Our Approach
Honesty to our craft requires us to spend extra time finding the right timbers, creating authentic designs, and cutting the cleanest joints for your project. Whatever your aesthetic tastes. Whatever your structural demands. Whatever your project's scope. No shortcuts. Our craft demands it.
Honesty with our clients requires that our relationship with you is candid and sincere. We price your project using a standard formula, not your zip code. We sign a contract with you that clearly describes roles and responsibilities. We carry complete contractors insurance and workers compensation insurance for your protection. This honest relationship ensures that our energy is spent making positive progress towards what really matters - your timber frame.
Design Steps
For some, great art just happens. For the rest of us, art is a careful collaboration between site and environment, contractor and client, vision and budget. Through the years, we have developed the following approach to ensure that your vision and our experience will create a work of art.
1. Vision
We want to understand your vision. Where is the site? When do you want to build? How big is your project? What style? Budget? This is our opportunity to ensure we can meet your needs.
Once we understand your vision, we can explore your project in more detail, provide a rough cost estimate, and decide what needs to be done before taking the next steps together.
You can start this process today. Call us, or fill in this form.
2. Design
Next, we translate your vision into inches, joints, and timbers. Choosing one of our semi-custom frames or timber components saves time and money because this work has already been completed. For custom projects, we work with either your architect/builder or directly with you to capture your vision and place it on paper.
The design process has two steps:
1. Working Drawings capture your vision and place it on paper. This includes meetings between client and contractor and site evaluation. We discuss budget, time frame, and scope. With this information, we create draft floor plans, elevations, and cross sections that help you "see" a virtual rendition of your vision.
Upon completion, you will have detailed copies of the working drawings as well as a detailed quote. From start to finish, this process typically takes four to six weeks. Our design fee for working drawings is approximately $800 for each 1,000 square feet of living space (to be determined by project).
2.Construction Drawings turn your vision into detailed joinery plans. These include final floor plans, building elevations; foundation and deck plans; joinery details, and cross-sections. If you sign a contract with Maine Post & Beam to build your timber frame, these design fees will be waived. Our design fee for construction drawings is approximately $2,100 for each 1,000 square feet of living space (to be determined by project).
3. Contract
We sign contracts with all clients. This contract is more than a legal document - it ensures that each party understands their role and responsibilities. This contract also details a payment schedule (to be determined by project):
- 10% deposit with contract (reserves time in our schedule)
- 40% upon timber order (four to eight weeks before joinery)
- 20% when joinery is half-complete
- 20% when joinery is complete
- 10% when frame is delivered, raised, and you are satisfied
Maine Post & Beam carries complete contractors insurance and workers compensation insurance. Copies of both policies are available upon request.
Building Steps
It is time to set chisel to wood. Some clients want only the timber frame. Some clients want a weather tight shell (foundation, walls, roof, windows, siding, and trim). Some want a "turn key" home. How many of the following steps we work on depends on your needs.
1. Design
Can be completed by our experienced designers (see above) or provided by your architect/builder. Quality design work requires six to eight weeks for a typical project.
2. Order Timber
Requires four to eight weeks, but varies widely depending on the type of timber required. Reclaimed, kiln-dried, and exotic species can take significantly longer.
3.Joinery
Timbers are in our shop and ready to be joined. A typical project requires six to eight weeks for joinery.
4. Site Preparation
Can be done by you, your contractor, or Maine Post & Beam. The site will be ready as soon as the joinery is complete.
5. Raise Frame
Maine Post & Beam will raise the frame on site. A typical project will be raised in two to four days.
6. Weather Tight
Can be done by you, your contractor, or Maine Post & Beam. We use Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) to enclose your timber frame within a high-efficiency envelope. A typical project takes three to five days.
7. Finish
Can be done by you, your contractor, or Maine Post & Beam. Includes installing systems (heat, electricity, plumbing, etc) and finish work (floors, cabinets, trim, etc).
Many thanks to Maine Post & Beam for a job well done. We're so delighted with the final product of your work; it truly exceeded our expectations. We not only appreciate the excellent design and creativity in solving some complex issues, but the overall attention to detail - from sourcing our beautiful fir timbers to the thoughtful, precise execution, each step was done with excellent quality and craftsmanship, customized to our specific needs and wishes. We love to show off your work, so feel free to send anyone over. Thanks again.
Lex & Cathy Holley, Freeport Maine