On Craftsmanship
In today’s fast paced world the art of the Craftsman is suffering on two fronts. The first is perhaps the most insidious in that modern society often puts little value on the Craftsman. The second being the separation of the Craftsman from the creative actions. I truly believe the loss of craft may be the overall largest threat to Craftsmanship, and Timber Framing in particular.
Society often places a higher value on some television or movie star’s latest escapades over the Artist, the Designer, the creative process, and anyone that works with his hands is looked down upon. I put forth the idea that such a society is truly doomed. Value needs to be placed back where it is deserved; in the creative process and Craftsmanship.
This amazing country was founded on inventiveness and Craftsmanship. Where would we be if the Craftsman was not afforded the leeway to both create and construct? We most certainly would not be living as we do, but what do we make here now? The lowering value placed on those that build and the separation from the creative process is what has reduced workers to drones, and made out-sourcing possible. In a process so repetitive that it can be fully automated, this process becomes a commodity to be awarded to the lowest bidder. The builder is shown little respect, nor feels pride in a job well done, and the entire process suffers.
The Craftsman also needs to be the Designer, Draftsman and creator. The separation of the Craftsman from the design, project goal and responsibility needs to be reversed. In today’s society specialization seems to be rampant. The Designer doesn’t draft plans. The Draftsman doesn’t create or build. The builder doesn’t design or draft.
I believe that the Craftsman should be the clearing house for all of these activities. No one understands the effects of the design better than the Craftsman. No one can be better suited to interpreting the design, creation process and the fabrication limitations than the Craftsman. And finally, the Craftsman that is in control of the creation process puts more than his hands into the project. He puts his heart into it.
“A man who works with his hands is a laborer; a man who works with his hands and his brain is a craftsman; but a man who works with his hands and his brain and his heart is an artist.”
-Louis Nizer, lawyer (1902-1994)
These disconnects in the creative process are one of the reasons I broke out on my own path some thirty years ago. Designers that have no idea of how to build, builders that never met the Designer or the property Owner, builders that are so specialized in their own particular trade that they have no regard for, or understanding of the other trades, were, and I am sorry to say, still the norm today. Little has changed in the last three decades, in fact it may be even worse than ever.
When the creative process is broken like this, the loss of craft is the result. The builder becomes just a cog, performing the same task day in and day out. The Designer does not understand the building process and materials. The property Owner never meets, nor cares for the people that build their home. The builders say things like “it’s good enough for who it’s for” or “looks good from my house”. No one is accountable for their own work, or is appreciated if they do a great job.
This is also part of what causes the adversarial relationship between the Designer, Owner and builder. The Designer & the Owner do not trust the builder as “they only want to do as little as possible to save money”. The builder distrusts the Owner as “they do not want to pay for quality work, and they probably will not pay me anyway”. The Designer does not trust the builder to create his work of art, nor does he trust the builder to understand how materials interact. Part of this equation is the “competitive bid” process, where price is the only consideration, but that is a rant for a different day… I say that the answer to this is the Craftsman.
Today someone that slides two halves of a modular home together is called a carpenter. A Timber Framer feeds a timber into a CNC robotic machine and then only assembles a collection of joints, not a home. I ask; “What about the craft?”
Has this person taken the time to learn and understand where the trade came from? What about the creative design process? Draftsmanship? Have they studied materials and methods that make up the whole? Are they fully versed in Code and Life-Safety issues? Have they invested the time in fully learning their craft? I say that without these disciplines, they might only ever be a carpenter, not a Craftsman.
The loss of craft is very disappointing to me. What forces are in play? Lack of education? Market forces? Lack of interest? The Craftsman being blocked from the creation process by legislative rulings? All of these factors are contributing to turning the creation of your home into little blocks, commodities, where the creation process is divorced from the actual building process. The only way to bring back the Craftsman is to reverse these trends. This is why we call ourselves “Housewrights” at Timberworks Housewrights.
To be a Housewright one needs to be acquainted with the entire creative process. From the initial conversation with the property Owner, to handing off the key to the front door, the Housewright can do it all. More than just skills though, the Housewright sees the entire project. They are vested in the project from day one and take every opportunity to improve the end result, while weighing everything; aesthetics, proportion, costs (Yes! Costs…) how materials interact or interface, fit and finish. Their name is on this project.
There is one big difference between being a builder and being a Craftsman. It’s called pride. We see our creations come to life, not just in our eyes, but in our Clients eyes.
Long live the Craftsman!
