Home & Design featured one of our East Coast timber frame homes in a recent edition of their magazine. Architect Mark Kohler ‘went out on a limb’ and purchased five acres of land in Woodbridge, Virginia after visiting a client’s job site in 2001. The Kohlers envisioned a rustic retreat crafted from natural wood, stone, and glass. When Mark’s drawings were near completion, he reached out to us to supply Douglas fir timber framing and reclaimed antique heart-pine flooring (from Pioneer Millworks) for the house. Mark stated,”You associate timber framing with vacation homes in Colorado. It adds to the character and warmth.”

Read Home Design’s take on the project below.

Many of our clients want a connected space that works well as the living room, kitchen and dining area, and are looking for this in a more intimate volume than some of the bigger great rooms we often see in timber framing and other large houses. We call this the Commons. Done well, it can feel just as comfortable when two sit down to read for the evening or twelve come for Easter dinner.

Located near downtown Rochester, this project put a contemporary twist on timber framing by combining elements of pavilion, trellis, and pergola designs. The resulting 1,000 square foot space serves as a break room, gathering space, lunch room, and more with its relaxed open style. Employees can enjoy nature through large windows and doors that open to the exterior spaces. The radio frequency dried Douglas fir timbers are oversized to accommodate heavy snow common to upstate NY.

Patrick Rodgers of The Pike Company, the project builders, wrote:

“Pike and our many great subcontractors including New Energy Works poured their heart and soul into this project. Great Design + Great Build = Great Design/Build. We really enjoyed the teamwork and getting the best results through early collaboration, and most importantly, are excited the customer is happy. Well done.”

The architect for the Break Room Retreat project was HBT Architects.

Photos by Scott Hemenway.