Complete Guide to Timber Frame Homes in Pittsburgh

You’ve decided to build a home in Pittsburgh. It’s exciting to be able to hand pick every last detail of your house, down to the way it’s built and the lot it’s built on. But how do you choose the right building materials for your home?

At Costa Homebuilders, we construct beautiful, energy-efficient timber frame homes in Pittsburgh. Each timberframe home is custom built to your specifications and Costa’s high standards.

What is a Timber Frame Home?

Timber frame structures feature large wooden beams that are constructed using wooden peg joinery or brackets. The use of steel is minimized as the organic elements blend with the wood.

Timber frames act as a stunning showpiece for a home’s exterior and interior, while creating a warm atmosphere. The framing system acts as both the support system of the home and its main design element.

They can be designed in traditional or modern style, with many different floor plan choices. Like all of our custom homes, we will help customize the floor plan of your timber frame home to accommodate your lifestyle needs.

The Benefits of Timber Frame Homes

A timber frame home has several unique benefits. It’s versatile, time-tested and beautiful. Here are some of the benefits that make timber frame structures popular among homeowners:

Timber Frame Homes Are Environmentally Friendly

There’s a misconception that the use of timber frames in construction plays a role in deforestation. But the truth is that timber frame construction has very minimal environmental effects compared to other construction materials.

The production of other, manmade building materials leads to high levels of CO2 and other greenhouse gases. Producing concrete, cement, steels and bricks is an energy intensive process compared to timber frame production.

Another benefit of timber frame homes is the energy efficiency that is contained within the wood structure. Compared to other building materials, a timber frame wall can be thinner by up to 45 mm. This helps reduce the amount of warm air leaking out of the home.

The home’s walls and roof are finished using the industry’s most energy-efficient Structural Insulating Panels (SIPs). SIP is a wood product with a super insulated core and is placed between two timbers on the wall and roof to occupy the spaces between them. This traps the heat inside your house and helps you save money on heating and cooling bills.

Timber is a Natural, Renewable Resource

Wood is natural resource. When creating timber frames, the wood fibers and residues can be recycled and used as fuel. This is a great way to use the stored solar energy in woods rather than having to burn oil, coal, gas or other fossil fuels to obtain an equivalent amount of energy.

Wood is the only major building material that is renewable because another similar tree is planted to replace the one that is felled. There is almost no waste in timber production because all the by-products are used in other ways.

Timber Frame Construction is Easier and Faster

Timber Frame homes often a quick construction process, because the frames are pre-assembled. With pre-fit timbers, it’s easier to save the construction time because the timbers are reassembled after the shipment to your lot. So, the timber skeleton can be completed in just a matter of days.

Building timber frame homes is mainly a dry construction process. That means that electrical connections and wiring can happen quicker because there is no drying time required, as there is with other building methods.

Timber frame homes are also quicker and easier to build because there is less building debris and waste to clean up. Plus, they are not weather dependent – you can build any time of the year. When you build a timber frame home in Pittsburgh with Costa Homebuilders, you know that your project will be completed quickly, on a set schedule.

Timber Frame Homes are environmentally friendly and last a lifetime.

Timber Frame Homes are Durable and Flexible

Timber has proved to be a strong and durable building material. It’s a flexible material that can stand strong, even on weak foundations. Many timber frame homes have been standing for hundreds of years!

Heavy timber frames are more resilient in conditions such as earthquakes, strong wind uplifts, and substantial snowfall than other building materials. They are sturdier than stick-built homes, in both aesthetics and in function. The mortise and tenon joinery uses‎ the inherent strength of wood to minimize the use of steel or other fasteners, keeping the look of timber frame running throughout.

When you choose to build a timber frame home, you know that you are getting a home that will stand the test of time.

Timber Homes Have Great Aesthetic Appeal

Timber is a material with a unique charisma. Each and every piece is different because its appearance and texture is related to its organic origins. The magic in timber helps create an authentic and distinctive lifestyle that will give you the feel of a natural environment within your home.

Timber frames can be designed into whatever shape you want. You also have the choice to leave the timber frames exposed. When left exposed, timber framework creates a breathtaking effect that creates a classic and modern feel at once.

Timber Frame Homes Are Highly Versatile

You’re building a home so you can customize it to your liking. One great thing about a timber frame home is that it’s versatile. The structural unit leaves room for a lot of design freedom. The timber frames can be oiled, sandblasted, rough-sawn or whatever other processes that will match your sense of style.

The structural units allow for development of open, airy floor plans and, at the same time, create a clear definition of the living areas. Timber frame homes do not require the support of interior walls and this leaves an open interior with many design options. You have the option to choose a low ceiling or an open room with high ceiling.

You can frame the exterior of your home as well as the interior, creating a light-filled, modern design, or choose timber that lends a traditional look to the furnishings. Whatever you want!

How to Choose a Timber Frame Home Builder

To build your dream timber frame home, you must work with specialist timber builders with passion for working with wood. Costa Homebuilders helps you build your strong, unique timber frame home using our New Life Custom Home Building Process. Our process has been used again and again, and we’ve found that it greatly reduces the stress and frustration you feel as the homeowner. The New Life Process helps you: