Almost 400 people from all over New England, plus New York, New Jersey, and even as far away as Colorado and Canada, came to the third annual Open House at Great Country Timber Frames in Ellington, CT on January 20th.
There was excitement in the air at Great Country Timber Frames during their third annual Open House event on January 20th...excitement for the craft of timber framing. That’s because the crew at Great Country Timber Frames upped the ante at this year’s Open House with 7 stations set up throughout their manufacturing facility designed to educate & inspire visitors, including one station where visitors could assemble full-size timbers to form part of a frame just as a crew would during the raising of one of the company’s post & beam barns.
Highlights of the Open House included the design station, where visitors learned about the design process and what goes into a Carriage Barn timber frame design, seeing firsthand the company’s designers using 3D modeling software. The CNC machine in action was again a popular stop on the full tour. The way it shapes the timber frame joinery precisely and quickly always amazes. A 10" x 24" x 20' rough sawn Eastern White Pine beam was on display with timber framing tools of the trade, and an opportunity to guess how many board feet were in the huge timber. New this year was a timber frame raising station, where visitors assembled full size timbers to form part of a frame. The benefits of a CNC-made timber frame were especially apparent at this station, where the joinery fit together like a glove as a result of the precision manufacturing. Two videos were playing: one about the raising of a Carriage Barn timber frame kit, and another about the largest timber frame Great Country Timber Frames has raised to date.
The company’s flagship timber frame pavilion model, the Alpine, was on display, with a new feature: timber frame transom dormers. The pavilion was 16' x 16' and offered as a timber frame kit with special pricing for the Open House.
Posters featuring photos and information about recent projects were on display throughout the tour. Also on display were posters with interesting facts about the work Great Country Timber Frames does.
Timber Pucks, the company’s unique wood burning briquettes, made from compressed sawdust and wood remnants from the CNC machine, were available to purchase and take home. Newly redesigned catalogs & custom-made wooden coasters were also available.
“Special thanks to everyone who attended our Open House. We had visitors from all over New England, and some as far away as Canada and Colorado. We hope everyone found the event to be educational and interesting. Should you need more information or are ready to get started on your timber frame project, the best way to contact us is via our website or give us a call. Thanks again for making it our best Open House yet,” said Erik Koehler, Marketing Engineer for Great Country Timber Frames.
The company plans to host another Open House the third Saturday of January, 2019.
Great Country Timber Frames is The Barn Yard’s sister company and specializes in timber frame homes & commercial projects. All of The Barn Yard’s Carriage Barn and Saratoga Barn timbers are precisely made at Great Country Timber Frames.
Learn more about Great Country Timber Frames at www.gctimberframes.com