Andrew and Kim Dobmeier came to us several years ago as a potential design client, but after heading in a different direction, came back to us for our timber frame services. I remember a meeting with me, Andrew, and Jonathan where Jonathan was asked for advice regarding the timber sizing and proportions, and he shared his timber framing experience making small adjustments that culminated with a much bigger impact in appropriate proportions.
As we worked through engineering, the client proposed something that we hadn’t yet tackled before, a railing. While this may seem simple, integrating it into the existing design, designing joinery that would keep it in place, as well as negotiating the raising sequencing proved to be a challenging task.
Shortly before the fabrication, we performed a 3D laser scan to better understand the site and as built conditions. Not only did we capture this data, but we also learned more about Andrew, Kim, their project, and the lives they hoped to live. Their home is “human-scaled”, not built with excess in mind, but with their needs prioritized without the fluff. In addition to supplying the timbers for the project, Andrew has been reclaiming wood for years as part of his career as the County Forester for Clackamas County, tirelessly milling the logs into flooring, paneling, and siding to be used to complete his project.
Adam Young, the project manager, joined Jorge Macias Ochoa from the shop, Christopher Renner from the studio, and I to raise the frame last week. This was an efficient raising, with one day of pre-assembly of the frame, one crane day, followed by one day of tongue and groove install, with the material supplied and finished by our sister company Pioneer Millworks.
We wish Andrew and Kim all the best with the rest of their construction process, with their three calves born the week of the raising, and their lives in the paradise of the Oregon Coast Range.
