At Blue Ox Timber Frames, we have a number of standard home plans available on our website. Many clients start with a standard plan, but as the planning process progresses, they start to make changes. Little changes at first, perhaps tweaking an entry or changing the orientation of a room, but those little changes [...]
We last saw this Douglas Fir timber frame lake cabin when it was raised in January. If you recall, the cabin is designed to wrap around an old growth oak tree while affording a panoramic view of the lake. This is the lakeside view of the cabin. The other side of the cabin, which wrapped around [...]
The BOTF shop is busy working on one of the largest timber frame structures we have had the opportunity to cut. While that is happening, we thought it would be a good opportunity to check in on some projects that we raised earlier this year. Generally, once we raise the timber frame, the general [...]
Blue Ox Timber Frames recently did our first raising of 2017. This Douglas Fir timber frame cabin went up last week not too far from the BOTF shop. This custom home is replacing a cabin that was removed in the fall. Once the cabin was removed, the foundation for the timber frame was laid [...]
Blue Ox Timber Frames recently raised a Douglas Fir timber frame home near St. Cloud, MN. This is a custom frame our designers had fun with, both on the interior and exterior. Fitting a large Douglas Fir king post truss in the shop. Douglas Fir king post trusses waiting to go [...]
Happy New Year from Blue Ox Timber Frames! We started and ended 2016 with projects within an hour of our shop. In between, we traveled all over the upper Midwest to raise timber frame homes, cabins, entries, and additions. From timber frame cabins on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and throughout Minnesota, to convenience stores in North [...]
Last year we worked on the main lodge for North Star Camp, a youth camp located near Brainerd, MN. Blue Ox Timber Frames did the timber work and Hy-Tec Construction did the finish work. The interior and exterior timbers are Eastern White Pine. The shed roof sections of the entry mirror those of the main [...]
This timber frame home was built not long ago on a lake in northwest Minnesota. The homeowner selected Eastern White Pine (EWP) for all of the timbers. Note the slight upward curve of the timbers in the dormers and in the peak of the porch. Like with most of the completed homes we feature, I don't [...]
We have featured many raisings and projects in progress on the blog, but not many pictures of finished homes. Part of that is a function of our role in the construction process. We raise the timbers, install the tongue and groove ceilings, arrange for the Enercept panels to be installed, and then don't get to [...]
Timber frames come in all shapes and sizes. Not every timber frame has to be a traditional post and beam structure. This cabin, located near Park Rapids, MN, integrates Eastern White Pine timbers with structural insulated panels (SIPs) instead of posts on the exterior walls. Given the width of the great room, the owner thought adding [...]
