Special Advertising Section - Community News’Your Home - March 22-25, 2005 - Page 27 Your Home. A Feature of the Special Sections/Marketing Department of the Community News Wooden cathedrals The timbre of Hugh Lofting’s timber framing is becoming the architectural music of people’s homes By Richard L. Gaw Special Sections Editor “True” artists, irrespective of their medium, often abhor such grandiose application to what they do, while others accept it as the end result of their calling, a thumbprint seal to their talent and vision. Hugh Lofting will accept no such statuesque definition, even when photographic evidence of the wooden latticework he has woven into homes for thirty The timber framing in this Yorklyn home years stares up at him, lodged accents the beauty of its cathedral ceilings. in an album of his life’s work. Photograph by Richard L. Gaw “I just get up every day and hit only dictate the story, but carry the minum or plastics or synthetics in ized version of post and beam that is the ground, ready to run,” Lofting company. the workshed behind the farmhouse, built like furniture, utilizing wood says, pouring his umpteenth cup of From carriage houses in Chester but the jigsaw of timber-framing joinery such as mortise and tenon, coffee at the kitchen table of his rus- County to the Baltimore Museum of joints, the sweet perfume of sawdust, held in place with wooden pegs. tic farmhouse down a country road of Industry; from the Inn at and a collective mindset shared “What we create is a combination near West Grove. Above the catalog Montchanin to porches in among Lofting and his four crafts- of form and function and beauty,” of his company’s working history — Annapolis; and from great rooms in men (called joiners) that seems to Lofting says. “Timber framing is the Hugh Lofting Timber Framing, Inc. Yorklyn to two-story timber frame say, ‘We do one job at a time here.’ simplicity of architecture, and you has been creating timber framing homes in Unionville, Hugh Lofting’s According to a definition by the don’t get that on an assembly line.” since 1974 — it is immediate that vision is in wrapping old word crafts- Timber Frame Business Council, tim- “Timber framing is now more the owner of such ability to create manship around the technology of ber framing is differentiated from tra- evocative of romance and warmth art out of wood has allowed the pic- the modern world, piece of wood by ditional log building and post and tures on the kitchen table to not piece of wood. You will not find alu- beam construction, as it is a special- Continued on Page 29 Leo & Shirley started their new home search with our report “How Best to Buy Your Next Home.” Call (302) 234-5207 and ask for our report “How Best to Buy Your Next Home.” Bill EMAIL: [email protected] FAX: 302-266-6538 OFFICE: 302-239-3000 YOUR PARTNERS IN REAL ESTATE Webster Special Advertising Section - Community News’Your Home - March 22-25, 2005 - Page 29 Wooden cathedrals Continued from Page 27 Each timber is measured, cut and finished by hand at Hugh Lofting than it is of functionality,” says Amy Cornelius, Timber, using Red and White Oak, marketing manager for Hugh Lofting Timber Douglas Fir, Hemlock, Pine and other Framing, Inc. “Our forefathers needed timber types of wood upon request. framing as a place store their wagon, a process of determining what they need and how they could though his grandfather died when get something to perform their need. Now, people Lofting was a small child, the writer’s are accenting a room with timber framing, merely influence was felt all throughout the as an accent or design element of their home.” boy’s childhood. Working with Red and White Oak, Douglas Fir, Lofting’s parents also had a home Hemlock, Pine and other types of wood specified in Montana, “where the Clearwater by their clients, Lofting and his staff use an A to Z meets the Blackfoot,” and from the principle, from initial consultation to time he was nine, the design, cutting and finishing, raising young Lofting began a love and, finally, enclosing the frame. affair with the West that The Lofting team can either work continues to this day. from architectural plans or their in- During his time as a stu- house design staff can develop a set of dent at Montana State architectural and engineering draw- University, Lofting was ings — all based on the client’s ideas. known in local rodeo cir- The design phase can last from three cles as the “Eastern Rodeo weeks to nine months depending on Guy,” and vowed never to the project; the timber is usually problem and I