We do the pre-cutting for the post and beams and pre-cut the structural insulated panels. It is like a jigsaw puzzle where everything is lettered and numbered, which will go together according to our detailed construction plans.
Timber-Frame
What is your name? Rich Oliver.
What is the name of your business? Classic Post & Beam.
What is your role in the company? I'm the sales manager.
How long has the business been in operation? Since 1980.
What do you folks do? We're part of the System Built Homes Industry and offer design services for timber-framed homes and all the materials needed to build the shell of a home including windows, doors, siding and sub flooring. Anyone looking to build a new home on their land can use a plan we have and change different elements of it or use a plan they have created. We sit down with them and go over the changes and send the plans to our drafting office in Kenduskeag, Maine, north of Bangor. They then draw the plans in the CAD system. Once the customer is happy with the design, we begin the construction set of plans with details on how to build the home. We do the pre-cutting for the post and beams and pre-cut the structural insulated panels. It is like a jigsaw puzzle where everything is lettered and numbered, which will go together according to our detailed construction plans. These panels are based on refrigeration insulating technology and are very efficient to heat and cool with an R-26 rating. We deliver the materials from Kenduskeag on flatbed trailers and from there the customer deals directly with their contractor.
Sounds very interesting and involved. How long does this process take? The initial design only takes three to four weeks to draw, but once the customer signs off on that, we must draw the detailed construction set of plans. Once the plans are complete, we begin the process of fabricating the post-and-beam frame and panels. This step usually takes about two to three months until the material package can be delivered to the site in full. It could be four months, sometimes several years, but most often we spend about a year with a customer before we deliver materials. This depends on the customer and their needs.
What is the greatest advantage to your method as opposed to that of standard construction where everything is built on-site? The customer has a lot of control, and there is not the huge architectural cost associated with conventional construction. Our material package cost includes our design services. Our customers get a uniquely distinctive home with the exposed wood. The term — timber frame — denotes a type of joinery these homes have and harkens back to a different time when homes were joined with just wood. We've employed more advanced technologies available to us to bolt the frames together, which is very strong, and the bolts are covered with plugs so it still looks like a true timber-frame home.
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