One Story House Vs. Two Story House: The Cost Difference

At Davis Timber Frame Company, we often receive the question, can a one story home be built for around the same cost as a two story house? The answer probably not, if you were to compare the cost to construct a one story home that has the same square feet as a two story home, the cost to construct the one story home would likely be more. Building up rather than out is much more cost effective because you will need half the foundation and excavating work and your roofing for a two story home will be half of what a one story home roof will be.

Below is an example of a 2,500 SF one story timber frame design compared to a 2,500 SF two story barn home design. We designed both homes and while they are both beautiful, the one story design cost significantly more to build than the two story barn home. The one story timber frame home also features a complex roof design, which increased the cost to build even more.

Custom one story timber frame home

Two story timber frame barn home

This post is not intended to deter you from building a one story home, but rather explain why a one story home may cost you more to build. If you are looking to get the most square footage with a lower cost per square foot, consider a two story design. If you decide that you do want a one story home and budget is a concern, it's important to keep your design simple (especially the roof) and also important to contain the square footage as compact as possible. The larger your footprint, the more it will cost in the foundation and roofing, two big construction budget items. 

Interested in learning more about our timber frame home packages? Call us today at 800-636-0993!

Barn Homes in All Different Styles

The infamous Davis Frame red barn home! 

Our client's red barn home pictured above is still one of our most requested homes that prospects are interested in. It's no wonder, it is simple yet charming and familiar with it's design mocking a traditional New England barn. We launched our Classic Barn Home series several years ago and we had no idea it would be as popular as it is. It was a natural fit with our timber frame homes. All of our barn style home plans use a simple principal purlin common rafter timber frame system, the same timber framing system often found in old barns. 

We've worked with many clients over the years who used the red barn shown above as inspiration for their own barn style home, check out some of our modified barn homes below:

This barn home is located in the heart of Oregon's Wine Country. The home looks over a private vineyard and has sweeping views of the rolling hills. A barn home was the perfect design for this countryside escape! 

Located in Columbia County, New York, our client built this barn home to enjoy the weekends in the country. This tranquil barn style home is the perfect place to escape from city life. 

Our clients in New Jersey used our barn home design to inspire their new timber frame home. This modified barn style home features an attached garage and farmers porch. The homeowners wanted a classic look and our barn model was perfect!

A red barn home pictured during the winter!

Who says a barn home has to be traditional and look identical to a barn? Our clients in Connecticut took our barn home design and created a barn style home that features a 3 bay garage on the main level as well as the open concept great room and kitchen. The second floor hosts the master suite and office. 

Interested in building a timber frame or barn home? Call us today at 800-636-0993! We would love to speak with you about your upcoming project. 

Happy Earth Day From Davis Timber Frame!

Today is Earth Day, a day to appreciate, celebrate and inspire awareness of how we can preserve the Earth and make our world a healthy and better place.

All of us at Davis Timber Frame believe that Earth Day should be celebrated every day and awareness should be brought to people's attention daily. If we all took little steps to live a more sustainable and environmentally friendly life, these little steps would lead to bigger things that would create a greater impact on the earth. 

Here are 10 easy ways you can start helping out the environment in a big way:

• Buy local food when possible from farmers and farmers markets
• Eat less meat!
• Use reusable containers for brown bag lunches
• Use reusable shopping bags
• Be conscious of lights, turn them off when you leave the room
• Unplug unnecessary electronics that don't often get used
• Install low flow faucets, shower heads and toilets
• Be water smart, flush less and decrease your shower time
• Recycle
• And of course, build a greener home (we can help, although this may be no small task)!

Interested in learning more about building a sustainable home? Check out a few of our past blog posts discussing the efficiency of a timber frame home. Not only will building a timber frame home save you on energy, but all of our wood comes from managed forests where new trees are always planted to replace what has been taken down! 

• Passive Solar Design and Timber Frame Homes
• Geothermal Heating
• How to Create a Healthy and Energy Efficient Home 

Interested in learning more about timber frame homes? Call us today at 800-636-0993, we would be happy to answer any questions you have!