Timber And Stone

Timber and Stone Builders is a Design/Build Company that incorporates the natural elegance of 18th Century reclaimed lumber, beams, and logs to create one of a kind traditional, vintage and custom frame homes and structural restorations. Our team of skilled craftsmen, artists and tradesmen utilize mortise/tenon joinery; hand-hewn cutting and shaping, notching and masterful stonework to create the signature look of our projects.

Timber and Stone

With a love of all things timber & stone, I have travelled Asia & Fiji over many years in search of something a little different. I have been able to not only import beautiful unusual pieces for my own home but have been working closely with landscapers and interior designers in sourcing the right piece for their designs and displays.

Land that was deemed "unfit for farming" was sold to those who might want to "timber and stone" (logging and mining) upon the land. The act was used by speculators who were able to get great expanses declared "unfit for farming" allowing them to increase their land holdings at minimal expense.

In theory the purchaser was to make an affidavit that he was entering the land exclusively for his own use and that no association was to hold more than 160 acres (65 ha). In practice however, many wealthy companies and individuals seeking to access natural resources fraudulently circumvented the law by hiring individuals to purchase 160-acre (65 ha) lots that were then deeded to the company in direct violation of the law. In this way, more than 90 percent of the several million acres of timberland privatized under the Act in Washington, Oregon, Nevada and California were fraudulently compiled. Ultimately, said companies were able to obtain title up to 100,000 acres (400 km2).[1]

Timberstone is a unique company based in Deeside, Aberdeenshire, specialising in timber and related services. Owned and run by Iain Ballantyne, the company's main projects involve workwith wood, in the main sawmilling and production of timber related items from locally milled trees.

Iain has worked in the forest industry for over 35 years and over this time has collected a wealth of experience and knowledge of trees, woodland and timber. Initially focussed on a career in Forestry Management, an artistic flair for creating things from wood, naturally led him to setting up his own business.

Today Iain is always creating something new out of wood, from ideas and designs of his own, or from things that he sees or is asked to create. Very little is wasted, even offcuts are crafted into items such as his popular timber characters the reindeer, moose, dog or owl. It is only as a last resort, when nothing can be created from a piece of timber, that it reaches the firewood box!

Seems like everyone who needed a retaining wall back in the day opted to us timber. Much like the story of the three little pigs anything made of wood is bound to fail over time. That is where we come in, and step up to the challenge of replacing that failing old timber wall with segmental retaining wall block that will stand the test of time.

Stone and timber are not unusual materials to find on a construction site by any measure, in fact people respond well to them as natural and innocuous materials that can be seen in buildings of all ages. As we move towards a low carbon future we are exploring ways to combine these materials to create a new composite that leverages the benefits of both.

Brought together by our desire to build a sustainable future, our guest speakers will welcome an open conversation about the long-term benefits of combining timber and stone and what this means for the construction industry on a larger scale, and question how we as architects, engineers and academics can work with and not against our environment.

Vermont Timber Works custom designs and fabricates beautiful timber frame homes, post and beam barns, heavy timber churches, cathedral ceilings and more. We are not automated, so we have the flexibility to create structures to our clients exacting details.

This heavy timber column looks terrific after 20 years of use, but there is a serious design problem with the stone surround. The column base is actually a stone veneer built on plywood and sealed at the top. Water was able to seep into the buildup, even after being caulked well at the top.

At no time should water be allowed to pool around the wooden timbers. As seen in the example above, the wood column was fine above the stone surround and rotten beneath the surround, even though the column was exposed to the weather. The difference is that above the surround the wood could dry out, so there was no rot. Below the surround, the wood never had a chance to dry, and rot flourished. If a stone surround is required for the project, care needs to be taken to allow for drainage and ventilation between the column and the stone. 041b061a72