Hello!

I'm an all-around handy guy who's been researching timber framing for several years now. I intend to design, cut, and erect my own timberframe. My wife and I bought some land last spring, at which time the house planning shifted from fanciful dreaming to house-building reality.

I'm nearly done with the plans - including floor plans, elevation drawings and frame design. I've borrowed an exterior design (not a timberframe) and am designing a frame to fit inside of it. (Note: I purchased the plans for that house so I didn't cheat those architects.) I'm a structural engineer by trade, so I plan to create a finite element model of the frame to convince myself that all the members are of adequate size.

Even with all that planning, I'd feel better if I could get an experienced TF guy to review the design.

I've checked with some design services, but the fees, and the services, are far beyond my needs. I'm looking for a half-day of someone's time and can't pay $5 a ft^2 for it. I'm thinking of taking a TF course just to get some time with the instructor. Trouble is, I miss a week's work to do that.

Anybody have any suggestions where I can find a consultant to review my plans?

Jon:
If you haven't already, you could go to the timber framers guild home page and click on the resource guide and do a search for an engineer in your general area to see if someone is listed. If there is no one listed in your state you could widen your search to nation wide and pick one that's near you and see if they would review your plans.
You could also try the timber framers business council web page. They might be able to help you also. www.timberframe.org
Good luck with your project. Jim

Jon, contact me off list
mriebeek@frontier.net
BAKE