Building Height Into a Backyard Dream
When Design Becomes Personal
There’s a moment in every build when tape measures give way to imagination. You can see it in the sketch of a beam line, in the hand that lifts higher—“maybe a little taller still?” That’s where design becomes personal.
One family asked us for something simple yet vital: a pavilion that wouldn’t feel too small, even for someone standing six-foot-eight. It wasn’t about numbers on a page. It was about the experience—stepping out the back door and never ducking under beauty.
A Pavilion Raised to Fit
The pavilion we created stands on four pre-poured footings, anchored with heavy-duty knife plates. The posts carry the strength of our Woodland 8000 Series timbers in Douglas fir, finished in a crisp two-tone stain—white with a natural tongue-and-groove ceiling. Overhead, a Champion beam profile holds arched knee braces that add a note of grace to the strength. The hipped roof, pitched and finished in black metal, shelters a 12×18-foot span paired with a 10×16 footprint—big enough to gather the whole household, open enough to keep the horizon wide.
In Their Own Words
You don’t have to take our word for it. A recent Google review captures their gratitude best: “Western Timber customized / built us an amazing Pergola for our backyard. They worked with my wife to design it to our specifications. I’m 6’8” tall so we wanted it to be a certain height etc. Everything turned out great!”
Guided by Design
That’s the heartbeat of timber framing—listening to what matters most and carving it into place. Our Design Manager, Aaron Frei, guided this project through from sketches to standing beams, making sure every detail matched the vision.
From Backyard to Campus
And while this was a residential retreat, the principle is the same across every project. Whether a backyard pavilion, a campus quad shelter, or a commercial gathering space, timber lets people inhabit scale in ways that steel and stone rarely match. It’s architecture that feels alive—crafted to your height, your horizon, your story.
In the end, the family didn’t just gain shade. They gained room for tall dreams.
Pavilion Details at a Glance
- Series: Woodland 8000
- Material: Douglas Fir Timber
- Finish: Two-tone stain — White posts with Natural tongue-and-groove ceiling
- Size: 12′×18′ roof span with 10′×16′ footprint
- Beam Profile: Champion
- Braces: Four arched knee braces
- Roofing: Black metal roof
- Roof Style: Hipped roof
- Height: Custom-raised to fit the family’s needs (bottom of beam at 102″)
- Hardware: Knife plates (4)
- Footings: Pre-poured concrete (4)
- Detailing: Decorative capped sleeves on posts
- Features: Integrated timber-frame swings for seating and relaxation
Crafted for Your Life
Every project we create is more than just wood and joinery—it’s a reflection of the people who will gather beneath it. From adjusting pavilion height for a tall homeowner, to adding lattice detail to echo a home’s architecture, or shaping a pergola to frame a fireplace, we craft each structure to meet the specific needs of the client. That’s the heart of custom timber framing: every detail tuned to the life it’s meant to shelter.
