Tag Archives: building kits

Construction, Materials Package, Options, Upgrades

Knife Plates 101: What Are They & Why Do We Use Them?

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We talk a lot about our prefabrication method and, more specifically, the benefits of utilizing our pre-cut heavy timbers for your installation process. However, something we don’t discuss nearly as often as our pre-engineered heavy timbers are what we use to keep our posts looking beautiful over time and protected from moisture build-up and rot — aka knife plates.

Knife plates are steel connection hardware pieces welded to fit seamlessly with our pre-cut heavy timber posts. When used during construction, knife plates create a buffer between our heavy timbers and the structural footing below so any moisture in the foundational concrete can’t easily seep up into the wood. Knife plates also keep our heavy timbers rooted firmly to your foundation, creating a sturdy framework for your structural shell. Additionally, these hardware pieces help keep the connection between your structural concrete and posts hidden so you can enjoy a cleaner look for your exterior framing components. With all these benefits to consider, it’s easy to see why we implement knife plates as part of our process. That said, it’s important to understand some key differences* between our standard knife plates and those we offer as an available upgrade.

*The information listed below applies to exterior installations only. When used for interior applications, our standard knife plates create a clean, seamless appearance for your heavy timber posts. See below for reference:

Our Knife Plate Options & Their Benefits

At DC Structures, we offer two different choices for knife plates — the first being our standard knife plates. Our standard knife plates are powder-coated steel connection pieces that are installed on elevated concrete pedestals poured above your structural footing. These concrete pedestals provide a solid, weatherproof barrier between the ground and posts, making our standard offering a practical option for clients in areas that experience heavy rain and snow.

Our second option, on the other hand, is our horse-friendly knife plates. These are steel connection hardware pieces that are hot-dipped galvanized and powder-coated for maximum protection. The primary difference between this option and our standard is our horse-friendly knife plates are bolted directly into the structural footing and feature an I-shaped design that raises the bottom of our posts to a pre-determined elevation.

One of the reasons why customers like our horse-friendly knife plates is because this option creates a sleek, polished appearance for your posts once your finished surfaces are complete. Instead of resting on concrete pedestals, your posts will appear as though they’re sitting right above your finished surface, providing a seamless look for your exterior. Another advantage to our horse-friendly knife plates is that your crews can install them before adding your surface material. By situating your posts above the area where your finished surface will be, your framing crews can easily map out and complete your drainage, utility hook-ups, and mechanicals before installing your surface material.

Most importantly, our horse-friendly knife plates are a great investment for horse owners and pet owners alike because they offer optimal safety for your animals. Because of the way our horse-friendly knife plates are designed, our clients can use sand, pavers, or other types of horse-safe material for their finished surface. This gives our customers who prefer softer surfaces for their turnout, paddock, or stall areas more leeway in deciding which surface material is best for their horse barn or riding arena project. Additionally, this option means our clients don’t have to worry about their horses tripping or injuring themselves on pesky concrete pedestals surrounding their posts. With your knife plates completely hidden and chew protection added to exposed corners of your posts, you can keep your heavy timbers in great shape and your horses protected from preventable accidents.

The choice between our standard knife plates and horse-friendly knife plates ultimately comes down to your preference. For instance, if you live in an area subject to inclement weather, you may be inclined to choose our standard knife plates as a precaution. Even so, there are plenty of ways that we can make your selection work for you and achieve your desired appearance and function.

Interested in learning more about our standard and horse-friendly knife plates? Be sure to visit our Options & Upgrades page or give us a call at (888) 975-2057 to speak with one of our representatives.

Barn Homes, Lighting, Timber Frame

Choosing the Right Lighting for Your Timber Home

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Lighting is one of the most important design aspects in any home, let alone a timber frame home. When done properly, a well-lit timber home showcases the beautiful exposed beams in your space while setting the mood for each room. Since timber homes feature a complex design unlike that of traditional homes, it’s important to pay attention to the type of lighting that best serves each room in your house and what function it will have. To help you make the most of your timber home investment, here are some tips on how to light your timber frame home in a way that best illuminates the beauty of its all-wood design.

Determine the Best Lighting for Every Room

Every room in your home has a unique function, which means the type of lighting you decide to include in each space should serve a purpose in line with the intended use of that area. Your bedroom, for instance, will have vastly different lighting than your kitchen. For task-oriented rooms like your kitchen or office, we recommend using hanging light fixtures, otherwise known as pendant lighting, to brighten the space. Track lighting can also be extremely helpful, as it gives you the ability to position the lighting over essential food prep areas like your kitchen island.

For rooms where you typically go to relax or rest, use ambient or yellow lighting to create a calming environment that brings out the stunning wood features in the space. If you’re unsure of what lighting to install in your great room, consider adding wrought-iron chandeliers to your living space, as well as wall sconces and recess lighting to highlight the heavy timber accents in your home.

Consider the Design of Your Interior

If you’re looking to design your home with contemporary flair, you’ll likely want to use more built-in lighting such as overhead cans, LED lights, and modern wall sconces. For a more traditional look, pendant lighting and stained-glass table lamps provide a sense of rustic comfort and make any room in a timber home feel like a luxurious mountain retreat.

Be Cognizant of the Placement of Your Lighting

Lighting needs to be strategically placed in order to best serve its function in your home. With this in mind, it’s important to pick out certain focal points in each room that you wish to highlight. For instance, installing lighting on either side of the mirror in your bathroom offers the best light for getting ready, while making the space feel elegant and cozy. Similarly, adding rustic chandeliers to rooms with vaulted ceilings draws attention to the center of the room and makes your living space look and feel more inviting.

