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TIMBER HOMES ILLUSTRATED
DECEMBER 2005
Crafted in the Northwest
Tradition guides a new design
STORY BY TERESA L. WOLFF
PHOTOS BY CRAIG WESTER
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Living
an organic, natural lifestyle was the goal of the owners when they
opted for their timber frame home. She grew up in the Pasadena area
surrounded by ranch-style residences; his childhood was spent amidst
the Deep South’s classic two-story homes with pillars and front porches.
When it came time to build their Northwest home, however, neither of
these styles seemed quite right.
“We both admired the timber frame architectural style. It appeals
to us emotionally and feels aesthetically appropriate for this area,” she says.
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The couple is retired and enjoys traveling and entertaining. Their
new home was planned around this lifestyle. They purchased two and
a half acres on an island in northwest Washington State – the site
is woodsy even though it is relatively close to a large city.
Rooms With a View
Our choice of timber frame company was very subjective. We visited
homes built by Timbercraft and liked what we saw and how the homes
felt. We also liked their attitude toward building,” she says.
“We never considered any other company.”
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Above: A Honduran mahogany door creates
an elegant statement in the recessed entry.
The Arts and Crafts influence is evident in
the shake shingle siding and open trellis,
installed specifically to add
detail to an otherwise flat wall.
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Below: Natural sunlight from the
skylight in the loft above floods
the foyer, which is flanked by
stained-glass pocket doors. One
set opens into the dining room,
the other into the parlor.
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Above: Upon entering their home, the owners have a
spectacular view of Puget Sound across the
expanse of their Northwest garden. The spacing
of the rafters is four feet on center, typical
for common rafter systems in the Douglas fir
frames designed and built by Timbercraft.
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Judith Landau, co-owner of Timbercraft Timber Frame Homes, explains
she and her husband, Charles, started the business in 1979 building
traditional houses. They quickly realized the environment in the West
was different from that on the Eastern seaboard and began experimenting
with designs that would fit their area. They used the vernacular of
different periods and places for the form of their contemporary designs.
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“The building site guided the design of this home. Eighty percent of
how the home is laid out was based upon the intention to take in the
views of Puget Sound across a beautiful grassy knoll,” Judith explains.
“The owner gets credit for the main thrust of the design. Our job was
to make sure what she wanted to accomplish was structurally sound,
given the parameters of the timber frame.”
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“Timbercraft supplied the wonderful framework. From there, I created the
interior spaces in conjunction with Andy Constan and Gene Knox of Bluefish
Fine Builders,” the owner says. “The design all happened naturally. We had
a very distinct sense of the spaces we wanted. The timber frame allowed
us to have large open areas and great expanses of windows, which are a
must in the Northwest to admit as much sunlight as possible.”
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Gene and the owners began by walking through the shell to take in the
whole concept of the large spaces. They then went room by room and worked-up
different ideas. From there, they refined each area using the work of
California Arts and Crafts architects Greene and Greene for inspiration,
while giving an up-to-date look and function.
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Form and Function
Public spaces – the great room and kitchen – are located in the center
portion of the main floor and are directly accessible by the entry foyer.
To the left of the foyer is the sequestered dining room; the parlor or
music room is on the right. Both of these rooms are concealed behind
leaded stained-glass pocket doors that match the pattern in the transom
over the entry.
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Located to the left of the great room are the kitchen, office, utility,
mudroom and storage. The sunroom, strategically situated next to the kitchen,
is enclosed on three sides with windows that allow an unobstructed view of
the sound and provide a place to bask in the all-to-infrequent winter sunlight
even when it is too chilly to be outdoors. Down a hallway to the right of the
great room is the master suite, which includes an exercise room.
To admit more light into the lower level, two skylights were added along the
roof ridge line – one in the center of the house and the other over the stairwell.
On the upper level, two guest bedrooms with adjoining baths are found on the left.
The couples’ respective retreats are found to the right of the central portion
that houses the library and game room.
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The wife spends many hours sewing in her
craft room that is furnished with a daybed for extra guest space if needed. The
husband’s yoga room is next to the sewing room.
