This is the Sabbathday Shaker “Stables” in the left foreground and “Ox Barn” in the right background. Perhaps you’ve seen them? They make up the little logo on highway signs telling drivers to “take the next exit!” (And you should, Sabbathday Shaker Village is both fascinating and chill). We’ve performed extensive assessments on both of…
Last week, the entire crew came together to raise Arron and Michelle’s new barn. A lightning strike destroyed their home, our office, and workshop over two years ago. Last night, NewsCenterMaine published a lovely story about how the community has been helping to rebuild ever since. Arron and Michelle and all of us at PTF…
PTF has been wicked busy. We are working on some phenomenal projects, and I’m going to let the pictures speak for themselves: The Northern Crew of Jake, Dan N. and Tim is completely rebuilding the undercarriage of the historic Kavanagh House. The Far Southern Crew of Erik and Brian painstakingly reproduced the historic bell yoke…
The Press Herald published a lovely profile of the Foleys, our longtime clients and friends this week. Charley is a surgeon and has been called to duty as part of his reserve unit. Sheila is taking care of the farm, the horses, cows, sheep, and new lambs, and she is preparing in case she is…
If you don’t already know Timber Framing, the journal of the Timber Framer’s Guild, you should. It contains information about techniques like simplified scribing, and engineering for framers, as well as in-depth coverage of projects that are even cooler than ours. I wrote the following article for the issue published last March 2019. It covers…
On April 27 iFarm will be hosting a workshop for homeowners to learn about energy-saving renovations (that’s this Saturday, folks!) A working farm with lovingly restored buildings, iFarm combines 19th-century knowledge with 21st-century innovation to create a model for sustainability in agriculture. With the effects of manmade climate change now apparent, it is more important than…
The Barn at Bondgarden Farm has been the talk of Eliot all summer. Nearly a hundred feet long and roofed in slate, the barn was always a stunner, but in July, Rick Geddes lifted the barn 6 feet in the air, and neighbors and news crews took note. Geddes threaded four 50 foot, 12 inch H-beams…
“We have to raise Weigand by the second cutting.” To a slicker like me, Arron was exhorting the crew to finish repairs on the enormous Brasen Hill Farm barn in time for some mysterious Pagan ritual. He was right. As soon as the roof was sheathed and papered, and before it wore metal roofing or…
Hey, real quick! We’ve been cutting scarf fixes for enormous post feet, and fitting teleport pads for octagonal lanterns. Updates on Chestnut St Lantern, Brasen Hill Barn, and Jennison Barn, below. Teleport Pad, Photo by Jacob Imlay Chestnut St Church Lantern, Camden, ME: This cute little lantern was cut and fit at the shop, and is…
We all have illusions about longevity. Many people think that a building’s strength is derived from its foundation, made of stone, or brick, or concrete, but that’s only partly true. A good foundation is a blessing, but a bad foundation is not damning. We’ve seen so many foundation failures that in a well-designed timber frame, we…