Happy Holidays from Post and Beam...Dogs?

Vermont Timber Works is a post and beam timber framing company (as you may know) and we would like to take a break and wish all of our friends a safe and happy holiday season.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

See you in the new year for more post and beam construction project updates, trivia, and all around fun!

Vermont Timber Works, Inc.
36 Fairbanks Road
North Springfield, VT 05150
802-886-1917
email us

Ruby's new bed @ Vermont Timber Works, Inc.

As many of you may know, Ruby is Dan's beloved boxer dog. She comes to work with Dan almost every day and is very helpful around our timber framing shop. Whether it's helping Steve eat his lunch, drooling on Travis or supervising the VTW Crew loading timber trusses onto a GMH Transport truck...it's a tough life.

Since we love Ruby so much, she has a new bed, (thank you Steve) carefully placed in her favorite spot.

Customizing is an option...

Recently, Vermont Timber Works was approached to add a carving into the bottom chord of a specific truss...uhmmmm

Sure, why not! Hey Tommy, grab your chisels and let's give it a try. Want me to get the video camera?

Tom said no...
The US FOREST SERVICE will be very happy with this detail, don't you think so?

The Brochure Collection

just a few of our favorite timber frame projects, many featured in our brochure. Enjoy!

Autumn @ Vermont Timber Works & Post and Beam Barn Update.

Enjoy this beautiful shot of North Springfield, VT. Thank you Denise!
As the fall foliage is peak, our shop is FULL of hemlock timbers. We are currently hand crafting a post and beam horse barn that will be raised in Rockingham, VT. Custom designed to insure room for the horses, tack area, isle ways, storage, hay even the horse trailer and tractor.

This post and beam barn is not only designed, engineered and hand crafted by Vermont Timber Works, our crew will be raising this timber frame.

Post and Beam Barn Raising

MUCH faster slide show of our Rich Barn Raising in Auburn, PA. Thank you Megan!

Our Brigham Hill Post and Beam Barn

This post & beam barn features rough sawn white pine and hemlock timbers. Traditional joinery, mortise & tenon with hardwood pegs and dovetailed joists.

The Brigham Hill Farm is a farming program operated by Food for the Needy, Inc. (a non-profit organization) that runs the volunteer based farm. They donate annual crops to hunger relief organizations throughout central Massachusetts.

Whether you need a post and beam barn for your organization, family farm or a place to store your antique cars...Vermont Timber Works is happy to work with you. Call us @ 802.886.1917

Is your guest house post and beam construction?

Well, mine isn't. (I don't even have a guest house). This guest house is all post and beam constructed. Traditional joinery and arched beams in beautiful douglas fir timbers.

Planed & chamfered with a clear poly sealer. See the natural color of the wood? Douglas fir will continue to age and become deeper in color over time. The Duker guest house is the 3rd post and beam barn on the estate. Very nice Vermont Timber!

Post and Beam Horse Barn for Ashley

Meet Ashley. She is an appaloosa with out a single spot on her. She would like a post and beam barn. A place to relax and hang out after a hard day in the show ring winning blue ribbons.

Perhaps something like Vermont Timber Works Osprey Horse Barn will do. Though, it may be a little on the large size. Hemlock timbers are a good choice for horse barns. Do you know why?

Vermont Timber Works Hermes Barn design is a better option for Ash. Hemlock timber frame barn with a rough sawn finish. Horse stalls to the right, storage to the left and hay loft above. SOLD, let's get going.

Ashley is happy...because she has HAY.

The Post, The Beam and The VTW Team.

Vermont Timber Works CREW

In the midst of post and beam construction, I would like to take a moment and give you an idea of who we are. Our post & beam team consists of Dan, Doug, Rick, Tom, Pete, Denise, Megan, Mike, Kellin, James, Jason, Todd, MJ, Travis and myself (Sandy).


Dan, the grill master, also Vermont Timber Works President.

Pete & Doug (VP's) are in charge of design, shop drawings and engineering. Rick is our estimator and works on timber frame layout and fabrication as needed. Rick also gives Ruby rides in his convertible.


