To help support your timber builds, we’ve created the following guide.

• Know Your Lead Times – Will your timber arrive in four weeks or four months? Variables such as manufacturers’ schedules, high demand / diminished supply, and cost fluctuations can exacerbate delivery delays. Additionally, because mass timber components are custom made off-site, any discrepancies in dimensions and cuts can cause major delays awaiting refabrication and installation. Close coordination by architects, engineers, and timber craftsmen will lessen the chances of errors and help keep schedules as accurate as possible.
• On-Site Flexibility Is Limited – Late design changes can snarl a timber project. Because mass timber is manufactured off-site, there’s very little modification that can take place during construction that won’t result in refabrication and massive time delays. As noted above, coordination between all parties is essential to avoid costly delays — design adjustments in particular should be addressed at the earliest possible stage.
• Site Logistics Can Cause Delays – The inherent nature of mass timber panels means they are large, heavy, and can be challenging to unload and install in tight spaces. To keep the process moving efficiently, prepare by coordinating sequencing and ensuring adequate crane access and staging space. On the plus side, once timber panels start going into place, the process is often much faster than a traditional steel and concrete build and requires less manpower.
• Weather Can Be a Factor – Rain and snow will alter construction timelines depending on the region and time of year. With mass timber, protecting components from exposure to the elements is important to mitigate delays, particularly when installing any metal joinery that might rust next to wet wood. Replacing parts due to the impact of weather will cause delays and drive costs higher.
• Code Acceptance Isn’t Uniform – Although the 2021 International Building Code (IBC) introduced new provisions with three new construction types that affect the height and number of stories allowed in mass timber buildings — Types IV-A, IV-B, and IV-C — not all states have adopted these guidelines. On the other hand, some states (Illinois, Wyoming, and Mississippi) have started following the 2024 IBC, which allows for 100% exposure of beams for ceilings and integral beams for Type IV-B construction. Knowing the applicable codes for the job site in the early planning stages saves untold headaches and work interruptions in the long run.

Avoid Supply Chain Surprises
Understanding the nuances of the timber supply chain is essential for delivering successful timber-based projects on time and within budget. From early coordination and clear communication to an awareness of evolving codes and logistical realities, anticipating supply chain challenges may mean the difference between numerous delays and smooth execution. Architects who stay informed and plan ahead can harness the beauty and sustainability of mass timber while navigating the practicalities of construction with confidence.

Mid-Atlantic Timberframes works with architects, engineers, and general contractors across North America, delivering high-quality heavy and mass timber components and expertise to keep your projects on time and on budget. Contact us today to discuss how we can help with your next project.

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More Contractor-Prefabricator Partnerships
With ongoing skilled labor shortages and an increasing need for effiency on the jobsite, contractors are increasingly partnering with prefabricators. Having a reliable partner helps contractors get the quality components they need, when they need them, to keep projects moving. Off-site construction also produces less waste, which helps contractors save money and meet their (or their clients’) sustainability goals.

Using Technology to Collaborate
Making changes once a project is underway can be costly — in terms of both time and money. To avoid this, prefabricators are using BIM (building information modeling) to collaborate with other stakeholders early on and lay the groundwork for success. BIM allows them to build a detailed model of a project before it begins, helping them to spot and solve potential issues and optimize who will do their part when.

More Standards in More Places
ICC/MBI (International Code Council / Modular Building Institute) standards are helping to create more clarity and consistency in off-site construction. More states are looking at adopting their Standard 1200, which ensures quality components that comply with building code requirements, and Standard 1205, which provides guidance for permitting and inspections. The ICC/MBI is also developing Standard 1210 for release later this year, addressing energy efficiency, water conservation, and mechanical, electrical, and plumbing requirements for off-site projects.

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Why You May Need a Timber Consultant

When building timber frame structures, many timber frame design and construction professionals connect with a timber frame construction consultant first to gain a basic understanding of the process from concept, through design, to fabrication and installation. They may lack previous experience with timber construction, mass timber buildings, or timber trusses and are looking to fill gaps in their knowledge.

