Welcome to Classic Barn Homes

Originating in Asia, timber frame construction was the dominant method of construction until the late 19th century in the United States. Not known as "timber framing" then, but simply as "building," virtually every structure in New England that pre-dates the Civil War is a timber frame. Many community buildings such as churches featured masonry or stone with timber frame roof systems.

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After the developments of sawmills that could cut 2x dimensional lumber and the invention of the wire nail (which could be machine-produced at rates much faster than a blacksmith could make iron nails) after the Great Chicago Fire in 1871, conventional building, as we now call it, swept across the country. The conventional method proved to be easier for unskilled workers and also less expensive, meeting the growing need for housing.

Unlike the log home, which dates back to the Bronze Age and uses logs stacked horizontally to create the exterior walls of the home, the timber frame is the load-bearing skeleton structure of the home. The walls enclosing the timber frame or post and beam home can be constructed using several different types of insulation and wall assemblies. Timbers, as posts and beams, are fastened together with hand or machine-cut wooden joinery and then secured with metal plates or wooden pegs. Classic Barn Homes' timber frames are secured with traditional mortise and tenon joinery and 12" oak pegs - the same tried and true method our forefathers used. Unless a welcoming timber frame porch or entry system is added, the timber frame itself remains visible on the interior of the home but invisible to the exterior.

Timber frame construction is one of the most time-honored, durable methods of building. Because of the unique structural integrity of the timber frame, timber frame designs feature open floor plans and lend themselves to spacious cathedral areas. Reminiscent of the close-knit family lifestyle found in early American homes, our barn home models feature open floor plans which create free-flowing areas and wide open spaces for families to gather together, creating memories that will be passed down to future generations.

Classic Barn Homes was developed by Davis Frame Company to reflect this attitude, this lifestyle that links us with our ancestry. Using the same natural materials as our forefathers, we use tools that have spanned generations and combine them with modern technology to link the past with the present, creating heirlooms for the future.

Throughout the last two centuries, artisans faithful to the culture and tradition of timber framing have endured alongside the timeless structures they craft. The unwritten law in their hearts is what binds them to this tried and true legacy. Timber framing is not only considered a tradition, but is an inheritance, an attitude, a lifestyle.

Let us help you get started building a timber frame legacy that you can pass on to generations to come.

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