Back in 2003, we worked on a spectacular
beachfront timber frame home in South Carolina. Ed and Lexy, the homeowners, spent years researching how they were going to build their new home. In the late 1980's, their beachfront home was destroyed by
Hurricane Hugo and they wanted to find a construction method that would make their home resistant to hurricanes. The couple came to the harsh reality that there is no construction method that is completely hurricane proof. However, it is possible to minimize how much a hurricane can impact a house said their engineer Ken.
According to Ken, there were only two ways to build a home with an open floor plan that could withstand a category 4 or 5 storm. He suggested to the homeowners to look into timber frame or steel. Ed and Lexy did not like the idea of steel, but loved the idea of a timber frame home. The couple decided to use Davis Frame Company to manufacturer the timber frame. Dense Select Structural Douglas fir timbers were used for the frame because this grade fir adds 30% in bending stress which allows the timber skeleton to resist the force of high winds. Traditional mortise and tenon joinery is typically used for
Davis timber frame homes, but we used reinforced metal joinery to increase storm resistance. We were able to design the home to hide the metal joinery so that it wouldn't distract from the beauty of the wood.
The homeowners were very happy with the outcome and are still enjoying their beachfront timber frame home in South Carolina. Waking up every day with the view of the beach is a dream come true.
Timber frame stairs lead to the loft that overlooks the main floor
The kitchen opens into the great room and dining area; this is a perfect entertaining space!
The master bedroom captures beautiful views of the sunrise and sunset. What a great place to wake up!
A view of the timber frame great room from the loft.
Rear view of this Oceanside timber frame home.
We have worked with several clients on their oceanfront timber frame homes to ensure they are built to be durable and use materials that stand up to hurricane force winds. Learn more about our
timber frame homes today by calling 1-800-636-0993 today!