Harvest Timber Blog

Rustic Wood Siding & Trim with U.N.L.I.M.I.T.E.D Creativity and Possibilities

2011-12-15T17:39:00.000-08:00

Truly unlimited in potential... this is what we love about wood in general, but particularly our Weathered Wood brand lumber is limited only to the imagination. Above you see a picture where the designer combined three of our different colors into one application achieving even greater diversity in color. Many builders are finding the Weathered Wood lumber and siding (whether purchasing for exterior siding, soffit material, trim, or interior accents) is a fantastic option for people looking for the reclaimed look without the cost, waste and risk of buying old barn boards. Reclaimed lumber can be a great option and we proudly offer reclaimed barn wood siding and flooring for those who are in that market, but we're finding that the prefinished Weathered Wood fills a great niche for the person that looks sideways at paying more to use recycled wood.

On another project a designer in California asked their custom cabinet shop to utilize the Weathered Wood (our weathered barn style lumber) to create vanities, accent cabinets, mirror frames and sliding carriage doors as seen in the photo above and below. Like I said, the possibilities are endless. Consider how you might incorporate this amazing product into your next project. We'll share more photos here as some of our current projects finish up next Spring!

Rain-Screen is HOT

2010-02-16T12:12:00.000-08:00

Always looking for new trends in wood design!

Architect Michael Folwell of Boulder, CO used a rain screen process behind this clear Poplar siding to create dimension and modern appeal on his recently awarded 'Architect's Choice 2010' home Crescent Drive House.

http://www.folwellstudios.com/images/mfportfolio/crescent/crescent.html

He explained the process to me as having used an ice & water shield behind a 90lb construction felt and then fastening the boards to a C-channel to keep equal spacing. Not only does it look cool, it offers a breathable face for your walls and eliminates rot behind the siding due to sweating caused by temperature differences from wall temperature to exterior temperature. The more air tight we make our homes the more of a problem we see in sweating so it's worth considering "rain-screen" options for your next project.

Fine Home Building magazine published a great article detailing the benefits and method of installing rain-screen. I found the article posted online at www.greenhomebuilding.com/pdf/RainScreen.pdf

Social Media - We Can't Ignore YOU, Twit, Face

2010-02-16T11:07:00.000-08:00

I just attended a great Webinar put on by Blue Tangerine Solutions in conjunction with Group Two Advertising's president Mollie Elkman. Mollie spent a half hour sharing some of the most valuable information available on "How To" and "Why" any company but in particular home builders can no longer ignore social networking sites such as You Tube, Twitter and Facebook as a critical part of their marketing strategies. Some of the main points I jotted down were as follows:

You can only learn this by doing it. Don't be afraid, just jump in and give it your best.

Consider your Strategy and make a plan for how you're going to make a connection with people.

Think like your prospects and use their language.

Give them a voice. Don't worry about negative feedback. Instead look at it as an opportunity to improve your company.

Be creative about encouraging responses. Offer incentives. Encourage feedback. (i.e. contests, prizes, offers, etc.)

Let your web site be the core of your network. Including links to You Tube, Facebook and Twitter lets your customer know that your content is fresh and exciting.

The statistics are overwhelming. 400 million Facebook users. 432 years worth of You Tube video uploaded. 3 million tweets a day.

To listen to this and other great webinars for free go to www.bluetangerinesolutions.com/index.cfm?method=Webinar.WebinarHistory

Also, Mollie has a Blog called Modern Marketing at www.builderonline.com/blogs/postdetails.aspx?=blogid=melkmanblog&postid=91293

Corbel or Knee Brace (What-ya-may-call-its)

2009-05-12T08:54:00.000-07:00

I laugh just thinking about the mix of input we've received from builders, architects, timber framers and designers regarding the terminology for corbels, knee braces, brackets, or what-ya-may-call-its (deemed the most appropriate term for the product because everyone seems to call them something different). In January we sent out a survey to 1200 customers, specifically targeting the most qualified and diversified industry professionals we know in the US and Canada. Our question was, "Should the accent piece shown in the picture above (center) be called a:

Eave Brace?
Knee Brace?
Gable Brace?
Bracket?
Corbel?
Other?

Here was the outcome from 97 responses:

Are you laughing yet? So, what did we conclude? We realized that as a manufacturer of what we're calling an "Architectural Eave Brace", we need to first be aware that the name alone can be a source of failed communication. Second, we need to help educate the industry on the differences in architectural timber accents and hopefully begin to set the trend in product recognition.

Here are a few of the well stated comments sent back to us in response to our survey:

Tony Nasvik
Mark Anthony Homes

“The two pieces that form a right angle is a bracket with a corbel brace connection. The area that it is used is not what it is but where it is being installed. If you take the piece out of where you intend to use it, it stands alone as a corbelled bracket.”

Collin Beggs
Timber Frames by Collin Beggs, Inc.

“The Eave is on the longitudinal wall of the building, whereas your product is on the Gable (or transverse) end of the building, so it is not an "Eave" brace. I like architectural brace, because it separates it from actual Timber Frame work and puts it into the realm that it is: a bolted together non structural feature, which architects are known for.”