Starting the design process
The road to deciding on your Timber Frame design and floor plan can be daunting. There are so many aspects to consider: design style, life patterns & “traffic” flow, aesthetics, structural requirements and engineering, Building Codes, sustainability…the process can be very confusing.
That said, I would like to dispel some myths and misconceptions about the design process. Nothing makes my heart sink so fast as when prospective Clients come to me with completed Construction Documents, a design that obviously is beyond their budget or needs, or a design that is wasteful of our dwindling old-growth timber or energy resources.
“I need to ‘choose’ a design from a plan book, engage an architect to develop the design, or struggle through to try and draft my own design”
No, no and NO!
-Although I may be putting together some “starter” home designs for my Clients, to save them some design costs, for the past thirty years I have been opposed to plan books for many reasons. These may be helpful to use to get started but I have never seen one instance where substantial customization of the design is not needed to fit YOU and YOUR lifestyle. Any change made to a “stock” design requires additional drafting and design, plus the requisite structural engineering. Why not just start with what you want and develop the full design with your designer?
-This will be a very broad generalization, but here we go…Architects are artists. Like any artist they want to make a statement. Over the past thirty years I have seen some fantastic designs from architects, however, there have been perhaps one or two instances where the architect understands structure, mechanical systems and, in particular, Timber Framing and Structural Insulated Panels (SIP’s)!
-Drafting your own design, if you have the skills and knowledge, can be very rewarding. Integrating a Timber Frame and SIP’s, not so easy.
What to do? Talk to me early and often! Are you looking at a plan from a magazine? Get it to me so that I can evaluate whether it is readily adaptable to Timber Frame, and within your budget. Already working with an architect or designer, or are you considering doing so? Open up a three-way conversation between myself, you and the designer. We can offer input that can save thousands of dollars while enhancing the design. Have you been running through graph paper for three years working on your dream home design? Talk to me! We can handle the structural considerations and help smooth the road.
“I need a complete design to price my project”
“I only have a floor plan, can you quote my project?”
Both of these are wrong. Yes, complete Construction Documents (plans, elevations, schedules, specifications, design data, mechanicals…) are required to fully quote a project. For Estimates, sometimes a plan from a magazine is enough, sometimes the back of a napkin will do, but in most cases a schematic design is all that is required to prepare an estimate. Timberworks will never “quote” a project based solely on such limited information.
There are two processes at work here.
-An Estimate is just that, an estimate. This is based on the information we have at this time and can, and will change, as more information is provided. An estimate can be helpful to develop a budget or investigate financing. Over the years I have seen many misleading “Estimates” in the trades. Design, Drafting & Engineering? Oh, that’s not included. Loading and shipment to your project site? Oh, that’s not included. The full costs to stand and enclose your frame, including crane, lodging and per diem? Oh, that’s not included. You want the electric run and the window and door openings prepared in the SIP’s? Oh, that’s not included. These practices turn my stomach. I will always provide real-world estimates for the entire scope of work based on my experience and your design.
-A Quote, that’s a different animal. Beware of anyone offering you a “quote” based on sketches or a schematic design. What is this based on and with what specifications? I will only provide quotations on complete Construction Documents so that we all fully understand the Timber Frame design, the level of finish and ALL materials to be used. Custom construction and, in particular Timber Framing, can not, should not and, at Timberworks, will never be priced as a commodity (I.E.: a bushel of wheat is a bushel of wheat). Quality construction is not equal to any system based on simple quantities of anything…2×4′s, square feet of living space, or design style. Compare vinyl siding to vertical grain all-heart redwood. Compare wide plank wood floors to what you can pick up on clearance at the close-out center. Compare hollow vinyl windows to high-performance energy efficient windows with a wood interior and aluminum clad exterior. Now, which were used to arrive at your “quote”? Going by square foot “rule-of-thumb” or other canned unit measures will result in multiple Change Orders, “extras” and an adversarial relationship on your project.
“I do not plan to build for another year, so I will wait to start the design”
Please, as long as you have your property and have selected a building site, begin immediately on the design process. Without a piece of property…that’s a different discussion.
A good design will not go bad. Never underestimate the time investment required to develop full Construction Documents, both your’s and the designer’s. Many smaller shops (like Timberworks!) will not have a staff member working full-time as a designer/draftsman. More likely that designer will need to split time between production, on-site work and drafting. There can also be lag time for you to review proof copies and to have conferences and meetings with the designer to get your ideas translated onto paper.
