Extra Living Space - Easy DIY Shelter w/Seismic Resilience
An easy solution to a cancelled vacation is a relaxing getaway, at home with a cabana, gazebo, pergola, or pavilion. Western Timber Frame has always offered Virtual Design appointments via the phone or over the computer. If you like, it is simple to build yourself. And in most cases, can be installed in as little as one afternoon! Or you can have it installed for you.
What Is DIFFERENT About a ShadeScape®?
Western Timber Frame™ is different; we do not fit you with a pre-made, cookie-cutter kit. These are not kits that you can buy in your average big-box store. All of our pre-fitted and pre-cut shelters are custom built to match your requirements and to fit your back yard.
We call our pergolas and pavilions “a kit” because we ship them to your door ready to assemble. However, due to the heavy timbers, and their custom nature your Structure will not look like a typical kit. Your pergola will be an outstanding handcrafted room in your backyard.
With superior construction techniques, properly engineered designs and expert craftsmanship a pressure treated timber pergola can be expected to last even longer than timber structures of ages past. Timber framing is an investment in children and grandchildren proving to be safer, durable structures more resistant to powerful coastal storms, high winds, heavy snows of high mountainous regions and seismic shifting, maintaining structural integrity.
Nails, screws, and glue will hold wood fast, but they allow little movement; which can eventually crack the wood around the metal fastener and glue deterioration over time loosen a wood glue wood joint.
Rusted conventional metal bracket.
The Dovetail Difference® virtually eliminates all unsightly hardware.
Aesthetics is important but the primary reason for wood-to-wood connections and in NOT using unsightly brackets and lag hangers is that it creates a stronger shelter.
ShadeScape® pavilions, pergolas and gazebos are architecturally responsibly engineered for more integral resilience in:
- Powerful Coastal Storms
- High Winds
- Heavy High Mountainous Snows
- Seismic Shifting
Mortise and tenon joints have soundly stood stronger through centuries of architectural constructions because it allows for the wood to naturally expand and contract while maintaining its integral shape over a nail/glue construction.
Pure wood–to-wood connections of heavy timbers slide in and lock strong into place — creating an architecturally responsible, sound shelter.
Seismic Resilience
A great example of how this works is the Horyu-Ji temple built in Japan over 1400 years ago. Japan is known for its intermittent heavy rainfalls, tropical storms, and seismic instability, yet pagodas were traditionally constructed from stone, which did not farewell.
During the sixth century builders during began to experiment to be able to better adapt to their shaky conditions. They discovered construction with timbers and disconnected interlocking flooring proved to be more stable.
These disconnected timbers work upon the same principle as traditional European timber framing using the age-old tenon joinery and mortise method. This method gives the timbers allowance to fluidly ride a seismic wave maintaining its integral strength and stability.
The temple has been violently shaken by a count of 46 earthquakes with magnitudes of 7.0 or greater —and still stood strong and faithful for over 1,300 years.
Today, through the advancement of technology, timber frame is even better —continuing as one of the best choices for earthquake-resilient structures.
ShadeScape® Shelters Stood Strong Through Hurricane Irma!
Western Timber Frame™ standard arbors, pergolas, pavilions and gazebos are engineered for 120 miles per hour wind ratings. Hurricane Irma was a Category Five with winds exceeding beyond 155 miles per hour! The forceful winds of Hurricane Irma are one of the most powerful storms in history! Here is what Kenneth Baker of Florida had to say about their ShadeScape® pergola kit that stood strong through the hurricane:
"Are you kidding this Pergola has already been through its first hurricane, Irma. She stood tall and proud and never wavered. Our neighbors with us sat under her and watched as men from Texas cut trees down off the lines and restored our power. Thank you for your wonderful product she gave our neighbors shade when there was none. Be proud of your product. Thanks." — Kenneth Baker
Typical Conventional Pergola Kits
Wind Destroyed Aluminum Pergola
Snow Collapsed Vinyl Pergola
It is the characteristics of well-seasoned timber combined with The Dovetail Difference®, a patented mortise and tenon connection system that gives timber framing better seismic and wind survival-ability and long-term durability than any other building material on earth.
Western Timber Frame™ ShadeScape® kits feature an award-winning Post-to-Beam Connection System called: The Dovetail Difference®.
The Dovetail Difference®
We use The Dovetail Difference® design, a patented massive mortise and tenon dovetail joint system throughout our timber construction process that creates very strong, rigid joints. On the test pictured here it didn't give until over 11,000 lbs.!
In standard conventional timber framing the integrity of the structure is compromised by cutting out the core of the center beam.
The results can be seen here in a standard conventional mortise and tenon joint: cracking after just 18 months!
The engineered design of The Dovetail Difference® keeps the integral center of the post in tact. The pieces slide into place as demonstrated by sliding the circled arrows.
