Autumn: A Busy Time for Home Shows
Fall can be one of the busiest times in the homebuilding industry. For existing projects, getting buildings enclosed and shielded against the elements before winter is a pressing concern. What really makes the season busy, however, is all the preparation work for houses to be built next year. If you’re planning on constructing a home in 2016, then now is a great time for getting ideas and drafting floor plans. In recognition of this fact, we’re attending five home shows across the country over the next five weeks.
Although it’s easy to only feature larger homes, most people looking to build a home, timber frame or otherwise, are seeking homes around 2500 square feet, about the average for all new construction. Consistently, people come to the blog week after week from searches like “three bedroom home plan”. Since we feel that a median-sized home doesn’t have to be boring, we thought we’d review a few of our favorite mid-sized plans that still have the features needed for today’s families. 
Since we’re just barely starting into fall, it may seem an odd time to think about holiday entertaining. Then again, a recent study by CreditCards.com found that one in seven Americans have already begun shopping for holiday gifts. Thankfully for the other eighty-six percent of us, we do still have over two months to prepare for Thanksgiving and the winter entertaining season. Still, putting off all the preparations until just before the holidays can create quite the stressful situation. Instead, it’s best to start preparing early so that you don’t have to undergo a last minute rush. Here are a few ideas for items to prepare now, that will both aid your guests and make your home more relaxing for you as well.
Increasing a home’s square footage is the best way to gain space for more amenities, but the resulting home can feel like a very grand space. Similarly, cathedral ceiling great rooms are very popular these days, yet having a two-story tall ceiling in a room can make it feel a bit impersonal. This Timberpeg in North Pomfret, Vermont is a welcome change of pace. At 3470 square feet, plus loft area, it is a moderately large home, yet incorporates numerous features that engender the best feelings from homes both large and small. 
A few months ago, we dedicated a post to discussing the origins of timber framing. In that post, we mentioned that Scandinavia is more known for log homes than timber framing due to the softwood forests that predominate there. Nonetheless, there is one tradition originating in Scandinavia that is an important part of timber framing tradition. 
Last week, we covered the evolution of private and public space in the home and covered the bathroom. While the bathroom has naturally become more private over the years, its history has influenced its design in interesting ways. Since modern plumbing is barely more than a hundred years old, the bathroom is actually one of the newest rooms in the home. Even in its short history, the bathroom has had a fascinating development. 
The Home has never been a static concept, and what constitutes the ideal home has changed throughout time. With the increasing living standards that have occurred over the centuries, we have been able to build more intricate and complex homes. This trend has allowed us to build homes with more rooms, leading to an increased distinction between public and private spaces within the home. Mostly, this trend has allowed increased private spaces within the home, with one notable exception. 
Dear Mr. President, We were pleased to hear that funds for the redesign of the exterior of the White House had been approved. After reading our proposal for a timber framed White House, we think you will agree that a Timberpeg is the perfect design choice for a such an important building. 
Wood is such a great building material that it is no wonder that its use predates history. Throughout the world, where trees were abundant they were used to build homes and other structures. However, due to differences in resources available in different regions, timber framing developed uniquely in each region and was even absent from some regions. Here is the some of the back story behind the evolution of timber framing.
Lately, the concept of passive house design has come to prominence in building and design discussions. A passive house is designed to require minimum energy for heating and cooling. While some of the techniques used are modern, such as improved insulation and heat recovery ventilators, many of the techniques have a long history in building design. Here are a few of these well-used techniques and where best to apply them.