Blueprint to Build
The Timber Frame Process
Step 1: Pre-Woodhouse Delivery
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1. Plan Overview
We’re really excited to launch our Forever Home series of posts with this first one that reviews the Woodhouse construction drawings.
My wife, Tracy, and I worked with Diana and her design team at Woodhouse over a couple of years to create the perfect home for us. The culmination of that effort is a 2,300 square foot, single story home with no steps anywhere, 3 feet wide doors, and the ability to have bathrooms ADA compliant if it ever becomes necessary. The home has fantastic outdoor entertaining spaces and we’re looking forward to
when it’s complete which I hope is less than one year.
Thank you for following along with us and please feel free to ask questions in the comment section below. I will try to get answers as quickly as possible. And make sure to join us for the next installment which reviews budgeting.
Owner, Woodhouse, The Timber Frame Company
3. The Permit Process
The permit process is wildly variable depending on where you are building. Some municipalities require far more documentation and it can take more than a year to get a building permit. Luckily, my little town in upstate NY makes it relatively easy and fast. In this short video, I review the documentation I had to provide in order to get my building permit and show you the result. I hope you find it helpful.
Owner, Woodhouse, The Timber Frame Company
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5. Excavation
We have officially “broke ground!” Watch this week as our friend, Jim (who I have known for something like 50 years) and his guys dig the hole for the foundation, lay the gravel footers, and peg the corners for our Superior Wall foundation. I hope you find it informative and interesting.
Owner, Woodhouse, The Timber Frame Company
Book an Appointment with Woodhouse | Try the Budget Calculator
7. In-Slab Plumbing
Preparation continues for pouring the lower-level concrete slab and building the first-floor system – both of which must be in place before we can backfill. In this video, I talk about the in-slab plumbing. I hope you enjoy it.
-Pat Seaman
Owner, Woodhouse, The Timber Frame Company
9. Concrete Slab
This was a big week for the project. Bob, Jeremy, and their crew poured the basement slab over three rain-filled days. Because of their hard work staying to carefully finish the concrete while it drizzled, we have a beautiful, level, finished concrete floor in the lower level. I hope you enjoy the video!
Owner, Woodhouse, The Timber Frame Company
Book an Appointment with Woodhouse | Try the Budget Calculator
11. Electrical Trench, Temp Stairs, & Finished Deck
The floor system is basically finished (as you’ll see at the end of this video) and I built temporary stairs which will suffice until the end of the interior finish when the Woodhouse stairs will be installed. I’m waiting for delayed lally columns to call it 100% finished. Also, the excavator, Jim, and his crew trenched for electric and laid conduit for fiberoptics. I hope you find it interesting.
Owner, Woodhouse, The Timber Frame Company
Book an Appointment with Woodhouse | Try the Budget Calculator
2. Budgeting
This post is a review of the way I, personally, budget a house. It’s not anything professional – just something I’ve developed over the years. The numbers I’m quoting are for the upstate NY area and are not applicable everywhere. Some areas might be less and most areas in the US will have higher costs. Also, my numbers do not include overhead and profit for a general contractor as I am doing that job myself on this project. With all that being said, I hope you enjoy the budget process review.
Owner, Woodhouse, The Timber Frame Company
Book an Appointment with Woodhouse | Try the Budget Calculator
4. Driveway & Site Clearing
This project has a really long, beautiful driveway that winds its way through mature forest toward the homesite featuring beautiful lake views. In this segment, I’ll walk the driveway describing some of the features and we’ll see the actual homesite being cleared. I hope you find it helpful and enjoyable.
Owner, Woodhouse, The Timber Frame Company
Book an Appointment with Woodhouse | Try the Budget Calculator
6. Foundation
This was an exciting week. We installed our foundation system! I hope you enjoy this video and find it informative. It’s the first really big step in being able to envision the finished home!
Owner, Woodhouse, The Timber Frame Company
Book an Appointment with Woodhouse | Try the Budget Calculator
8. Sill-Plate, Well, & Slab Prep
This week was spent preparing for the pour of the concrete slab in the lower level and the installation of the floor system on the main floor by installing the sill plate. And the drilling rig showed up to drill the well. I hope you enjoy it.
Owner, Woodhouse, The Timber Frame Company
Book an Appointment with Woodhouse | Try the Budget Calculator
10. Floor System
We started the floor system this week – three 60-year-old guys – and made some progress on Monday, got rained out on Tuesday, and then an Amish friend and helpers arrived on Wednesday and things took off. Each day he brought one of his adorable children and the photo below is Daniel, age 9, who slept soundly through the noise of the saws, impact drivers, and telehandler. Really good progress and we’ll finish next week.
-Pat Seaman
Owner, Woodhouse, The Timber Frame Company
Bonus Content
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Solar Kiln *BONUS*
As a small bonus video, I hope you enjoy this description of a solar kiln we made and have been using to dry the maple and ash lumber we sawed from the logs we cut down for the driveway and will ultimately use as trim for the new home.
Owner, Woodhouse, The Timber Frame Company
Book an Appointment with Woodhouse | Try the Budget Calculator
Color Revamp *BONUS*
I hope your Thanksgiving was as fun as ours (although I still can’t believe the Lions lost). Tracy and I decided to change the exterior of the home from natural hemlock board and batten and trim to a fiber cement board and batten and trim in a taupe color with white trim and from an asphalt shingle roof to a standing seam metal roof. Both are more expensive but less maintenance and we think look better. The Woodhouse design team produced a rendering showing the change. We hope you like it.
-Pat Seaman
Owner, Woodhouse, The Timber Frame Company
Book an Appointment with Woodhouse | Try the Budget Calculator
Foundation *BONUS*
Just a neat detail of the Superior Wall foundation system. I hope you enjoy this short bonus video.
Owner, Woodhouse, The Timber Frame Company
Book an Appointment with Woodhouse | Try the Budget Calculator