Denise is our financial officer, Megan our office manager, Travis and I work in SALES. Once the detailed shop drawings hit the shop floor, that is when the real fun begins. Each timber is handcrafted, no cnc machines at Vermont Timber. Cut Crew and Raising Crew are the same. Great job VTW team.

A Few Wood Choices for your Post & Beam Project.

Hand Hewn White Oak.

Strong and rustic, a good choice for many types of post and beam applications. Most recently a large post and beam barn in Auburn, PA. Expect lots of checking, which will not effect the strength.

Douglas Fir Timbers, Planed & Chamfered

Always a good idea. Douglas Fir is beautiful, strong, stable and available in many larger sizes and longer widths. If you can build your post and beam building with Douglas Fir, you may need a GLULAM.

Hand Hewn Eastern White Pine

White Pine is not as strong a hemlock, douglas fir or oak, BUT is a very traditional and popular posts and beam wood choice. Hand hewn for a more rustic look, or planed & chamfered for a more finished style.
FYI. Horses like to chew pine...

Reclaimed Timber

Depending on the species and condition, best used in decorative post and beam situations. Hard to work with, sometimes difficult to find, and always more expensive. A look like nothing else, worth it if you love it.

Native Hemlock

Shown above planed & chamfered, we prefer the rough sawn finish. Hemlock timbers are great for post and beam horse barns (horses tend not to chew on it). Post and beam pavilions, houses, as long as the lengths are not toooooo long. Then we are looking at douglas fir again.

Post and Beam Progress...

SOON these rustic oak timbers will be a post and beam barn...enjoy some progress shots and check back often.

All the posts and beams are carefully labeled, joints are pre-fit to insure a proper installation.

Mike hard at work, each timber is hand crafted. No CNC machines at Vermont Timber Works.

Above Kellin is trying not to smile :) as he works with a mortising machine. Once the timbers are fabricated, it's time for sanding and finishing. Below are some of the completed pieces, natural minwax stain and red oak timbers.


MJ and Jason are organizing the finished timbers. (They don't mind the camera). Ruby, of course, is supervising.

Vermont Timber Works will be raising this post and beam timber frame in mid September. Look for us in Auburn, PA.

Post and Beam BARNS / Update

Updated slide shows, enjoy! Post and Beam Barns all hand crafted and raised by Vermont Timber Works.

Post and Beam Barn in OAK.

Vermont Timber Works next project...a Post and Beam Barn to be raised in Auburn, Pennsylvania. Timbers in red oak will be hand crafted with steel & traditional joinery.

The 1st of 3 full truckloads, these red oak timbers will create the barn shown below. Be sure to check back for progress shots.

John Rich Jr. worked closely with Sue to bring this post and beam barn project to life. Great job!

Pre-Assembly & Reclaimed White Oak Timbers

Working with reclaimed hand hewn timbers is a challege that Vermont Timber Works crew is up too!

This post and beam timber frame is created with all reclaimed hand hewn white oak.

Pre-assembled in our shop, each joint scribed into place...time consuming but this needs to be done. Traditional joinery for a very rustic post and beam project.

Posts and Beams and Braces and Plates and Struts?

Do you know what goes into creating a post and beam home? Let's see...


We all know about the posts and the beams but what keeps the timber frame up? Above is a typical section view to give you an idea of the many components. Connecting beams together in ways that are strong and beautiful is KEY. Timbers need to be sized appropriately and joints need to stay tight over time.
Vermont Timber Works offers traditional joinery, mortise and tenon with hard wood pegs. The joint itself carries most of the load and the peg keeps the joint in place. Steel joinery is also available.
Questions? Call 802-886-1917 or EMAIL US, we are happy to talk with you.

Post and Beam and Building GREEN with Timber Framing

Post and Beam and Building GREEN! Why choose a timber frame? Natural timber is renewable, can be recycled, beautiful (not that beauty has anything to do with building green) and timber is sustainable.

We all know of an old post and beam barn that has fallen in or been taken down. Company's like James & Company and Trestlewood search out these old timbers for re-sale...and there is quite a market for it. Standing dead timber is also a wonderful resource.

LEED "Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design" Points are earned toward your building green project by purchasing local, as well as FSC "Forest Stewardship Council" Certified Foresters.

