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A Raising Above the Waterline

On a private drive just above the shoreline of Canandaigua Lake, the New Energy Works timber frame team collaborated with Grossi Construction on the raising of an expansive multi-use barn. 

Architect Dan Pieters came to the New Energy Works team with, “the initial architecture and schematic design and then we drove the sizing, the structure and the finite dimensions of it.” says New Energy Works designer Bethany Schaertl. There was a lot of coordination back and forth between our team, Dan Pieters, and Grossi construction to make sure all the moving parts were working toward the same goal.

“It was mainly designed for a car barn, and a little bit of utility stuff, and the second floor is going to be a Yoga studio and office, says Steve Grossi of Louis J. Grossi Construction, Inc. “You could call it multi-use, but the main purpose is for vehicles.”

Five years earlier Grossi had built the homeowners current living quarters just down the private drive from the barn. “Their house is conventionally framed with a few timber elements, says Grossi. “We knew that we wanted to incorporate some of those timber features from the house into the barn.” In the end, the entire barn became a fully structurally supported timber frame.

On the morning of the raising, efficiency and precision were the order of the day as our timber frame team moved quickly around the property as one unit, moving the heavy Douglas fir trusses weightlessly through the air. The darkened timbers were carefully put into place, lending the biophilic bones to the two-story barn structure. 

With the raising finished, there is still work to be done. Our team will continue to contribute, assisting with both the enclosure and windows. Our sister company, Pioneer Millworks will provide corral board for the exterior and our Natural Expressions flooring for the interior.  Finally, our NEWWoodworks team will lend their high craftsmanship to the interior stairs, doors, and kitchenette. We can’t wait to see the finished product.

“When I’m brought into any project, my main goal and objective is to form the best possible team,” says Grossi. “From my experience of over 30 years, I feel like I have an insight on putting together a good team and with New Energy Works it turned out to be a win once again.”

Architect: Dan Pieters Director of Architecture at LaBella

Construction: Louis J. Grossi Inc

Timber Frame, Enclosure: New Energy Works

Exterior Siding, Interior Flooring: Pioneer Millworks

Stairs, Doors, Kitchenette: NEWwoodworks