I love it...what a great question! Of course, it's a bit like walking into a nudist colony and asking why nobody's wearing a parka!

I can think of two obvious answers to your question: the first (and please don't take this the wrong way) is to quote the great explorer and Himalayan climber Bill Tillman when asked the obvious question 'why?'...he said simply "If one has to ask the question why, then one most likely wouldn't understand the answer."

The second answer is that we do what we do because we dig it; by carefully cutting and joining timbers in this centuries-old tradition we feel that we're creating buildings of integrity and lasting beauty...a legacy that we're proud to leave to our children and our children's children. A well-made, traditionally joined and pegged frame is an expression of craftsmanship in a way that cutting and nailing a Simpson tie or shooting an air-nail just...well, isn't. When a frame is nicely made (certainly not always the case) it's a celebration of wood that with a little care, should last for centuries. Most of the timber framers that I've met aspire to build beautiful things, and simply feel that the path of traditional joinery is a nicer one to follow than the path of nails and bolts. Our clients pay us to build this way because they share some of our aesthetic values, and because they enjoy the craft that they're supporting too; keeping a wealth of traditional skills alive, and participating in a tradition that quite literally spans millennia. I think most of us enjoy the spirit of a finished object more when it's been carefully and thoughtfully made. Not sure about this? Watch a group of people walk into a timber frame...and what's the first thing that they do? Inevitably they walk up to the nearest piece of timber they can reach and put their hands on it...big smile. Good enough for me.

Thanks for your question...it's good to remind myself what this is all about.