Connecticut Timber Frame Home

"Our goal was to have a home that was very informal. We are very pleased we decided on a Davis Timber Frame Home," says Steve. "We would do it again!"

While wandering through his local hardware store, a book about timber frame homes caught Steve Cooney’s eye. As he flipped through the pages, it struck him that this would be the ideal type of structure for the rural Connecticut property he and wife Nancy Eppley owned. The couple had purchased almost 200-acres of farmland in 1999 but had yet to decide what they would build for what their new home. Now, Steve held the answer in his hands.

Set in Motion

Comparing four different timber frame companies, Steve and Nancy discovered a wide variety of quality and price in the packages offered. “Some companies had an outstanding product but the price tag was out of sight,” Steve recalls. “Others had a reasonably priced product but the quality seemed a bit substandard. We chose Davis Frame Company because for just a little bit extra in cost, the quality of the product was exponentially better all around.”

Prior to even beginning construction, Steve and Nancy visited the property frequently to determine the perfect location for the home. After careful consideration of all the angles of the sun and the view, he opted for a hill approximately a quarter mile from the road. First, they built a 3,300-square-foot barn a stone’s throw away from the home site. They finished the barns’ second story, creating a bedroom, office, full bath and galley kitchen that would give the couple a place to live while their home was being built.

Steve and Nancy opted for hybrid construction for their new home. The spaces at the homes’ would be timber-framed and the remaining portions would be enclosed with structural insulated panels (SIPS).

They devised a unique plan for timbers in the master bedroom, which would be located over the garage. “We spent quite a bit of time designing the interior with a flow that would fit our lifestyle,” Steve explains. “When we get up in the morning, the first thing we do is head for the kitchen. It just seemed logical to us to put the master bedroom over the garage with stairs leading directly into the kitchen. We wanted our master bedroom to be timber framed but didn’t want the expense of a timber frame garage. It worked out beautifully,” Steve explains.

Just a few of the many custom cabinet touches include in Nancy's kitchen design are the built-in china hutch and computer desk on one end of the kitchen. Steve's love of tea and collecting teapots was handed down from his English grandparents.

Space utilization was also another consideration in the design. The entry vestibule of the 5,000-square-foot home opens to the open core of the home. Here, the living room, dining room and kitchen allow them to entertain large gatherings of family and friends.

Two wings are set at shallow angles from the core to add architectural interest and prevent the home from appearing like a large rectangle. A hallway from the kitchen leads to the utility wing and culminates at the two-car oversized garage. On the right side of the hallway is a walk-in-pantry, the short hall leading to the sunroom and the laundry; on the left are the stairs leading to the master bedroom and down to the unfinished basement and mudroom.

To ensure privacy, a passageway leads to the guest wing with two bedrooms. This place is ideal during visits from the couple’s grown children and grandchildren. One full bath is exclusive to the left bedroom, while a second full bath is shared by the right bedroom and by family and friends enjoying the fireplace on the adjacent screened porch.

Choosing a Team

When Steve and Nancy purchased the property, their real estate agent explained they would need to test the land for a septic system. “The excavator who accompanied the engineer asked us if we had hired a contractor,” Steve recalls. “He recommended Ken Kimmerle. We checked out several contractors, but chose Ken because of his experience.” The choice was cemented after the couple toured a log home Ken had built and were impressed with the beautiful workmanship. “We figured if Ken could navigate the complexity of log home construction, he would do a terrific job on our hybrid timber frame,” Steve says.

Two additional aspects of Ken’s style stood out: First, Ken is one of the crew. He doesn’t just show up once in a while; he works shoulder-to-shoulder with his subcontractors.

The couple also appreciated Ken’s use of construction management style whereby he works on percentage of the cost. “We would get an accounting at the completion of each phase of the project,” Steve says, "and we knew exactly how much was being spent on electrical, how much on plumbing, etc.”

Steve and Nancy were able to be at the building site every day, a definite plus as they seemed to be making decisions daily. Steve remembers he and Ken were constantly throwing ideas around-always looking for a way to make the home just that much better.

“Anytime new subcontractors came onto the property, I would warn them that I would be asking lots of questions, not because I questioned their ability; I just wanted to learn,” Steve says. “They would explain everything to me and the logic behind their choices. I learned so much on this project.”

After working for many years for businesses devoted to woodworking products, Nancy has developed a sound knowledge base and a keen eye for what works well in a home. She knows how and where cabinets should be placed due to her years with Eppley Building and Design in Hawthorne, New Jersey, which specializes in high-end cabinets. She was also employed for a custom millwork company and was knowledgeable of how much molding can enhance a home. Her signature is evident in many of the finishing touches of the interior.

When is came time to movie into the house, Nancy and Steve took in the beauty of the Douglas fir timber frame and decided it was almost a stand-alone work of art that didn’t need fussy decorating. They adopted a minimalistic philosophy and incorporated just those furnishings that were essential.

On the exterior of the home, they were faced with the dilemma of being surrounded by hay fields. Originally, they hoped to be able to find someone who would harvest the hay, but they soon learned that no one was willing to travel to their farm. Despite this, Steve and Nancy opted to utilize the lush greenness of the hay meadows as a framework for their landscaping. They hired LoFond Landscape and Garden in Sharon, Connecticut, to create gardens adjacent to the house. Steve then undertook the job of mowing the surrounding fields and purchased the largest commercial mower available to be able to complete this weekly task in around four hours.

"Our goal was to have a home that was very informal. We are very pleased we decided on a timber frame," Steve says. "We would do it again."

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