Jon S., CPBD

JWS Design, Inc.

“The detail and condition comes from timber frame practices and is incorporated into early Craftsman and Victorian (to name two) styles. The practice in these styles was to support overhangs with cantilevered roof support members so, the top component is/was the roof support beam and the component under it the “knee brace”. In modern construction practices, the use of trusses or other components to support the roof system rafters has meant that these knee braces are not necessary structural components and thus become part of the facade or decoration of styling of the structure but…it doesn’t change their origin or terminology.”

Art Paquet
Henderson Bay Construction, Inc.

“We have used Knee braces in applications other than gables, i.e. pergolas, planter boxes etc. According to Webster corbel would work. Knee is defined as piece of wood or timber bent for use in supporting structures coming together at an angle.
East of the Mississippi Corbel, West of the Mississippi Knee Brace.”

Matt Cason
Cason Construction & Development

“We call it a knee brace, but eave brace makes more sense.”

Tom Musco

Royalston Oak Custom Timber Frames

“I like gable bracket. I think your design is excellent.”

Don Sensenig
Oakridge Construction

“In my opinion, it’s simply a decorative bracket that can either function as an eave support or just a decoration.”

Other Names Offered (some were duplicates):
Overhang Bracket
Purlin & Strut
Craftsman Brace
Shed Brace
Kicker
Timber Kicker
Gable End Barge Rafter Bracket
Gable Bracket
Eave Bracket
Eave Corbel
Architectural Brace
Corbel Bracket
Timber Accent
Rake Bracket

So, WHAT-YA-MAY-CALL-IT is just fine with us. We feel the most appropriate term for the product is Knee Brace, but this creates a lot of confusion to a person unfamiliar with the industry so we've chosen Architectural Eave Brace as our "What-we-may-call-it."

Check out this model, designed for us by Jedd Pellerin, SOCIUS Architecture http://www.sociusdesign.com/

Weathered Wood Siding (Barn Wood Siding)

2009-05-05T14:41:00.000-07:00

Every bit as green as reclaimed, our Engleman Spruce-Lodgepole Pine material is harvested from the beetle kill forests of Colorado. The experts say that there is no possible way we can use all of this material before it deteriorates or creates catastrophic fires. 1.5 million acres of trees have now been destroyed. The best thing we can do is harvest and utilize the material as quickly as possible. If you live in Colorado, you even get a tax credit under the Colorado Blue Program for using the product on your project. The blue staining in the wood is completely invisible after finishing so there is no compromise in quality.

Harvest Timber Co. is now offering Weathered Wood Siding (Barn Wood Siding) as a prefinished alternative to reclaimed barn wood. We wire brush the material to age the surface and then use a two step finish to provide a unique grayed out look. Our Prairie color seems to be the color of choice for most, but we offer 6 different colors ranging from dull browns, grays and a classic barn red-grayed to perfection. Click here to see our colors.

Our weathered wood siding is being used in both interior and exterior applications. Pretty much any siding pattern and lumber size can be finished with this process so whether you're looking for timber siding, lap siding, trim, paneling, ceiling planks, posts and beams, or you name it... we can probably do it (siding patterns in 1x2 thru 1x12, 2x2 through 2x12 and squares from 3x4 through 12x12.

The finish is made by Olympic (PPG) and is currently holding up in our accelerated testing to 12 years of exterior weather with minimal fading so right now we're offering a 12 year finish warranty, but we're expecting this number to increase as the tests continue. These are low to zero VOC premium residential finishes that meet or exceed LEED and NAHB Green requirements.

Custom species are available: SPF, Cedar, Aspen, Fir.

Barn Wood is growing in popularity and Harvest Timber's Weathered Wood Siding is a cost effective way to achieve the look without compromising the ecological benefits. Costs should average less than half of the cost of reclaimed. They don't have to be denailed, sanded or finished on site so labor savings is another important consideration.

Why Blog?

2009-04-14T11:59:00.000-07:00

One of the biggest obstacles we face as a company is customer awareness. We often find ourselves almost giddy over the uniqueness of a new distressed floor, or an idea we have for an architectural knee brace, or progress we've made toward our new engineered reclaimed flooring line, or a specialty supplier we've found for clear, old growth cedar and we just don't know how to get the word out. Yes, we have a web site. Yes, we do monthly e-newsletters. Yes, we can email our database of customers. But, there's only so much you can communicate effectively through these tools without overwhelming the viewer. Harvest Timber Co. sells specialty wood products to dealers, builders and homeowners. To do this, we carefully build relationships and price levels that compliment each customer adding value in many ways with the goal of an enjoyable buying experience and ultimately an inspiring finished product. So, Why Blog?

1. To build a more personal level of consistent communication with you.

2. To increase search-ability on the Internet adding legitimacy to our online presence.

3. To quickly and easily inform customers of exciting updates.

4. To push ourselves into the technology driven world we live in. Web 2.0, here we come. (Oh, wait that's so last year.)

Tell us about your experiences. Are there things we can do to make this Blog more effective or useful? Check in on us from time to time. I promise to post lots of pictures and keep it interesting (if you're into wood anyway).