Also, it’s common that a project can be detailed improperly for mass timber, so a consultant with timber frame expertise can help better educate design and building professionals about the most efficient use of the material, design values, and connection detailing. This is true even when the structure is a hybrid of mass timber, structural steel, and/or concrete components.

Who Engages with a Heavy Timber Consultant

With heavy timber construction, architects, general contractors, developers, and structural engineers can all benefit from outside help, especially if it is the first time a professional is building with heavy timber frames or a hybrid timber frame structure.

What You Should Know: Glossary of Terms

• CLT (Cross-Laminated Timber): Layers of dimensional lumber, stacked in alternating directions, adhered together to form a solid timber product.

• Heavy Timber: Wood members that are no less than 8” x 8” thick. Trusses regularly span less than 30’ and greater than 60’.

• Hybrid Timber Framing Structure: Combines heavy timber with other types of construction. This can include conventional framing, concrete, and varying types of structural steel components.

• Mass Timber: An engineered heavy timber product. “Mass timber” encapsulates CLT and glulam, along with a host of other engineered wood products.
• Timber Frame: A load-bearing wooden structure held together primarily with traditional mortise-and-tenon joinery. (Steel connections may be utilized depending on the application and/or desired aesthetic.)

What Your Consultant Will Want to Know About Your Project

To help your timber frame consultant understand why you have approached them and how they can help you, they will want to assess your particular situation. To help the consultant understand your project, share the particulars, including:

• What type of build is it? Is this a private or public build? Are you building a timber house? A timber frame barn? Is it a hybrid timber frame home? What is the occupancy classification? Or is it your first experience with mass timber buildings?

• What is the scope: size, budget, timeline, etc.?

• What is the purpose of the structure? Will a family be living in your timber home? Will people be shopping and working in your timber frame commercial building?

• Who will use the structure?

• Where is the location of the structure?

Together, with this knowledge in hand, you can identify any challenges associated with your given situation.

What You Should Be Asking Your Consultant

You will want to know that your heavy timber consultant has the know-how needed to help you with your project. Consider asking about the following:

• Previous consultancy work, projects, and case studies

• Pricing

• How invoicing works
• Associations, affiliations, organizations, or other helpful resources. Some examples are Nordic Structure’s website for product specifications and photos of projects, the WoodWorks website, and the North American Mass Timber Manual.

Size of a Consulting Engagement

This can depend on your previous experience with timber frame construction and the scope of your project. You may need help with all aspects of your timber frame building (material, joinery, truss configuration, bracing, etc.), or you may only need a consultant to comment on a particular connection detail. You may also want to request material samples if you are new at using heavy timber in construction.

Work with a timber consultant can last up to six months, depending on how early the consultant gets involved. This varies depending on how far along your project is before consulting begins.

How You Will Benefit from Working with a Consultant

Let’s say you’ve just finished your first project with a timber consultant. You lined up one of the experts in the field, you exchanged information and details, and the project went off without a hitch. That’s the result you were after. Your project would have failed had you not chosen the right partner to guide you through the building of the structure.

Along the way, you might have learned how developers are using mass timber now for multi-housing projects, or you now have tips on fabrication and installation. You will have learned the most efficient way to build with heavy timber and the embodied values that come with living with exposed wood. You probably learned tips on connection detailing, and if you had your consultant check your work as you went, there’s that peace of mind, too.

You’ve learned that engaging mass timber for your next building is becoming more and more popular as architects and designers look for innovative and environmentally sustainable methods and materials. Codes are starting to recognize all of the positive attributes of building a structure with wood — from forest upkeep to storing carbon in its wood panels.

A consultancy partnership is successful when the client has been presented with all the possibilities and outcomes and has learned how to navigate the new mass timber industry. Learning those efficiencies will mean cost savings, often realized across the board with all contractors on the job.

Yes, mass timber is on the rise, and the team here at Mid-Atlantic Timberframes can assist you from concept to final walk-through. Contact us to learn more about how we can help you successfully build your heavy timber construction project!

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