8 Easy Ways to Add Timber Style to Your Home8 Easy Ways to Add Timber Style to Your Home Remodeling your existing home with a great room, sunroom or addition is easier than you think. 
Ted and Nancy Brown fell in love at first "site," when they invested in a 200-year-old Colonial farmhouse in the historic section of Simsbury, Connecticut. Set on 7 1/2 acres, the couple's home offers the kind of Old World charm that's in short supply in an era of mass-produced subdivisions and look-alike homes.
"We're located well off the road, which, being the parents of two small boys, is great for our peace of mind. Plus, we have woods all around us, so it offers a lot of privacy. We knew we wanted to stay here forever," Ted says. But, despite their ideal location, Ted and Nancy needed more room than their modest farmhouse had to offer. There also were issues with a leaking roof, an outdated kitchen and a crumbling foundation. Their solution? An extensive remodel. They removed the old kitchen (in what was once a woodshed), added a full foundation with a larger kitchen, a master bedroom and bath above it, a great room attached to the kitchen and a garage next to the great room with a bonus room above it. The couple opted for post-and-beam construction to echo the home's original design. "The previous owners of the house had done a lot of work to expose the old beams in the living and dining rooms, which we love. We wanted that theme carried throughout," recalls Ted. "We couldn't be happier with the result." If you're in love with your home's location but want to add the elegance of timber living, here's how to get started: Some home owners triple the size of their home with an extensive addition; others add a simple, small sunroom. Your project will likely fall somewhere in between. You'll need to weigh your budget against your desires while considering the design and any needed improvements to your existing home. Start by visiting your local zoning office to discover if there are any lot restrictions, such as setbacks, wetland regulations or architectural review boards that you'll need to grapple with. Work with your local lender to obtain a home-equity loan. "It's far less hassle than a second mortgage," says Tracy Keyser with M&T Bank in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. "There are no closing costs and it's faster, too. You could apply on a Tuesday and have your money by Friday." The final cost of your project will be based on the work needed to the existing structure, the price for the timber or post-and-beam portion and local labor costs. Don't expect to nail down a cost until you finalize the design and all materials you'll use. Be aware, remodeling costs are usually more expensive than new-home construction. This is often why, in some neighborhoods, home owners elect to tear down smaller homes built in the 1940s and '50s and rebuild from scratch. Ted Brown admits that his first guesstimate for his farmhouse renovation was woefully incomplete. "We started out with a $150,000 loan, which barely scratched the surface," he recalls. "Whatever you think it might be—double it." Typically, it's not the timber or post-and-beam portion of an addition that will skew the budget, since new construction is predictable. Rather, the big unknown is the cost to alter the existing structure. If your addition is substantial in size, you may have to upgrade numerous systems in your existing home. This can include the heating and cooling system, water heater and electrical and septic systems. These upgrades can run into many thousands of dollars. You also may consider adding timber architectural elements to your existing home to help unify the design. Ideally, your new addition's design should flow seamlessly with the existing home. To architects and remodeling contractors, one of the most satisfying remarks a client can make is, "I can't tell where the old house ends and the new addition begins." The goal is to provide new amenities while creating the illusion that they've always been there. You can ask an architect to make this seamless design happen, but doing so can add 20 percent or more to the cost of your project. A less expensive solution is to use a timber producer's engineering and design staff. "Architects can be very helpful, but I would counsel a home owner to start with a manufacturer's design team and see if they can't serve your needs before going to an architect," says Huckle May, vice president of Habitat Post & Beam in Deerfield, Massachusetts. Other considerations:
Choose a timber or post-and-beam home manufacturer that specializes in additions. Shop web sites to narrow your search, and consider the producer's location and proximity to your home site. You'll typically pay more for freight if a company is located across the country, which can take a big bite out of your budget. Here are a few questions you'll want answered before you choose:
The right choice here can save both your sanity and bank account. Ideally you should choose a builder or a contractor who has a background in remodeling and experience in timber construction. If the builder is lacking either, see if he or she would attend a construction workshop (many timber home manufacturers offer them) to understand the complexity involved in the project. Pay attention to crew sizes and how many projects a builder will be handling simultaneously. A builder who prefers to work alone, for example, may seem like the best choice—unless you're under a time crunch. One person working alone will take far longer than a larger builder who has multiple crews. Other considerations:
Because it often disrupts family life for an extended period of time, remodeling ranks with death and divorce as one of life's largest stressors. Make sure you have room for a project of this scale in your life before committing to it. Once started, be flexible, communicate honestly and be willing to compromise—with your mate, your builder and your banker. To avoid going over budget, avoid lastminute change orders (alterations to the original design). Some builders see these as a profit center. Changes in the design or material specification also can cause an avalanche of other change orders. For example, it's not the $10,000 jetted tub in the master bath that's problematic; it's the matching sinks, Italian tile, handrubbed cabinetry and electric towel warmers that cause your budget to go down the drain. Charles Bevier is editor of Building Systems, a national trade magazine that profiles innovative construction technologies. |
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