felt, ‘I’ve been here before. I return to the Eastern part of the coun- delivered in eight to ten weeks and should know how to fix this.’” try. the actual construction and raising is Lofting begins to make his way back to the farm “I used to think that was where all usually a two-three-week process. house. It has begun to snow lightly, and there is their weird people lived,” he says. He According to Lofting, the company another project he is in the middle of and there wanted a ranch in Montana. He want- averages two to three projects a are problems to be solved. ed to stay there. month, and though these numbers are Whether or not true artists are born or made — Eventually, however, the restlessness nowhere near what a commercial or whether it is inherited from previous genera- of his sprit remembered the other Place builder can produce over the same tions — is of little consequence to Hugh Lofting. in his life. Without a solid job prospect time period, recent national indicators What matters to him and his staff is that the in sight, Lofting came back home to have pointed to a steady upsurge in artistry of their craft continues to flourish, one Pennsylvania and, inspired by the homeowners who are forgoing the house at a time. European flavor of Chester County’s assembly line of home construction in older homes and his love of Shaker favor of working with small compa- design, began to make furniture while Hugh Lofting Timber Framing Inc. is located on 339 nies like Lofting’s — and having their at the same time working in his uncle’s Lamborntown Road in West Grove. homes warmed by the character of Toughkenamon supply store. Along the Phone: (610) 444-5382. wood. way, Lofting pored through books and Website: www.hughloftingtimberframe.com “The number of timber framing articles on home shows have increased nationally timber fram- to about twenty this year, and they’re ing, and visit- averaging about seven to eight thou- ed architects sand people for each show,” says Scout to learn more Wilkins, executive director of the A lot of Unique things to see about the Timber Frame Council, Hamilton, craft. Montana. “Twenty five years ago, you at Somethings Unique! “I kept ask- had to define what timber framing is. ing everyone, You don’t need to do that anymore.” ‘Why aren’t Since interest in timber framing construction we doing more of this?’” restarted about 25 years ago, Wilkins says she has Lofting says. He grew seen an incredible upsurge in the number of com- tired of blank stares. He panies practicing timber framing, estimating that opened his company there are about 600 timber framing businesses cur- soon after. The artist rently in the United States. was unleashed. The roster of Hugh Lofting Timber Framing Outside the farm- clients extends from California to New York, with house, the onset of the concentration of work being done in Chester another snowfall is min- County, New Caste County, and southern New utes away, seen over the Jersey. farthest ridge of the A life spent bringing out the beauty in wood expansive property. began with a restless boy living in two places. Lofting inspects the Hugh Lofting was born one quarter of a mile miniature farmhouse he from the kitchen table where he talks about his built for his daughter life. Almost from the time he was born, Lofting when she was a small was raised to believe that the terrain of the world child. The tiny house, was divided into two very distinct halves. Here, its’ paint fraying, stands where he was raised, the windy roads of southern near the thatchy brown Chester County scissored through orchards and dust of a vegetable gar- fields and up to the rambling farmhouse where he den in winter. lived with his parents and grandmother. It was a It is difficult to world dotted remind a reluctant artist with the of his or her gift — ask- childhood ing whether there is an imagination organic connection to of invented his or her craft — so the things: question arrives rather Hugh’s reluctantly. grandfather “I can be in another Hugh Lofting part of the shop and was the cre- know whether someone ator of the is chiseling the right Dr. Doolittle way,” Lofting says. “I Store hours: Mon-Fri 9:30am-6pm series of was working in the shop Sat 10am-5pm. Sun 12pm-4pm books, and one day and I came to a Incorporating a timber-framed great room into a conventionally-famed building pro- vides a dramatic architectural statement. This chandelier hangs from such a room, built by Hugh Lofting Timber Framing, at Powder Mill Sq., Greenville 302.426.1950 www.somethingsunique.com the Inn at Montchanin..