This past winter, we cut and raised a new frame for Poland Provisions, a farm stand and general store in Poland, Maine. They’re right across the street from the town hall, and we can’t wait to stop in for a sandwich this summer. We designed the frame with the help of Fire Tower Engineered Timber,…
We raised the Kavanagh ell last week. The frame was in rough condition, but the owners have prioritized preserving original material as much as possible. All but one tie beam received two new ends, each joined by a timber scarf. Most of the posts received repairs as well. The undercarriage and roof system were beyond…
Over this long spring, we’ve been so elbow deep at the Pennell project in Brunswick that I’ve been remiss in writing about it. The James Pennell House, on Pennellville rd., is a two-story Greek Revival house built in 1838. It is a high-style home, with the later addition of cupola and ell. The project…
Here’s one to please our 11-year-old selves, and the folks over at Low-Tech Magazine: we raised the Carpenter’s Shop using a gin pole. This is a simple and traditional method for raising a timber frame by hand, and straightforward solution to a site with little crane access. It’s constructed from a long, straight pole with a block…
Tie Beams are the defining component of a timber frame. They tie a barn together better than The Dude’s rug ever could. A tie beam crosses the gable at or below the plate (eave) level, and prevents the eave walls from spreading under the outward pressure of the rafters. Tie beams, more than any other…
I think most people on the crew have come across a frame that made them stop, and think, “Man, that’s the frame I’d build for myself.” I think I’ve found mine. It’s one of what will be three barns on a piece of property in Poland, ME – a horse barn, dairy barn and carpenter’s…
Allow me, for a moment, to wax about about windows: They are the eyes to a building’s soul. The transom light above a Yankee barn door and the triple-hung sash in a meetinghouse facade help to distinguish a building, or relate it to its peers. Even when dismantling the most decrepit of barns, we are…
Built in 1828, the Abyssinian Meetinghouse is the third oldest African American meetinghouse in the country. PTF was fortunate to join the restoration project in 2005, removing the tenement apartments inside, and repairing the king post truss frame. In 2010, we rebuilt the cornice, and completed the roof and basement phases. In October 2010, archaeologists dug around the…