We recently had a prospective client come to us with the wonderful idea of a timber frame "party barn". She had found some photos on the internet of a beautiful structure in Montana that had been built with the idea of gatherings within a very rustic barn structure but with a living quarter quality interior.
The structure was built with reclaimed oak timbers that gave the home a beautiful rustic and authentic feel. Often times these timbers are disassembled from an old barn, mill, or factory that was built last century and is now abandoned. The walls, roof, floors and finish out of the home may be rotting and decaying due to neglect, but the timber frame structure still has the original integrity and can be recycled.
The use of reclaimed timbers and materials in a home has its costs and benefits. The benefit is that new trees need not be cut down because the timbers from other structures are being recycled. The energy expended from cutting and shipping and milling a log is great, and you loose a tree. However, with a recycled timber you really are only paying an "energy cost" for the shipping of the member. In addition, the timber over time develops a "patina" on the surface that is beautiful and unique. Often times, if the recycled member is from a structure passed down through the family, there can be a sentimental connection as well.
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The costs are really associated with the cost--a reclaimed timber can cost 3-4 times that of a similar sized "green" timber. The other issue is that it can be difficult to find specific sizes. In building a whole timber frame, you need consistent and exact sizes for the repeating members like posts and perlin and this can be a challenge.
We at Texas Timber Frames are able to provide a compromise between green timbers and reclaimed. We can age and distress green timbers to give the look of an old beam. By using a hatchet or other tools we can create a hand-hewn look on the timber that will look as though it was cut a century ago. By using a lime-based formula that will pull the tanons out of the timber you can create a feaux patina that will emulate the look of reclaimed material. We can do all of this for half the price of reclaimed and give a very rustic, authentic look.
Our prospective client is debating between the reclaimed material and the aged and distressed timbers and we are proud to be able to work with her whatever decision she and her husband make.
