A classic exterior hides a sturdy skeleton
Published by Country Living
Photography by Rich Frutchey
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One of the most beloved and time-honored of American construction methods is the timber frame, with its exposed network of posts, beams, and trusses. Bold and sturdy, it symbolizes all that is most endearing about the American pioneering spirit.
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A view of the facade shows a wraparound porch that follows the setbacks of the telescoping roofline. |
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Historically, the timber frame was utilized for barns and other farm structures, but these days, it is equally appropriate for houses that long to take advantage of a contemporary open plan, at least in their public spaces. In our traditionally detailed clapboarded Colonial-style house, the timber frame by Davis Frame Co. embraces the soaring spaces - kitchen, breakfast area, and family room - all part of the same open area, which, surrounded by a pergola-accented terrace, protrudes into the backyard. To organize the various activity zones within this room, an invisible "highway," or traffic corridor, separates the working kitchen from the seating and dining areas.
The informal gathering room is complemented by three more formal, beamed-ceilinged spaces: a living room that runs the full depth of the house, a dining room, and an intimate study. Like the family room, the living room is graced by a fireplace, but, unlike the chimneypiece in the family room, which rises all the way to that room's cathedral ceiling, the fireplace surround in the living room is fronted by a wooden armature that mimics the timber frame; the frame is topped with a narrow lintel-like shelf that is used to display a collection of candlesticks.
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The family room has three massive trusses made of the same Douglas fir as the timber frame.
Come warm weather, the sunroom converts to a screened porch.
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More intimate in scale than the high ceilinged family room, the living room focuses on a cozy brickfaced fireplace.
To create pools of intimacy, the ceiling in the family room drops to 10 feet over the kitchen and its adjacent eating area. Huge banks of windows on either side of the fireplace harness sunlight. Floors and ceilings are rendered in honey-toned wood planking.
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To offset the shade cast by a sweeping wraparound porch, the foyer is capped by a cupola that functions as a light well into the houseÄas well as a natural ventilating system to draw hot air up and out of the house. The cupola, a balustraded loft, and a spiral stair winding up to a third-floor loft give an open, airy feeling to the second floor, which houses the master suite and three smaller bedrooms. The latter, two of ,1 have sleeping lofts, can be used for children guests or even a home office or two. (The unfinished third floor loft is reserved, perhaps future exercise room or media center.)
The generous master suite features a high peaked ceiling; a large walk-in closet supplemented by two additional closets provide more-than-ample storage. The commodious master bath is dominated by a whirlpool tub and large stall shower.
Other amenities include a windowed 1aundry room with two L-shaped shelves for sorting and storage, a walk-in closet for outerwear, a powder room, a sunroom/screened porch on the ground floor, and a full basement.
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The open loft that links the four upstairs bedrooms overlooks the grand foyer below, and is expansive enough to accommodate a seating area. The spiral stair leads to an unfinished third-floor loft. |
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The bedroom in the master suite is both commodious and cozy; a pretty floral wallcovering softens the barnlike mood that might otherwise prevail. Sills on windows here, as elsewhere the house, drop close to the floor to showcase views and let in extra light. Floors in all the bedrooms are carpeted. |
Floor plans for this home:
Architect: Finelli & Gray. Builder: Brian J. McGlone. Timber Frame Package: Davis Frame Company. Interior Design: Andrea Curtis-Foster, Laura Ashley Home Stylist. Landscape Architect: Colts Neck Garden Center. Roofing: American Cemwood by Macmillan Bloedel, Ltd.
