Welcome to the 6th Annual Tour of Timber Frames presented by Moresun and Whetstone Designs. I hope you are able to attend this event from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 15, 2010.

The tour is a self-guided open house featuring several timber frame buildings, some large and some small, some complete and some in progress. The tour starts at our workshop. We will have directions to and information about each other timber frame, feel free to pick and choose the ones that sound interesting to you. They are all with in ten minute drive of each other. Please ask questions as you go. If you are in the design phase, make notes of things you see today that you like and dislike to keep in mind for your own timber frame home.

Remember that we not only design and build timber frame homes; we also offer; SIPS panel packages, custom stairs, furniture, built-in cabinetry, porches, decks and out buildings. Below is a description of each timber frame on the tour. Thank you to our friends and clients for opening their homes. We also look forward to helping you with your building projects from timber homes to furniture.

We look forward to seeing you here,

P.S. The community we live and work in is nestled in a beautiful area in the Southern Appalachians. There is so much to do and see here. You may want to make it a long weekend and do some sight seeing and recreating. There is whitewater rafting, horse back riding, fishing, camping, B&Bs and more.

1. The MORESUN WOODWORKING SHOP is about 2,200 sqft. The first floor is the woodworking shop. We have set up the shop to allow us to work on a wide variety of wood projects from full timber frames to jewelry boxes and everything in between. The second floor has an office, sewing studio, guest room and bathroom and now a playroom for the little ones. The frame was cut in 2002 and is primarily rough cut white oak with a few pine timbers. The design was intended to resemble and old barn.

2. THE MORRISON HOME sits on the hill above the MoreSun Shop. The 900 sqft home was built in 1999. The timbers are white pine and were locally harvested with a team of draft horses. The house features: SIPS panel enclosure, custom cherry cabinets, unique stair set and geothermal heat and cooling. Don’t forget to check out the timber framed play house out back.

While at our place, you can’t help but to notice the solar electric system. Please check it out and ask questions. It is a 3600 watt, grid connected system that supplies the house and the shop with a large percentage of their electrical demand. Because it is grid connected, excess power is sold right back to the power company.

3. THE STURM HOUSE is the future retirement home of Mark and Toni Sturm. It is a white pine frame with SIPS panel enclosure, wrap around porch and plenty of custom details added by Mark and other craftsman. The home is nice a spacious for entertaining, yet still has plenty of cozy little spaces to get away. Don’t miss the view from Toni’s tree house on top. The Sturms were very involved in the construction process and will have plenty of advice and stories to tell. While there you will have to check out the timber framed gazebo given to Mark for birthday from the whole family.

4. WHETSTONE DESIGNS LLC Office - This timber frame was built in 2004 as a temporary home for Brice and Christy Cochran while they worked to build their new home (still under construction and now on the tour). This building is now the office for Whetstone Designs LLC.

5. GEORGE FRANKLE’S BARN was originally built around 1850 in Indiana as a dairy barn. The timbers were hand hewed from trees felled on siteby a highly skilled group of craftsman. Because of this, the timbers are mix ofspecies from black walnut to oak to chestnut, the longest one being 56’ long. George found the barn tor sale on the internet. The previous owner had had several offers from people who wanted to cut up the timbers for lumber but held out for a buyer who would preserve the barn as it was. MoreSun helped disassemble the structure and rebuild it as a home, keeping it as close to its original form as possible. Now, abachelor pad, is has become the acting community center for the Long Creek community hosting wedding receptions, pot luck dinners and indoor basket ball tournaments and the new years party. This is a true piece of American history.

6. The COCHRAN HOME - This beautiful timber frame is still in the works and features a wide range of timber species, square and live edge timbers an too much character to describe.  Brice is still working on the home so it is the perfect place to gain understanding of how many of the components of a timber frame home work together.  This stop is great for folks in the planning phase.  It also helps to have a timber frame designer showing you around.

7. The HYBRID CABIN - This is a new project designed by Whetstone Designs LLC. that MoreSun is just starting on.  The crew is in the shop cutting timbers as I write (1-27-10) and the concrete will be poured today.  This 1600 square foot cabin is a true hybrid; stud framed walls, timber framed floor system, roof structure and porches and SIPS roof panels.  This project should still be in construction for the tour and will be a great way to see different parts of a hybrid come together.  The cabin will be a rental for guests of Wildwater Rafting and Zip line canopy tours.  Perhaps you will want to come back and stay another weekend for some high adventure by day and a relaxing stay in a timber frame cabin by night.  www.wildwaterrafting.com.