Hawk Circle Wilderness Education

The Hawk Circle Traditional Timberframe
Cabins, Barns or Small Houses, handmade by Hawk Circle Staff and Students with sustainable local lumber and heirloom tools

Learn about our Earth Skills Apprenticeships and Sustainable Leadership Experiences at Hawk Circle.

The strength and beauty of natural wood beams (or 'timbers') makes this frame different from most storage sheds or stick frame buildings. We use beams cut from logs of white pine, eastern hemlock or tamarack, all harvested sustainably from local forests right in our own region. We cut the frame using heirloom chisels, saws and slicks, using square rule timberframing methods of mortise and tenon building. Held together with hardwood pegs of white ash, oak, beech or maple, this frame will last for generations.

Your choice of frame starts with the floorplan dimensions:

10 by 12 feet

12 by 12 feet

12 by 14 feet

(or call for a custom size)

If you would like a cabin frame built, the first step is to determine your size. We can adjust the height of the interior, according to door size, as well as overall interior need. You can have a frame with posts high enough to create a second floor or a sleeping or storage loft.

We adjust the length of the rafter overhang, or eaves, depending on whether you would like to use natural building such as straw bale or cob construction, for protection or personal taste.

Once the dimensions are established, we will cut the frame and store it until the 'Raising'. We will gather our group of students and crafters, and encourage you to invite any of your community members or family who would like to take part in raising the frame. This takes approximately one day, if the sills and floor are already assembled.

The cabin frame includes sills, posts, braces, pegs, ties, plates and rafters, as well as bracing to hold everything in place until it is pegged and secure. We also include girts, which are placed to assist in the enclosure and support the door frame and window frames. Our package does not include the roof, but we will bring eight inch boards and roofing paper, to cover your shelter until you put the finished roof on, to protect your frame for the cost of materials. If you want us to put the finished roof on, we can arrange that as one of the options. We can also provide the enclosure if desired. (See Options below!)

The floor can be built in a few different ways, depending on how the exterior sheathing is planned. Typically, we install floor joists using pressure treated boards with a 3/4 inch plywood subfloor. This floor can be insulated or uninsulated, depending on how the cabin is going to be used. We will add the cost of the floor materials to the overall cabin frame cost, and install it without additional labor cost, because it helps us to have a safe raising surface when putting the frame together.

The height of the posts and ties can vary according to taste and need. The height from floor to rafter inside is 13 feet, providing space for storage, a small loft for sleeping or open for a cathedral feeling.

This cabin is perfect for building in rural areas, and can be built on a stone foundation, a poured cement column base or hand dug rock base under each corner. It can be enclosed with straw bale and earthen plasters, or cob (clay, straw, soil and sand mixture) or cordwood masonry infill. You can also use board and batten, or more traditional enclosures.

Cost:

Call for estimate/price to discuss your project: 607-264-3910

The cost of most frames depends on the wood, the height and the square foot size of the frame. Wood prices vary depending on when you buy it, how much you buy and the type of wood you buy, (Oak vs. Pine vs. Hemlock, etc.)

Most frames are a pproximately $25-55 per square foot. Knowing that cost is usually a factor in your building decisions, we will make every effort to keep your frame costs as reasonable and affordable as possible.

Download an Order Form

Most frames include 4 sills (base), 4 posts (upright beams), 2 ties (horizontal beams), 2 plates (horizontal beams that hold rafters), 8 corner braces, 4 girts (smaller beams that provide support for doors or windows, 12 or 14 rafters (14 for the 12 x 14 foot cabin), approximately 48 hardwood pegs and window/door frame wood. We will install a subfloor to assist in the ease of raising the frame for the additional cost of the materials.

We will deliver, unload and raise the cabin frame with our team, and no additional help is necessary. However, we also encourage your community and family to be present and help if desired. We can also teach some basic timberframing techniques and let you and your family assist in the cutting of the frame if you are available for a visit during the cutting process.

Please note that delivery in a two hundred mile distance is included, but we will keep any additional cost as low as possible to make it affordable and cost effective. We typically rent a U-Haul type truck, load all the wood and pegs, etc in the truck and deliver the frame first, and then return the truck and do the floor assembly and raising a few days later.

Options

(Available for an additonal fee):

Traditional beam floor joists

Board and Batten enclosure

8 x 12 foot Porch Deck with railing

Roof for Porch Deck

Foundation preparation

Roof Installation (Cedar Shingles, Metal, Asphalt Shingles)

Attached Wood, trash or storage shed

Interior stone/mortar base for woodstove

Insulated floor

Insulated interior