Ten Green Building Predictions for 2010

Trend Report: Growing Demand for Smaller, More Efficient Homes

Woodborne Design, Inc. is proud to announce its partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR program.

A TIME TO BUILD

WNC Green Building Council to offer LEED certification

Housing: Where Does It Go from Here?

The Green Puzzle: Putting It All Together

Green Building Trends to Watch in 2009

Eco-Logic - H.R. 1424: Sustainable systems provide highest return

Case study: Zero-energy home, ASU and Habitat for Humanity combine efficiency and affordability

Growing green: WNC Green Building Council supports sustainable design

Green building certification programs demystified: Energy Star, N.C. HealthyBuilt Homes and LEED for Homes

Learn the lingo: Frequently asked questions to help you find the real (green) deal

A Disservice to the House: The Housing Boom Made Us Forget What Our Homes Are Really Worth

Understanding Passive Solar Heating and Cooling: Learn what it takes to create a comfortable building environment with less reliance on fossil fuels

Timber Framing 101

The Lure of a Log Home

Timber Frames are Green


First, let me attempt to define green. Almost every imaginable slice of the building industry has claimed to be green even if it means only the use of wood or bamboo flooring or "organic" cellulose for insulation.

To be green, a building should be durable, flexible, efficient, sustainable in all implications, and well built. Looking at these attributes, a thoughtful person might think "Aha! Quality!"

Lets take a step back to look at buildings which have been successful for centuries (ie., lived in, useful, and enjoyed). Many timber frame buildings, residential and otherwise, have been in use for centuries in Europe, Japan, and North America. Indeed, most structures built were timber frame until the advent of cheap nails and water or steam power to mass produce small dimension lumber, about 1845. Since then, the quality of framing construction, in general, has deteriorated. Consider the need to hold the corners together with plywood in many current frames.

Timber frame buildings last remarkably well. They are inherently strong, and wooden pegs do not rust. Part of this tendency to last well is the framer's skill and desire to create a showpiece for centuries, and the homeowner's pride in the ownership of such a building. With today's improved roofing, flashing, and other materials, modern timber frames are likely to outlast their forebears which have lasted centuries.


Flexibility is another important quality. There are no load bearing walls in a timber frame, so walls may be moved or removed as the need arises, easily, with no concern of weakening the structure of the building. Even if the building is razed, the timbers may easily be recycled.

Efficiency is of paramount importance with energy costs high and rising. The current best insulation, structural insulated panels or SIPS, was first used by Frank Lloyd Wright, and later by the refrigeration industry for walk-in refrigeration units. Now these extremely efficient panels are used on the walls and roofs of timber frames to produce very strong and durable insulating envelopes around the building.

This results in remarkably decreased costs of heating and cooling. Often, to encourage efficient building, there are tax credits on the local, state, and federal levels as well as local electric company discounts for buildings qualifying for the LEED or Healthy Built Homes programs. Your accountant can provide advice on this.


By Joe Bell, President

Cabin Creek Timber Frames

Source:  Timber Frames Are Green (website)