The ArchChord King Post Truss "dry fitted" in the shop to ensure it fits together. Creating a timber frame is truly an art passed down through generations. Every curve, every joint, every carved detail reflects a tradition of craftsmanship that has endured for centuries. For our Timber Oaks home, we chose the Arch Chord King Post Truss—a design known for its graceful lines and quiet elegance. Its curves bring a softness to the strength of the frame, a balance we fell in love

Entry driveway looking at the front of the house. There is additional gravel to create a pad for the crane. Setting a heavy timber frame requires thoughtful engineering long before the first beam is lifted into place. For our Timber Oaks home, the Hess Homebuilders team reinforced the ground floor with steel posts and beams,laminated wood floor joists, and installed AdvanTech floor sheathing to ensure the structure could carry the weight of the timber frame above. Outside, t

Once the lower level was excavated, the Zimmerman mason crew moved in to prepare the footers. Jamie Zimmerman dug the three‑foot trenches along the back of the house and the garage side while the rest of the crew assembled the Form‑A‑Drain system. Instead of traditional wood forms and separate drainpipe, these slotted plastic forms handle both shaping the footers and directing groundwater and radon away from the house. By noon the trenches were dug, the forms were set, the re

The week of April 20, 2026 brought Angie back to Lancaster, and this visit was all about choices—big ones, small ones, and the many in between. Some people call this phase tedious, but honestly, it felt exciting. Every decision brought our Timber Oaks home into clearer view. Over several days, we moved from showroom to showroom, meeting with designers, comparing samples, and learning just how many details go into building a home from the ground up. Cabinetry, fixtures, coun

The excavation of the lot after the well drilling brought the first real transformation of the Timber Oaks site. Tristan and Ethan from Dustin Nagy Excavating arrived with an excavator and Bobcat, using a GPS point provided by DC Gohn to mark the exact footprint of the house. With the corners staked, they calculated the additional space needed for footers, exterior wall access, and the planned grade changes across the site. Ethan began cutting into the deepest section of the

The well drilling crew made it to Timber Oaks lot on April 8, 2026, after an earlier attempt was delayed by wet ground conditions. Two days of sun finally firmed up the site enough for the drill rig and support truck to make their way in. Eric, the well operator, and his assistant, Anthony, leveled the rig and began drilling straight down through the soil layers. Progress was steady in 25‑foot sections until they reached schist at roughly 200 feet—a dense metamorphic rock com

As the Timber Oaks build progressed, Craig hoped to see where the white oak logs were being cut. Amy of Lancaster County Timber Frames coordinated with Budd’s Creek Lumber in Mechanicsville, Maryland, and confirmed the order was well underway. With the mill closed for Easter weekend, Craig took advantage of a free day and drove into Southern Maryland Amish country to visit. Arrival at Budd’s Creek Before leaving, he called the mill — and as expected, the phone rang unanswered

After the lot clearing, our builder brought in a porta potty and a Cat, and the driveway graveling begain. Nagy Excavating brought in five truckloads of course (#1) gravel for a driveway base. This will allow the construction equipment to enter the lot on a firm surface and if wet weather occurs prohibits soft or muddy conditions. A Cat arrives. A red porta potty to match Craig's red car!

March 17, 2026 marked the first major step forward on the Timber Oaks lot. ClearSite LLC arrived early, unloading an excavator and guiding it down the driveway toward the trees marked with pink X’s. The father of the father‑son team worked with steady, practiced ease — pushing over each tree, lifting it cleanly, and laying it aside in a growing pile. His movements carried the quiet confidence of someone who has done this work for decades. We worked really hard to minimize th

Our nine‑day cross‑country drive from Oregon to Pennsylvania was primarily a reunion tour, (we called it the “VIP tour”). But it also was an endurance test, and the unofficial kickoff to building our Timber Oaks retirement home. We left Eugene on Sunday, March 1 and encountered heavy Northern California rain, pushing through hail near Shasta Lake before getting to Santa Rosa for the night. After a breakfast visit with Roger and Jose Manuel in Sebastopol, the miles unfolded