Use these strategies to navigate your options and achieve the perfect timber frame home plan for your next stage of life.
When the kids leave the nest, it’s time to say hello to an exciting new lifestyle—this time, built around you. For many people, this often means a new custom house—a perfect, right-sized home or even a second home or a legacy home located in a dreamy destination locale. Woodhouse custom timber frame plans offer an ideal solution, but turning your timber frame dream into reality is a process, and like any process, you need the right strategy to get the best results.
Our clients know well that a custom-built home is one of the most significant purchases a person can make, and every component deserves to be thoroughly researched. With that in mind, start researching and planning your dream home—strategically—using the following tips.
Start Broad
With so many timber frame manufacturers and timber frame house plans on the market, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Start broad, by looking at magazines, searching online, and reading reviews. Take advantage of various professional organizations such as the National Association of Home Builders. Start to get a feel of what type of home features you’re looking for and what companies may be able to provide them.
Customers tell us they loved exploring the Woodhouse website for ideas and education. With timber frame case studies, 20+ home styles, and loads of informational articles, it’s a helpful resource to jump start your research!
For an immersive timber frame research experience, we encourage interested homeowners to visit the Woodhouse campus. This is a coordinated event with your regional project manager once you have decided to take the next steps in your design journey. As our guest, you’ll meet the design team (who’ll be ready to have a thoughtful conversation about your home), tour the campus and other timber-framed homes, and spend a night in our timber frame guest suite.
Researching Your Design
Exploring ideas for your custom timber frame home plan is often one of the most exciting parts of the process. Don’t limit yourself! Creativity abounds and you can find inspiration from the world around you. Think of a region or destination with a distinct architectural style that you find irresistible. From a mountain chalet to a desert dwelling to a coastal cottage and more, a well-designed timber frame home plan can achieve your look. Cute-as-a-button cabins and cottages, sophisticated modernity, farmhouse charm, double-duty barndominiums . . . the sky is the limit with Woodhouse’s design capabilities.
Woodhouse has more than 100 timber frame house plans, and each can be outfitted in your favorite style. Our homes are fully tailored to your needs, tastes, and lifestyle, and are designed to be low-maintenance and save on energy costs. As your ideas begin to coalesce, peruse our timber frame gallery to see how other homeowners implemented our timber frame house plans. In addition to customizing a predesign, we’ll also support your architect or have our in-house architect design an exquisitely distinct custom home from scratch.
Finally, Woodhouse can take your custom-home research even further. Our timber frame home design process includes a photorealistic 3D fly through so you can experience your home on your property before a shovel ever hits the dirt.
Building Your Team
Beyond the Woodhouse package, you will want to research general contractors in your area to complete your home once the timber frame is erected. The GCs should be open to working with the unique aspects of timber frame construction. In addition to having a dedicated Regional Project Manager (RPM) or Woodhouse Independent Representative (IR) as your point person for questions and advice, our build process includes an on-site technical representative to ensure seamless communication and assembly of your timber frame kit alongside your general contractor.
Be sure to ask for references from previous Woodhouse clients as well as for general contractors and other service providers, all of whom you should interview. Ask homeowners what they would have done differently. It’s a great way to get insights and clever ideas!
Got Questions? We Have Answers (and Ideas!)
We’re here to help you get the information and education you need to feel confident and pleased with your timber frame home plan and journey. If you like what you’re seeing, contact Woodhouse or your Regional Project Manager and start the conversation.