How Western Timber Frame Builds Its Heavy Timber Pergolas & Pavilions

Precision-cut joinery, concealed hardware, and a design process that starts before anything is built.

Western Timber Frame™ builds custom heavy-timber pergolas, pavilions, and outdoor structures. Every timber is precision-cut and hand-fit in our Utah shop, then shipped on freight trucks and assembled on site. Since 2008, more than 7,000 of these structures have shipped to all 50 states.

Here’s how they’re designed and built — and why the details matter for how a structure performs outdoors.

How the Structures Are Built

ShadePrint™ — 80–85% Functional Shade

Pergolas are bought for shade, but coverage varies widely by design. Through higher rafter density and wider shade planks, our structures reach roughly 80–85% functional shade coverage — varying with orientation, time of day, and season. You feel the difference the moment you step underneath.

Thermal Mass — It Doesn’t Burn On Contact

Wood and metal both get hot in direct sun — a timber post can read 140°F on a July afternoon. The difference is what happens when skin touches them. Wood transfers heat hundreds to more than 1,000 times more slowly than aluminum, so it doesn’t burn on contact the way metal does. For families with kids and pets around barefoot, that’s the difference that matters.

The Dovetail Difference®

Wood-to-wood interlocking joinery — no visible hardware, no loosening, no squeaks. Joints are CNC-cut to tolerance and hand-fit by craftsmen. Because the connection interlocks and the hardware is concealed, there’s nothing exposed to rust, back out, or work loose over the seasons.

EarthAnchor™ Structural Knife Plates

Custom structural aluminum lives concealed inside each post, doing two jobs at once: a moisture barrier at the joint where many other structures fail first, and a hidden structural anchor. You won’t see it — it’s inside the post.

TimberVolt® Power Post System

Wiring runs inside the timber rather than in surface conduit — lighting, ceiling fans, heaters, and outlets for TVs and speakers, integrated and out of sight. Because it’s engineered in from the start, it’s cleaner and more code-friendly than retrofitting power into a finished structure.

Designed Before It’s Built

Every project begins with a 3D rendering of the structure in your actual space, so design and sightline questions get settled before any timbers are cut — as the K. family’s build shows.

A Real Installation: The K. Family Build

Melanie K. and her husband wanted a covered space attached to their home — a pavilion for outdoor dining and a pergola to carry the shade across the patio. They sent photos and measurements; we sent back a 3D rendering of the structure in their own yard, against their own house.

Looking at it, they caught something we hadn’t: “upon looking at the rendering we realized the peak of the pavilion against the house had an ugly view of our house’s roof. We decided to add planking there to cover that.” A sightline question, settled in software, weeks before any timbers were cut.

Their kit shipped on two pallets. They hooked up a trailer, picked it up from the freight terminal themselves, and built it — footers one weekend, then three more weekends of assembly, roofing, electrical, ceiling fan, and lighting.

“The dovetail and tongue and groove cuts on all the pieces made putting them together quick. The instructions for the build were spot on and very easy to read. The lumber was excellent quality. The stain job was well-done and we really appreciated getting extra stain for touch ups.” — Melanie K.

What stands today is a timber pavilion-and-pergola combo the family built themselves over about a month of weekends.

Planning Your Own Structure

If you’re weighing wood species, lifespan, or footings, these guides go deeper:

• The Best Wood Species for a Timber Pergola
• How Long Do Timber Frame Structures Last?
• Pergola Foundation, Footings & Screw Piles

Want to see your space rendered before you build? Start with a 3D rendering of your space.