FAQ

Our antique timber frame homes have timeless character that can not be duplicated in a home built with new materials. The materials speak of a past in which craftsmanship and enduring quality went hand-in-hand. The hand hewn structural timbers were cut from the early American virgin forests, and are much larger and longer than any timbers available today. These time-tested, hand-crafted structures are then finished with modern, innovative, energy-efficient designs and materials. The completed structures make beautiful and unique homes, guest houses, commercial spaces and even.....barns!

How old are your barns?

Our barns range in age from 125 to over 250 years old. Many pre-date the American Revolution, the Lewis and Clark expedition of 1803, and the battle of the Alamo.

How do you know the age of these barn frames?

The primary clues that give away the original time period of a barn’s construction are the tools and construction methods used to build them. The types of tools used are known by the marks they left on the timbers. As the Industrial Revolution began to influence agriculture, changing its focus from self-sufficient homesteads to larger agri-business farms, it likewise affected the construction of barns. Also useful, but not always available, are historical documents, oral traditions, or family histories that give a date to the building’s construction.

Are there differences in the framing of barns?

One of the wonderful things about these barns is that no two are the same. While each frame follows one of several basic traditional designs, the variations in a barn’s overall size, species of wood, girth of the timbers, etc. are as diverse and unique as the farmers who used them, the craftsmen who built them, and the resources of the region they were built in.

How does a barn home compare in price to a conventionally built home?

Barn homes are comparable in price to a newly built timber frame home, log home, or a custom home built of conventional framing.

What is the resale value of a barn home? If I decide to sell my barn home someday, will a unique home like this appeal a large segment of home buyers?

Barn homes are now widely touted in construction and design magazines. Architectural Digest in August 2005 ran articles on several restored barn homes, and other articles are coming out regularly in publications as diverse as Victorian Homes and Timber Homes Illustrated. Barn homes have also been regularly featured on programs such as This Old House. The uniqueness, rustic beauty, and timeless craftsmanship of restored historic timber frame homes are appealing to a very wide cross section of custom home buyers.

Is it hard to design a home using a barn?

There are many variations on the design of barn homes. You can use one barn or several, add lofts, and even use conventional framing to make additions to the barn frame. Please take a look at our Finished Projects page to see some interesting and creative variations.

Do you offer design services?

Yes we do. We work with your architect, builder or designer throughout your project.

Do you travel to other States?

Yes. We will restore and relocate these historic buildings anywhere in the country.

Do you build the complete home?

We most often supply the historic timber frame, restored and reerected on your building site. We can also provide custom millwork such as doors, flooring, and staircases, as well as antique materials. We are able to general contract the entire finish out of a home depending on the distance from our shop here in central Texas.

When I purchase a barn home, are you available to help me through the process, even if you do not do the general contracting?

We stay with you throughout the process and are always available to you, your contractor and your architect.

What type of foundation is best for a barn home?

We have built barn homes on concrete slabs, on pier and beams with wood framed floors, and on full basements. You can finish the floors in anything you like, including carpet, tile, wood or stained concrete.

What are SIP’s?

Structural Insulated Panels, or SIP’s, are a cost-competitive, highly energy efficient and labor-saving way to enclose an historic timber frame, and have been used in new construction for decades. They are basically panelized walls, replacing in one step framing, sheathing, and insulating. Click Here for more information on this type of construction.

Do we have to use SIP's to enclose the timber frame?

No, you can use conventional 2x4 framing around the timbers and insulate with fiberglass.

How does the energy efficiency of a frame wrapped with SIP’s compare to conventional construction?

SIP’s have several energy saving advantages over standard construction methods. The R values of SIP’s are at least 30-40% higher than fiberglass insulation of the same thickness, but this is only half the story. The greatest energy saving advantage SIP’s have over conventional framing and insulating is they create a seamless insulated envelope around the timber frame.

Does using SIP’s limit the type of interior and exterior finishes I can use?

Not at all. You can use any type of roofing, siding, and interior finishes available for conventionally constructed buildings. We have finished barns wrapped in SIP's with roofs of metal, slate, cedar shake, copper, and asphalt shingles. Exterior siding can be stone, wood, stucco, brick or any combination of materials. Interior finishes also can be anything from textured and painted drywall to stone and antique barnwood.

How are electrical wires and plumbing run in an SIP?

The panels come with wire chases already run in them. You simply tap into these existing chases. If access is needed somewhere off the standard pattern, the panels can be cut from the inside to allow wire and pipe installation, then the openings resealed with spray foam.

How long does it take to build a barn home?

After the foundation is prepared, we can deliver and erect your barn frame in one week. Once the frame is erected, SIP’s can be installed, depending on the size of the barn, in 3 days to two weeks. This is a substantial time savings over conventional 2x4 construction. From there, the finish out will take no longer than any other custom home.

What other antique materials do you have available?

We have a large inventory of antique materials, including weathered barn siding, 2 inch thick tongue and groove threshing floor boards, and many other types of materials. We also have hand hewn timbers, hand forged iron hardware, antique hand-knapped barn foundation stone, roof slate, barn doors, embossed ceiling tin, and more. Click Here for more information about our antique materials.

Do we need to put a finish on the beams?

You can, but rarely do people finish the beams. They have a deep, rich patina that has been acquired by years of exposure and they need no finish.

Do they smell like a barn?

All of our barns are completely washed and fumigated during restoration. We have never had a problem with residual odors.

Are bugs a problem?

Insects that eat wood are a problem to all wood structures. We take all necessary precautions, by fumigating all the wood before it is delivered, to ensure that insects are no more of a problem in a barn home than in a contemporary home built with new materials.