So often I get that phone call…”We spoke last year and are ready to go. My architect has the drawings ready (see above) and we will be breaking ground next month…” Oh no, panic mode kicks in. What design? What Timber Frame design? Engineering review and approval? What grade and species of timber? What about the lead time even before the timbers reach our shop door? Then, production time, shipping, the standing crew…Arrrggg!
A quality hand-crafted Timber Frame takes planning. Talk to me early!
“We saw this design in a magazine and want something like this”
OK. Let me set the stage… Young couple, married last year, perhaps considering their first home, no children, a nice piece of land and are working to pay that off.
Now they place in front of me a page from a Timber Frame magazine with 3-4,000 square feet of living space, impressive vaulted ceilings, multiple bedrooms and baths, stone veneers, marble counters, fine hardwood finishes…spectacular!
Mitch: “Have you considered your project budget?”
Clients: “We are shooting for the $200-$250k range. We are in the process of getting pre-qualified though and we may be able to go up to $300k but we would like to aim for the lower target”.
Mitch: “Well, don’t kill the messenger, but a Timber Frame home like this will probably start in the three-quarters-of-a-million dollar range”.
Clients: <stunned silence>“But, we never knew it could cost so much…it’s there in the magazine…they never mentioned it costing so much…”
Here lies the problem with these publications and those DIY shows. The builders want to showcase their best works, not their everyday projects. Costs? That’s never, or rarely mentioned. Sure these are wonderful to see, but articles like this offer unrealistic expectations in clients. They heard from their Uncle Joe that his home in a new development, close to work only cost $130 per square foot and extrapolated that number into their dream of 5 acres in the country with the 1/4 mile drive and great views. They forgot that the home design they are looking at encloses 4,500 square feet of space because they are only finishing 3,000 square feet now. They completely ignored the three car garage (so the hubby can have his shop), the wrap-around deck (with synthetic decking, of course) and the outdoor fireplace (backed up to the two interior fireplaces).
Now, let’s consider a more realistic approach, not only from a budget standpoint, but also from an environmental one.
Mitch: “What are your requirements, not ‘wants’, for your new home?”
“Is there a particular style of design that appeals to you, or you wish to pursue?”
“Is there, or do you plan to have any additions to your family?”
“Have you considered the level of finish you would like?”
“Tell me about your daily routines, how you live in your home, your hobbies…”
“Will you consider placing exposed timbers in only the primary living spaces and using hybrid construction in other areas?”
“Do you have a collection of clippings or ads of products and designs that you like?”
“Is there a particular grade and species of timber that appeals to you?”
Based on your responses, I can begin to formulate a design direction, schematic layout and a possible course of action. We can work together to make the home space adaptable to changing family dynamics. We can also work together to make the home low-impact on the environment and cost effective to own and operate. Doesn’t this all sound better than a collection of sheet-rock boxes from some magazine?
My best advice, begin the journey down the road to your design early, contact me early and stay in touch, make Timberworks part of your design “team” and consider your budget always, and how your decisions impact timber resources and life-costs for the structure. I think if you follow this advice, you will be calling me soon!
Green?
On “Green” Building
There is today a main streaming of an idea called “green” building. The move is toward “sustainable” materials and resource and energy efficiency. We all, Designers, Constructors and building Owners, need to look at environmental considerations, resource usage, development impact, efficient design, thoughtful materials that perform well, indoor environment quality, costs to maintain a structure and finally, what the structure and how our use of it impacts the environment, our world. You seem unable today to hear a newscast or pick up a magazine without seeing and hearing the buzz words…I would like to look at some of this here.
First, Why build “green”? Simple. Our world and our environment are changing. Our resources are dwindling and man, since the beginning of our time, has made a profound impact on our world and the ecosystem. The population is ever growing, and this population needs living and work spaces. We can not help but impact the world as we build our lives. The goal here is to limit that impact, to the extent that each of can do.
Building Site Design, Preparation & Development
Thoughtful site design and development can help to reduce the structure’s impact and improve energy efficiency. By proper siting of a structure and integrating it into the site, rather than the other way around, we can save trees, handle on-site water better and use passive heating and cooling to lower the life cost of the structure. Besides, it looks better, too! There is visual pollution to be considered as well!
Resource Efficiency
Looking at resource efficiency, in a nutshell, is considering the resources required to fabricate the structure and weighing the overall life cost and world impact of the decision to use one material or resource over another. This process needs to be continuous, from the sketch pad through to the occupancy, and perhaps beyond.
