Custom Woodhouse Process
CUSTOM-DESIGNED —Woodhouse® has an experienced design, architect and drafting staff that creates individual, custom-designed, timber frame and post and beam homes tailored to your property ... and to your needs. We invite and encourage unique design. Our in-house creative team will make your sketches and home plan ideas come to life. Or, if you prefer, we are happy to work with your own private architect. DESIGN AGREEMENT —Our straightforward Design Agreement is written in plain English, and outlines the process of designing your new home. We begin by collecting all the information about the many features and details for your new custom home and from that point, we create preliminary plans that evolve into construction drawings.
The fee for the design process is $4,250 for up to 2,500 square feet of living space and an additional $1.75 per square foot for anything over that.*
DESIGN PROCESS —The process begins with your Woodhouse® representative meeting at your building site to review the many features and details and to discuss your budget. From here, we develop preliminary design drawings. These include floor plans and elevations that enable you to evolve your timber frame home design through a systematic review.
Upon completion of your preliminary home plans, we create scale drawings of floor plans, elevations and details that allow you to obtain building permits and construction costs.
YOUR TIMBER FRAME PACKAGE —During the architectural process, and in consultation with your Woodhouse® representative, you will be making decisions about the cost and components of your package.
Specifically, you will be selecting the type and species of timbers and the style of joinery, the various floor system options, your insulating wall and roof panels (SIPs), wall and ceiling finishes, exterior siding, trim, and roofing options and colors, window styles and colors, and deciding which Woodhouse® labor services you need.
Many of these selections will become part of your Woodhouse® Package. Based on your choices and options, you will receive a Package Quotation detailing the components and specifications of all the materials and services.
Next, we create a Package Purchase Agreement that provides your delivery date, details the components, and spells out the costs and payment schedule for your timber frame package. It also defines the responsibilities of Woodhouse® and for you, the owner.
PAYMENT FOR YOUR TIMBER FRAME PACKAGE —Your Package Purchase Agreement spells out the price and payment schedule.
With a 10% package deposit, we reserve a tentative slot in our schedule for delivery. With a 40% deposit (total package deposit is now at 50%) we will order the materials such as timbers, panels, windows and doors, etc. that are part of your package. Delivery is scheduled within twelve (12) weeks of receipt of this deposit. The delivery of a package can require up to twelve weeks although we often deliver in less time. Upon delivery, the balance of the package less your $4,250 design deposit is due.
YOUR DELIVERY DATE —Your construction timetable is crucial to the entire project. Together with your Woodhouse® representative, we will establish a target delivery date.
Everyone at Woodhouse® will tailor his or her services to meet your schedule as much as possible. Clients with a tight schedule will be "fast tracked" whenever possible to accommodate your schedule. However, Woodhouse® operates on a first deposit basis. This means that the client who places a package deposit of 10% can reserve a delivery date. Within 12 weeks of delivery, if a slot is available, a 50% package deposit with completed and signed architectural plans is required.
MANUFACTURING/CRAFTING YOUR PACKAGE —Every timber for every Woodhouse® is crafted to order.
Woodhouse® draws on more than 150 man-years of experience joining timbers. We craft our timbers on a state-of-the-art computer numeric controlled (CNC) joinery machine and our machine operators, with years of experience cutting and building timber frames, select each timber for its use and location in your home.
We finish the machine cuts by hand, creating unique fully housed joinery to the highest standard. Each piece is hand chamfered, if you have chosen this option, and then hand-planed for the smoothest surface possible. Next they are stacked with stickers for optimum air circulation and, prior to loading for shipping, they are wrapped with special timber wrap paper.
Meanwhile the other components of your package are gathered. Your SIPs will have been manufactured and pre-cut by The Murus Company. Your floor system joists and other materials are collected; your doors and windows are delivered to Woodhouse®. All of the wooden pegs, nails, and adhesive have been counted and are are loaded onto tractor-trailers for delivery.
DELIVERY & CONSTRUCTION —Your foundation has been built according to the specifications provided with your Woodhouse® plans and you are ready for delivery.
In our desire to provide the highest quality timber frame package, Woodhouse® provides a Woodhouse® Technical Representative (TR) with every timber frame home we deliver. This TR will work with your builder or contractor and provide the specialized expertise and any additional guidance necessary to ensure that your Woodhouse® timber frame package is erected correctly.
You will be asked to provide either an all-terrain forklift and/or a crane suitable for off-loading and raising your timber frame. Woodhouse® will advise you about the specifications for this equipment.
FLOOR JOIST SYSTEM & WALKOUT BASEMENTS —Your Woodhouse® TR will determine the level of the foundation and floor system installed by your general contractor and work with your general contractor's crew to adjust accordingly.
Typically the first floor is conventionally built. First, the insect shield, sill seal and sill plate will be installed. Any interior columns and support beams are then installed followed by the wood "I" joists, rim joists and required headers. Next the laminated veneer lumber blocking located beneath the timber posts is installed followed by the plywood sub-floor, which is glued and nailed in place.
If you have a sloping lot and a walkout level basement, the exposed wall is usually included with your package and installed with your floor system using SIPs.
RAISING YOUR TIMBER FRAME —Your timber frame is raised at this point. Your timber frame bents are assembled and raised into place with a crane.
After your frame is raised, some fine tuning will occur when we "true-up" all of the timbers to ensure that they are level and plumb. The frame will then be secured by drilling and pegging the mortise and tenon joinery with wooden oak pegs. During this process, any major blemishes that result from the raising should be cleaned.
BLESSING YOUR HOME —We encourage you to participate in this tradition with the assistance of our TR.
This is the time to recognize the trees from which your home has come to be a timber frame. Woodhouse® honors this tradition by placing a small bough of a tree at the highest peak of your newly raised timber frame.
SIP APPLICATION —At this point your frame is ready for enclosure with structural insulated panels (SIPs).
First, either plasterboard or tongue and groove boards are applied to the walls of the timber frame. The Murus wall panels are cam-locked together with spray foam in all panel seams. As the walls are completed, the process is repeated on the roof, installing the plasterboard or tongue and groove boards, followed by the roof panels.
Next a roofing underlayment is applied which provides temporary protection for the panels from weather while waiting for the finished roofing system to be applied.
INSTALLATION OF EXTERIOR WINDOWS & DOORS — Proper installation of windows and doors is part of the continuity of responsibility we provide assuring that everything fits correctly. We begin by installing window and door nailers and sealing beneath and behind them with spray foam. Next, we install the windows and doors ensuring that they are level and plumb. We also apply a sticky tape to the exterior of the nailing flange to help prevent potential air and water leaks.
Our installation of doors and windows is a "rough set" and does not include the finish work of shimming between the interior jambs and nailer nor installing non-expanding foam insulation between the window or door and the jamb. This job is necessarily left to your finish carpenters.
Woodhouse® prides itself on creating and constructing the fines timber frame homes in the industry and would welcome the opportunity to work on your project.
Download our catalog highlighting Woodhouse® custom timber frame homes. Or, call 800.227.4311 for more information and to request our Welcome Package. NOW is the best time to build ... call to find out why.
* The $4,250 base deposit is part of your timber frame package and is deducted from your last payment. The Woodhouse® design deposit is non-refundable. Call for more information.
