Western Timber Frame™ is often asked about weathering, maintenance and material comparison on our timber frame ShadeScape® pergola, arbor, gazebo and pavilion kits. Western Timber Frame™ offers a 25 year warranty on our 8000, 10,000 and 12,000 Series ShadeScape® heavy rough-sawn timber frame DIY pergola kits and a 15 year warranty on the 6000 Series ShadeScape® heavy rough-sawn timber frame kits. Check out the Western Timber Frame™ website to view the differences between the 6000 ShadeScape® Series and and the Oversized ShadeScape® Series heavy timber kits. However, a warranty is only as good as the manufacturer. Western Timber Frame™ has been working with timber for over 30 years. It is their passion. They back up their products, as testament to our across the board 5 star reviews on all 3rd party review platforms from Google, to Houzz. Conventional timber pergola [...]

This is a question we get at times. The answer to the question? "Nothing. This is a good thing." It is a natural characteristic of wood to display checking. Checking of wood is a lengthwise separation of the wood as a result of seasoning that usually extends across and through the rings of annual growth, often called "seasoning checks". Wood dries from the surface to the center. As the wood begins to dry, the outer layers dry faster than the inner core it begins to shrink in the radial and tangential directions of the wood.  In every species of wood, a logs shrinkage occurs more in a radial and tangential direction than it does in he longitudinal direction. Checking in wood can occur in green or dried lumber, logs and final products during the drying process, storage, manufacturing and end use. Many factors in the wood such as the wood [...]