In the context of Timber Framing; we can compare using engineered wood joists for an un-exposed first floor deck, to using Select Old Growth Douglas Fir. Engineered joists can utilize fast growing, low quality “scrap” trees, as well as wood mill scrap. Select Old Growth Douglas Fir require dense mature forest stands to grow, a process not likely to continue based on current forestry techniques and usage. Which makes the most sense to use in secondary or un-exposed areas?
Other natural resources need to be looked at, as well, to clearly see the home’s overall impact on the environment. Water use and control of groundwater resources, heating and cooling fuel, cooking fuel, lighting and ventilation.
Project site waste also needs to be considered. What materials will be unusable and end up in a landfill? What can be recycled? What can be used as a secondary material elsewhere? Selecting materials and processes that lessen the waste product at the end of construction means two things, that the design and material selection was planned properly, and that unnecessary waste was not generated.
Looking at the material choices and selecting the appropriate use can get a little sticky. Although an I-Joist can be manufactured from low quality wood products, which can be very renewable, but what if the manufacturing process uses gross amounts of energy, or they are made from a species that only grows three thousand miles from your home site? All the factors need to be considered from harvest, transportation, manufacture, installation, longevity and maintenance.
This is how we need to evaluate the life cost of a building. This “cradle-to-grave” approach goes one step beyond the typical life cost analysis, by also considering the reuse of materials, and the cost to do so. Will the materials stand the test of time by being reusable through de-construction, product reuse and recycling, or will disposal be required? And, at what cost for each option?
Some green programs look a very wide impact categories: acid rain, ecological toxicity, eutrophication (fertilizer/nutrient runoff or pollution), global warming, human toxicity, indoor air quality, ozone depletion, resource depletion, smog, and solid waste. One may need to be a research scientist to grasp this concept. Other programs look only at the key elements of indoor air quality, sustainable resource use, water saving, waste reduction and carbon dioxide reduction. Unfortunately, at this time there is a lack of data on much of this, but we can look at some real life experiences. Designers, builders & building owners all need to evaluate sustainable methods & materials to the best of their ability and try to grasp the “big picture”.
Once again, back at the world of Timber Framing, let’s look at salvage timbers. We have the pros; no new timber cut, superior material (often, Select Dense Old Growth), utilizing “waste” materials, minimal transportation (if local). On the con side though; many of these materials are priced out of reach of mainstream building owners, these timbers may contain metal and “previous life evidence” in the form of holes, mortises or insect damage, salvage timber is more difficult to work with and the timbers may have been treated with unknown or toxic chemicals. Should these materials be reclaimed? Can they be reclaimed? Absolutely, however this decision needs to be arrived at by saying that they need to be reclaimed appropriately.
What I mean here is that, a large timber is more reclaimable than an 8′ 2×4. But, will the added cost and time expenditure required of the building owner, force them to cut back on other resource saving measures, or, would this additional expense cost elsewhere, in the form of short lived materials or energy use? Of course, appropriate reuse begins with the proper selection of materials and processes in the first place! The example given here is only one instance, now, if you can imagine the quandary of evaluating every decision to build your project. This is where the thoughtful process is required.
Energy Efficiency
Here we not only need to look at the hard costs of heating, cooling and maintaining a home, but also the effect of material harvest, transportation, manufacturing and construction. Although the lifetime energy cost of operating a home far outweigh the energy cost of manufacture and construct it, the scale of the housing industry makes the numbers significant enough that they should be considered.
Energy efficiency needs to be a large part of any “green” building approach. However, as fuel costs become more unstable this is more pressing than ever. I have long proposed that increased insulation values, tight air infiltration rates, efficient HVAC equipment (direct vented ), well suited and well placed windows & doors, and proper detailing of closure systems and vapor retarders will create a high performance, energy efficient structure that will cost less to operate and more comfortable to live in.
The best investment a building owner can make is to tighten up the structure. Well now, you say that the building is too tight…we need to install a Heat/Energy Recovery Ventilator (HRV/ERV) to exhaust moisture and bring in fresh air…and all of this is true. However, step back and look at the big picture. In conventional construction we have low insulating values, high infiltration rates, and high energy bills. We also have dried skin and sinuses from the excessive heat pumped around to meet the comfort levels required. So we introduce humidifiers, which accentuate other problems by causing vapor drive and condensation in the building envelope, leading to mold and rot. Hmmm…Now let’s look at a tight envelope. High insulation values, low infiltration rates, low energy bills. We have a balanced ERV system to remove excess moisture and enough fresh air to keep everyone healthy. We end up with lower costs, less world impact and a healthier interior living environment…sounds pretty good!
