Commercial Project Considerations
- Northern Timber Crafters
- May 15
- 4 min read
We have worked with General Contractors on many commercial projects including hotels, wineries, convenience stores, temples, churches, and more. In fact, we consider small to mid-size commercial buildings the perfect match for our skill set. In this article, we'll focus exclusively on questions that Contractors ask, and highlight a few of our recent commercial projects.
Top Questions from Commercial Contractors:
What wood do you use?
Short Answer: FOHC, #1 or Better, Douglas Fir, moisture content at 19% or less.
Long Answer: We are pretty serious about the timber we use in our shop as it directly influences the finished product and will stand the test of time. We primarily source our Douglas fir from an Oregon mill that provides coastal timbers and a "statement of grade" certifying that the timbers were graded in accordance with Standard No 18 Grading Rules for West Coast Lumber as published by the Pacific Lumber Inspection Bureau. Learn the nitty-gritty about timber options here.
What joinery options do you offer?
Short Answer: We offer traditional mortise and tenon, hidden knife plates, gusset plates, and other concealed connectors.
Long Answer: We often use a hybrid approach that utilizes wood joinery and concealed steel connectors (when required by engineering). Sometimes this is specified in the engineering but we often add joinery that improves the customer experience. For example, this picture below shows FOHC timbers with limited checking, and pockets for hybrid joinery that simplify installation and ensure the timber joinery will age well. All our smooth timbers are sanded to 100 grit and any exposed timber ends are waxed to prevent checking. A small but beautiful detail we also add is an 1/8th inch round-over to give the appearance of a clean, tailored straight line on the edges. Here's some additional pictures showing some of our joinery options.
Do you use a CNC machine?
Short Answer: Nope
Long Answer: We are a mid-size shop that has shopped out several CNC machines, but have chosen to remain building our timber features by hand. We utilize specialized tools to complete our work timely and with precision. Our jobs are always custom and have a variety of features that require the human touch, and we fully assemble trusses while we build so you can rest assured they will go together as planned when they arrive on site to install.
What are your texture options?
Short Answer: We offer S4S Smooth, Resawn, Hand Hewn, & Reclaimed Imitation texture options.
Long Answer: See our full article here for pictures and details.
Will you stain the timber features?
Short Answer: Probably not.
Long Answer: While staining is a service we offer, we typically do not recommend staining the timber before installation. The timbers will undoubtedly take a little jostling and wear during installation and touching up stain can look like...well, touched-up stain. If you are wanting this process started, however, we recommend putting a coat of timber oil on the features. This product is healthy for the timbers, can be tinted towards the project's color scheme, and can easily be touched up after installation.
What do you drawings look like?
Short Answer: We work with your engineering and architect teams (or can provide referrals), and provide the timber feature drawings that detail the trusses, connections, etc.
Long Answer: We pride ourselves on balancing simplicity and completeness. Our quote, for example, is typically only one page that details the timbers needed for your project, and then supplemented with drawings for your project. We don't believe "more is more" - we want to make the GC's life easier. Our owner, Joey, was actually a General Contractor for a decade before choosing to specialize in timber features so he knows what it takes to work on-site and bring projects to completion.
Here's some examples of drawings from past jobs:
Can you provide references?
Short Answer: Check out our Google Reviews.
Long Answer: We can also connect you with commercial General Contractors we have worked with in the past to discuss our performance on past jobs.
How will these be shipped?
Short Answer: We coordinate the shipping, and trusses are usually shipped assembled or partially assembled (depending on size).
Long Answer: We ship products throughout the United States and work with several freight brokers to coordinate the best option for each project. We include this amount on your quote to ensure full transparency. Our brokers provide insurance during shipment. For timber features that are smaller than trusses, they are usually bundled into sequence or area (i.e. Front Porch, corbels, etc) that make unloading, sorting, and installing much easier.
Do you install?
Short Answer: We rarely install and this is only an option in Idaho.
Long Answer: We are a sub-contractor and do not install unless specifically stated in your quote. We can recommend contractors for local jobs in Idaho, and are happy to provide consultation via phone or video call as needed. Our timber features are well-packaged and come with instructions so General Contractors and framing crews are able to jump in and install right away. Here's a video of our trusses being installed by a General Contractor in California:
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Can you show me some pictures of your commercial Finished Projects?
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