Wild Rose Timber Framers

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Not Like the Others

Because of their scale of operation, shared values and philosophy of life, the Wild Rose craftsmen have carved out a unique niche for themselves in the larger timber frame industry. They realized just how unique they were in November 2006, when they attended the Timber Framers Guild of North America conference in Roanoke, Va. The majority of the other businesses represented at the conference are larger and follow a more traditional top-down business model rather than a small partnership of equals. Most timber framers operate out of huge, highly mechanized shops, and many cater to a high-end market in which “McMansions” are more the rule than the exception. In some ways, Kittleson points out, mechanization (and the debt usually associated with it) drives prices up rather than making machine-made frames cheaper.

Observing this aspect of the industry confirmed that Wild Rose provides an exceptionally high quality, truly handcrafted product at a reasonable price. Wild Rose has been able to accomplish this by remaining small, by tackling only one project at a time, by emphasizing skilled labor rather than expensive machines, and by discovering new ways to grow the business without increasing size or volume. While still more expensive to build per square foot than conventional “stick construction,” Wild Rose frames have attracted a more middle-class clientele than has become typical in the industry. Prices (for the timber frame only) vary depending on a number of factors, but range from $12 per square foot for a basic structure like a barn to $40 per square foot for more complex structures.

A visit to the Wild Rose shop quickly reveals the handcrafted nature of their work. The design process with past clients has varied from a rough sketch on a napkin to full blueprints nine years in the making. After the design has been completed, detailed measurements are made for every necessary piece of wood. Source wood is located, rough milled and delivered outside the shop. Piece by piece, every timber is cut, shaped, notched and finished to exact specifications using the saws, chisels, planes and other hand tools that line the shop walls. The frames are built with housed joints where one piece is notched or grooved to receive the other, such as mortise and tenon, and must be measured and fashioned perfectly to fit together like a giant puzzle, square and plumb, when erected on the building site. As the pieces fit together, they are held tight with bur oak pegs, pounded in with beautifully crafted wooden mallets the partners make themselves.

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