Indoor Air Quality
Indoor air quality (IAQ) goes beyond just installing and maintaining a ventilation system. We need to go back to the material choices again. We need to evaluate each building material individually for use of resources, transportation and installation techniques. I stress that more needs to be done to insure the health of you, your family and your home. Some of the most innocuous products can contain emitting gasses and be phenomenally deadly. Underlay materials, carpeting, cabinets…all the way to finish coatings can all out-gas chemicals that do not belong in your lungs.
The other part of the indoor air issue is moisture. Moisture in any form (vapor, liquid or ice) is the bane of your home. In the wrong place, at the wrong time and in the wrong concentrations will lead to some really nasty situations for the structure. This moisture effects you as well. The humidity level in your living space is instrumental in your comfort level. It effects how you sense temperature and the dryness of your skin and sinuses. Combine the two, the effect on your home and on you, and you can end up with hazardous situations – mold, mildew & insects. None of which is good for you or your home!
Also present in the air quality issue are many common structure concerns. Groundwater & wind driven moisture problems can be alleviated by good building practices. The same measures that are taken for drainage and groundwater considerations can easily be augmented with soil-gas control measures to handle radon and moisture infiltration into the living spaces. Keeping the moisture in control makes it easy to control mold & pests. As you can see each and every one of these stepping stones builds onto the entire system, and contribute to the indoor air quality. This is the type of system I advocate for at Timberworks and what needs to be introduced to the building industry.
Marketing Hype
Many companies are jumping on the bandwagon, and producing ad campaigns about how “green” they are. Many of these marketing ploys take the approach that any material, product, practice, process or technique that has reduced environmental or health impacts, as compared to common practice, is “green”. I propose that we need to look deeper. We need an overall view, that we do not only need to exceed the norm, but excel in this area. Of course, any improvement is better than none, but with the tools now at hand we can, and should, be providing homes that require very little, or no, use of finite energy resources. Even better will be homes that produce more energy than they use!
Looking back over the last three decades, Timberworks Housewrights has been “green” from the beginning. My company was formed on what now have become the standard bearers of the “green” movement; sustainable material production & use, high efficiency insulation & systems, healthy indoor air quality, smart water use, reduced waste & lower carbon dioxide production. I guess “we was green before green was cool!”.
Now we need to move forward even more. Timberworks is looking at the next steps…we intend to focus on more ways to limit or energy use, design & build even more efficient homes and branch out into more use of renewable energy incorporating wind power and solar hot water systems. Most all of our projects in the past have included at least some passive solar, but we will be stepping up on this considerably.
What I find rather humorous is all the hype and marketing, without substance. Recently, in one of the many trade magazines I browse, there was a log home producer stating that they are building green by “locking up at the carbon contained in the logs…”. Marketing genius! I kicked myself that I did not think of that campaign!
I’m sorry, all kidding aside, this is the kind of hype I am seeing. Claims like this are totally without substance or merit, except as selling tools. These johnny-come-lately’s are only touting green principles because of all the buzzwords and hype everywhere you look today. We need to distill all this background noise and get to the real matter. I hope that the market is really awake to the fact that we really need to change our methods, materials and life styles, and that this whole “green” thing is not just another fad. Timberworks is committed to these principles. We always have been, and always will be.
Welcome!
Welcome to my blog! I’m new at this, so bear with me…
The reasons that compelled me to begin these entries are twofold. On one hand, I want to be able to separate my personal rambling’s (rants?) from the Timberworks Housewrights web site. On the other hand, I want to be able to engage in open discussions with my friends, colleagues and clients about the things that matter to me and themselves.
That said, there really is no way for me to separate myself from Timberworks Housewrights. I am the Owner and Operator of Timberworks and that will not change. It is me, I am it and we are all together. So, most of my discussions here will center on parts of my business. Yes, what I say on here reflect my commercial concerns. My hope is that this media will allow me to delve more into my personal reasoning and thought about each topic, as well as receive feedback from you.
Finally, a disclaimer. If anything I have said here, am about to say, or will say in the future offends you or your sensibilities, I apologize now. The written word, especially when practiced by an amateur like myself, is very easily misunderstood or misconstrued. Particularly when you throw someone in the mix, like me, with what some might classify as a profoundly warped sense of humor. Nothing I will ever write here is in any way meant to be hurtful or insulting. I am truly looking forward to our “conversations”.
All the best,
Mitch
