June 09, 2021

Luxury Dovetail Hybrid Timber Frame Home: A Project Spotlight & How Caribou Creek Solved A Problem that Saved The Customer Money During The Lumber Shortage

7 minutes

Read the blog to see pictures: https://cariboucreek.com/hybrid-dovetail-timber-frame/

Not long ago, a couple stopped in, curious about what Caribou Creek offers. Their dream was about elegance, being closer to family, and building a forever home in a beautiful place they loved as they transition into retirement.

Overlooking a beautiful nearby lake, the couple had chosen the perfect place to build and they were ready to begin designing the home they had been imagining.

Our draftsman Stuart, worked with the clients to create a floor plan and log home design that met their wishes and customizations.

The clients were ready to treat themselves with the amenities and luxuries that fueled their dreams. What resulted is a gorgeous custom home design that was finished in the first quarter of 2021.

The focal point of the home is an impressive 23 foot tall entry with a huge arched truss supported by two pillars. Each pillar is constructed with four tall posts. Looking at the renderings it’s evident walking up to this home will inspire a feeling of awe.

Inside the 7 foot front door is a hundred square foot foyer with an open ceiling two stories high. Past the foyer, is a catwalk which joins the two upstair wings. The expansive 400 square foot great room opens up just pass the foyer accented with matching trusses for that jaw drop effect.

The basement is complete with a guest bedroom, full kitchen and a bathroom. An open living room adds plenty of space for entertaining guests and family. The 13′ by 7′ wine room completes the basement adding its sophisticated flare.

The upper story holds space for a spacious guest bedroom and bathroom as well as a large home office room allowing for the couple to continue working from home as they ease into retirement.

From top to bottom this home is filled with elegant luxuries including the massive walk in closet with a window to capture the picturesque views.

Initially, this home was designed to be a complete dovetail log home package. However, after the initial building estimation came in slightly over the clients intended budget, Caribou Creek value engineered the design to fit within the budget without compromising the size or amenities the home offered.

As a result the home became a classy hybrid of dovetail log walls throughout the center of the home and wings designed with traditional framing methods. Handcrafted specialty timbers will lace throughout the framed portion of the home to maintain the rustic charm.

After the design was approved and construction contract signed, Caribou Creek began the process of ordering material. We reached out to our normal timber suppliers and were told they were too backed up with orders to fill our needs. Our log acquisitions manager continued sourcing timbers only to discover prices had drastically increased.

Using Douglas fir timbers from available sources would have increased the price by approximately $40,000 due to the sudden influx of lumber prices across the US. The management team at Caribou was aware that the budget was very close to the clients threshold and an increase that large would be a significant impact on them.

The Caribou Creek team put their heads together to come up with a solution that would satisfy the clients budget and design choice. Although timber prices coming from mills had skyrocketed, our log prices had not fluctuated very much and supply was still meeting demand. After explaining the situation to the client, Jenna Magee, the log consultant managing the project, explained the solution the team had discussed.

Dovetail cants crafted from round logs, rather than full square timbers, would give the client the look they wanted without costing them the exorbitant extra the market prices were demanding.

A ‘cant’ is when a round log is sawed on two sides creating two flat sides and two curved sides. The log package is constructed in the traditional chink-style method. The primary difference is that the extensions of the logs are crafted into four flat sides. After chining is installed, the rounded edges of the cants will not be visible and the home will appear to be full dovetail. The only consolation is that the chink lines will have a more variated line giving it a more rustic appearance.

This project is slated to begin in August and be delivered in the fall of 2021. Site prep has begun while the logs have been cut and placed in the kilns to dry. The employees of Caribou Creek are excited to see this project get underway. Despite the hiccups in the process it brings us great joy to help our clients experience a dream home that gives them years of pleasure.

Although Caribou Creek is designing the entire home, we are only crafting the log and timber portion. The client has hired a General Contractor to finish out the project.

By making the changes we did we scaled back the log portion of the project considerably because helping our clients achieve their dream without having to compromise important design elements or overall square footage is the most important part of what we do. If you would like to discuss your project or idea with one of our log consultants don’t hesitate to call. 800-619-1156. This is our passion and our joy is helping people realize their dream.

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By Caribou Creek Log Homes

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