For the flooring, the couple chose materials that would be durable, organic
and that would work well with the in-floor radiant heat they installed on both
levels. On the main level of the home, with the exception of the dining room
and the parlor, they opted for concrete floors because they are resilient, a
necessity with three dogs in residence. A neutral grey color was achieved by
working additional concrete color hardener into the surface, creating a very
subtle and pleasant effect.
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Above: A focal point of the great room is the mammoth
Montana river rock fireplace towering up to the
vaulted ceilings. Stickley settees, set back to
back, create separate conversation areas, yet
tie the two haves of the room together.
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The dining room's vintage
chandelier has hung in two
other homes previously owned
by the couple. They chose
dried Douglas fir for their
timber frame to keep
"checking" (or cracking)
to a minimum. The large
window overlooks the
front garden.
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Mahogany paneling blends with the
dining room set of the same wood in the
formal dining room. The furniture is
inspired by the Greene and Greene style
and was custom-built by Northwest Fine
Woodworking to seat 14.
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A commercial-style
stainless steel stove and an
expanse of cherry cabinets
with soapstone counters help
the homeowner prepare meals
for large groupls. "This is the
first kitchen I have had that
allows me to truly spread my
wings," she says.
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Windows above the
upper cabinets bring additional
light into the custom-built
kitchen. Although the owners
have a separate, formal dining
room, they allowed for casual
seating at a built-in bar. The
doors to the right open into
the sunroom.
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“Once the concrete is sealed, it has the surprising appearance of stone,”
the homeowner says. “It was the best decision we ever made.”
When the couple purchased the property, an original 1920s cottage was still
standing on the site, but was beyond repair. They reclaimed much of the building;
installing vintage cedar paneling that had been milled on the property in parts
of the new home. They installed fir flooring salvaged from the cottage in their
new dining room and parlor, areas that are off limits to their pets.
On the upper level, they selected cork as it absorbs sound and withstands
traffic. The wife relates this organic flooring was very popular in the early
20th century, and when cork is compressed, it looks wonderful next to the wood.
“The Douglas fir timber frame in the home was treated like a piece of furniture,”
Judith
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The cherry and mahogany ladder style quard rail
was designed by the owner and Gene Knox as a
fine piece of furniture. The frame's queen post
trusses feature an X-brace, a functional design
element incorporated to stiffen the frame.
says. “The owners had it sanded
and finished to blend with the paneling. The timber frame is integrated so well,
you aren’t drawn immediately to it. Additionally, all of the woodwork is very
refined, suggesting the Arts and Crafts period.”
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Old is New Again
In the event the couple has more overnight visitors than the main house can accommodate,
they added a separate guest home with a studio apartment. This structure is a ‘faux’
timber frame, or hybrid, echoing the construction of the main house but utilizing
conventional construction techniques.
When it came time to turn their attention
to the exterior, the owners hired landscape
designer Kit Harris, of Act Too Landscaping. Their objective was to create a Northwest
garden, or as the owner describes it, and English garden to the 10th power.
Purposefully over-planted and
slightly overgrown, the gar-
dens surrounding this
Timbercraft home contribute
to its historical feel.
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“This garden is very relaxed, almost wild, with no real structure. It looks as
if it just sort of happened. It is very woodsy and is intentionally
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slightly overgrown,” the owner adds.
“We weren’t trying to invoke a historical period, but we wanted to build an
‘old’ house – to give a sense of
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The guest suite over a detached garage is accessible via a timber
frame bridge that spans a pond at the base of the manmade waterfall.
Guests can relax in their private retreat and watch the blue
herons and otters that frequent the property.
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history in its bones. When an old friend came
to visit us for the first time, she caught her breath and exclaimed, “It looks
like it has been here for 100 years!” This was probably the greatest compliment
we have ever received,” the owner says. “Some people have told us that their
home-building experience was a nightmare, but we thoroughly enjoyed it. We would
do it again in a heartbeat.”
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Act Too Landscaping, (425) 793-3020
Bluefish Fine Builders, (206) 842-5531
CDB General Contractors, www.constandesignbuild.com (206) 842-4544
Northwest Fine Woodworking, (206) 622-2004
Timbercraft Timber Frame Homes, www.timbercraft.com (360) 385-3051
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