The Dovetail Difference®: has tight joints after 18 months!
The dovetail joint does not depend on lags, hangers or nails to stay against tension. The Dovetail Difference® works as an extension of the timber allowing for movement, shrinkage and weather variations while remaining secure and snug.
The dovetail joint has a trapezoidal angled shape that interlocks, acting as a wedge within another angled timber for a puzzle-like fit that resists pullout. This gives the timbers incredible resilience against positive and negative wind load actions with added power to perform its inherent quality of expanding and contracting to dampen out resonate frequencies.
Over time, as the timbers of a timber frame pavilion or pergola kit expand and contract with changing seasons, these dynamic joints minimize gap exposure, reduce typical twisting and warping and maintain a close-fitting connection with greater resistance to winds.
The Dovetail Difference® is stronger than conventional dovetail mortise and tenon joint systems.
Western Timber Frame™ Exceeds the Nations Highest Building Code Standards for Wind Safety
Wind speeds differ for all topographical regions as do the building codes for every public and private building. For example, in Southern Florida, in 2012, after Hurricane Andrew an immediate change was made in the building code standards by adopting the American Society of Civil Engineers’ standards with a Product Evaluation Approval Program of architectural, structural and mechanical engineers. Because of its high-velocity hurricane zones, it eliminates all construction of stud framed houses in that region.
Western Timber Frame™ outdoor timber frame pavilions and pergolas exceed these highest building code standards in the Nation and install timber frame pavilion and/or pergola kits in the regions of Southern Florida.
With a thorough understanding of load paths and design properties, well-seasoned timbers with the mortise and tenon joint systems have allowed for wide-open spaces, cathedral ceilings, great rooms in castles, commercial constructions, expanded bridges and more that have lasted for centuries, sometimes millenniums.
Timber frame bridges have been among the most visible and noble testimonies of the integrity of the timber. Some still in use date back as early as the 16th century; proven masterpieces of engineering, technology and long-lasting endurance spanning great distances against the violence of water and storms.
Timber is Naturally Stronger
Inherent Resilience Against the Wind
Well-seasoned timber is a naturally more stable load-bearing material. As strong winds, heavy snows and interment weather increase the load paths and impact upon an architectural structure timber will naturally expand and contract to flow with the energy of the earth's motion.
In inelastic load-bearing materials such as concrete, steel or aluminum beams, architectural engineers require larger beams of these types of materials to compensate for their rigidness against inevitable seismic movement by installing kinematic mechanisms and plates.
These artificial mechanisms are also to help guard against spalling, vapor bubble and plate impacts subjected to localized low-pressure.
The marvel of timber is that it does not require or need any artificial mechanisms to dampen out resonate frequencies to maintain its integrity. When a beam yields a little at its highest point without losing its resistance; the joints and weight maintain its bearing resistance; the resonant frequency will dampen out and they will hold full strength.
Timber, like steel can carry a great amount of concentrated weight load.
In every environment, properly seasoned and treated timber does not deteriorate and corrode, rust like steel or crumble like concrete. The weight/strength ratio of timber is also better as concrete weighs 4 times as much as the timber of a similar thickness.
Timber meets the strength, lightweight and structural requirements of energy absorbent properties desired in construction of a safe bridge and conforms to highway safety of HL-93 and AASHTO HS20-44 standards in vehicular bridges that ford continuous traffic. A pavilion or pergola does not receive this kind of perpetual load, yet it amazing to consider the load-bearing strength of timber under in the most adverse conditions.
Premium Choice Douglas Fir
Douglas fir is the builder’s premium choice for large support beams in sound architectural commercial and residential construction. We use Douglas fir primarily in our pergolas, gazebos, and pavilions and other outdoor structures for greater strength against strong winds and continual exposure to extremely harsh elements. Douglas fir has the strength to weight ratio that has an unparalleled for its modulus of elasticity, shear, compression, tension laterally to grain and other characteristics that give it greater strength.
Strong, Wind Resistant Timber Frame Pavilion and Pergola Kits
#HomeVacation #AtHomeGetaway
Privacy Screens and Walls Can Easily Be Added
A DIY Pavilion Kit is a winning way to build a sunroom as the entire frame structure with roof, in most cases, installs in as little as one afternoon.
Sunrooms, or as they are sometimes called: a solarium —is a fully enclosed place, caressed in warmth and sunlight. In some circles, a sunroom is referred to as a go-to-room, patio room, Conservatory, sun parlor, sunporch, sun lounge, garden room, winter garden room, or Florida room. It often has a "knee wall" framed in with transparent glass. A sunroom can be freestanding, attached, or as in this featured DIY pavilion plan, integrated into the primary residence.
Walls, privacy panels, or lattices can easily integrate into a Cabana, Pergola, Pavilion, or Gazebo plan for any ShadeScape™ kit to suit a family’s outdoor living purpose.
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