Vermont Timber Works is proud to offer these GREEN building options for you.

One of my favorite post and beam homes...

Vermont Timber Works Chase House. This 24 x 40 hemlock post and beam home has a very straight forward design.
Can you see the 4 bents? 3 bays?
How about now?

This is a wonderful starter home design with plenty of timber frame addition possibilities as your family grows.

One thought is a post and beam garage with living space above. Connecting through a timber frame breeze way which includes a new post and beam entry and porch area. I think that is a great idea!

Vermont Timber Works, Inc., custom designs and hand crafted post and beam homes, delivery nationwide.

Post & Beam Construction Monday - Friday...then the weekend fun begins!

At Vermont Timber Works, we pride ourselves on hand crafting post and beam constructed buildings of the highest quality. NO CNC machines in our North Springfield shop. You are not restricted by what can be programed into the hundegger! You are restricted however by what will work and what may not. Our Professional Engineer, PJZ makes sure that each post and beam design will stand over time. Thank you Pete! The work week usually consists of Monday through Friday, but an occasional Saturday is worked if need be. When the weekend comes, these timber framers like to have fun!

Would you like to know what Vermont Timber Works hard working team does on the weekend? Well if so, here you go. So far we have pictures submitted by Doug (who loves to sail), Sue (who also enjoys being on the water) and Sandy, that's me (horses and swimming all summer long).

Pete enjoys many outdoor activities, taking the canoe out with the family for one. Todd likes to hang with friends and ride his motorcycle.

Look for more additions as I receive them, or FIND them whichever the case may be.

Post and Beam Entry Porch in White Oak Timbers

Green White Oak Timbers, courtesy of Damon Lumber Company in Fitzwilliam, NH. Thank you Brian!
Hand crafted in our shop with traditional joinery, mortise and tenon joints held together with OAK pegs.

See where the curved purlins are going? This white oak entry porch is going to be very pretty.

Detail on the ends of the curved timbers, nice job!

Rosenthal Beam / Reclaimed White Oak

Approved. Thank you Austin Patterson Disston Architects! Sometimes when working with reclaimed timbers, you just can't find what is specified and in this case the beam we needed was structural. Doug and the Trestlewood crew found this gorgeous antique beam with hand hewn sides and a rounded bottom as a substitution. This will be the only beam with a rounded edge, and we think it will be perfect as a structural ceiling beam. Perhaps even the focal point of the room.

Post and Beam and MORE Reclaimed Timbers.

Our very own Doug is on the road today, meeting with the Trestlewood folks at their Indiana Mill. Vermont Timber Works has ordered more reclaimed hand hewn white oak for the Rosenthal Project. Remember the Davis hand hewn oak timbers? Here is a picture to remind you:

The timbers that Trestlewood has chosen for us will be very similar to what we used on the Davis job. Authentic. The reclaimed timbers are located from demo projects all over the country. If you know of a post and beam barn or building that is being taking down, give Trestlewood a call. They may be able to help place those timbers.

Vermont Timber Works hand crafts post and beam homes in not only reclaimed timbers but also resawn timbers, green timbers, antiqued or weathered timbers and even some kiln dried timbers. Depending on your design and what you envision, we can help you decide which is best timber option for you.

Post & Beam Raising in Long Island

The Vermont Timber Works crew is in Jamesport, Long Island this week, raising a post and beam timber frame for John Mazur III. Here is a quick progress shot, we are raising this timber frame with a lull instead of a crane.
Thanks for the photo John!

Zimmerman Post & Beam

Beautiful Post and Beam Home in Kennebunkport, ME.


Updated photos include the view and the fireplace interior. Fabulous design John, and the douglas fir timbers really stand out.

Vermont Timber Works, Inc.
802-886-1917
Email

Post and Beam and Glulam Arches.

Our Lake Taghkanic West Bathhouse and Beach Area Project is turning out to be quite something. Beautiful douglas fir timbers coordinating the glulam arches on the trellis. Take a look. Nice job on those arches ALAMCO!

Douglas Fir Timbers through out the pavilion and exteriors. Vermont Timber Works, Inc did raise this timber frame.

Tommy managed to just sneak out of this picture...