Remember Lighting a Timber Home Requires Extra Effort

Because timber homes are designed with an exposed frame, lighting a timber home is a lot more complicated than lighting any traditional home. This is why it’s important to consult with lighting design experts who can give you the best idea of where to place your lighting and what lighting you’ll want to use based on your personal style and taste. Once finished, your lighting should look beautiful and showcase the best aspects of your timber home so it’s crucial to ensure you work with an expert that understands how to properly light your timber home in a way that best accentuates its unique features.

For more lighting recommendations, be sure to visit Timber Home Living for detailed descriptions of the best type of lighting to include in your timber home!

Apartment Barn, Barn Homes, Barn Kits, Barns, Engineered Barn Kit, Garages & Workshops, Materials Package, Post & Beam

What’s the Deal With Barn Kits?

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barn kits

The word ‘barn’ comes with a lot of connotation, and so does the word ‘kit.’ When taken together these two words can make for a negative view of barn kits, and a fundamental misunderstanding of the value they can provide. Further, there’s a tendency to pigeon hole barn kits into a specific category, which makes the broad applications of these versatile structures relatively unexplored.

Building kits can be simply defined as pre-engineered materials packages, consisting of wet-stamped blueprints and the necessary construction materials for a project. These packages are builder-friendly and construction-ready, making it easy for your chosen contractor to turn the kit into the finished product.

Other benefits of barn kits include cost efficiency and sustainability. The process for designing a pre-engineered package helps to minimize unnecessary costs associated with construction projects. Additionally, engineers’ meticulous calculations about which building materials will be needed for the kit make them inherently sustainable due to their lack of wasted or excessive construction materials.

Barn kits range in style, size, price, use and quality, depending on which company you choose to be your barn kit design and assembly partner. The important thing to remember is that not all barn kits are created equal, and some barn kit companies are better suited for the job than others. Ultimately, it comes down to your personal goals for the construction project.

DC Structures specializes in the design and assembly of high-quality barn kits that are easily modified to meet a variety of lifestyle needs. Contrary to what their name suggests, barn kits are not just for livestock. While our flexible selection of barn kit designs are well geared toward horse barns and facilities for other animals, that’s only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to all the barn kit’s possible uses.

Over the years, we’ve helped clients transform our standard kit models into elegant barn homes, practical apartment barns, RV garages, workshops and more. Don’t let the word ‘barn’ throw you off, because our use of the word in this context refers to the stylistic elements of our package designs that pay homage to the classic barn aesthetic. More so, it’s a nod to the post-and-beam construction method that forms the backbone of our signature style.

Post-and-beam barn kits are designed to last for several generations if given proper attention and upkeep over time. In addition to longevity, the use of timber-frame construction methods makes for highly customizable layouts and detailed craftsmanship. This makes DC Structures’ barn kits and objectively better investment than many of the kits being offered by our competitors.

If you’re going to put your money toward something as monumental as a new home, garage, workshop or barn, shouldn’t you feel confident in the return on your investment? If you’re ready to take the first step toward enhancing your lifestyle with a new barn kit design, download our digital catalog for inspiration. Ready to get started today? Request a free quote to get the ball rolling!

Barn Kits, Engineered Barn Kit, Materials Package, Options, Post & Beam, Upgrades

Flexibility for Your Vision: DC Flex Design

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flex design

DC Structures made its name by designing an innovative line of prefabricated post and beam building kits. With a variety of kits ranging in size, price and scope, DC Structures prides itself in the versatility of its offerings. That said, we understand some people won’t always find exactly what they’re looking for in our selection of standard kit models. That’s why we’ve decided to introduce a little bit of flexibility to the process.

If you’ve ever looked through our selection of kits and thought it would be much better suited for your needs with a few adjustments here and there, then DC Structures’ Flex Design process is for you. Flex Design enables you to make structural changes to one of our existing pre-engineered materials packages, including changes to building height and width, as well as custom add-ons and removal of interior posts. This is in addition to the standard options and upgrades, which means even more personalization for your kit.

One of the most common alteration requests we receive from our customers are changes that add more space. Our post and beam construction method is known for creating open spaces and high ceilings, but sometimes customers want to take it a step further. Whether you’re looking to up the ante vertically or horizontally, Flex Design gives you the option to increase the height and/or width of one of our standard kit models. The owners of this barn in Fall City, Washington did just that, and now have plenty of space for their home business.

Another change people inquire about often relates to the positioning of posts within sweeping interior spaces. Post and beam construction already lends itself to spacious, open rooms. That said, sometimes an exposed post can interfere with a customer’s vision for the space. Now, with Flex Design, we are happy to eliminate posts you’d like to give the boot, thereby creating even more drastically open spaces.

Outside of changes that modify the size or interior layout, we oftentimes receive requests for minor custom touches to be added to one of our existing kits. Whether you’re looking for a custom deck like the one on this modified Columbia kit, one-of-a-kind timber framing or anything in between, the design team at DC Structure is happy to accommodate your ideas. Our goal is to design a structure that effectively meets your lifestyle needs, whatever they may be.

If you have a vision for a barn, barn home or equestrian facility you want to add to your property, DC Structures is up to the task. We’ve designed stunning prefabricated structures for clients all over the country, and with the addition of our Flex Design option, we are now equipped to better serve our customers. Request a free quote and start customizing your kit today!

Animals, Barn Kits, Barns, Engineered Barn Kit

From Design to Blueprints: Easy Building Design Process

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easy building design process

When we ask our customers about their experience with DC Structures after the completion of their project, we often hear a similar sentiment—”the process was just so easy!” At DC Structures we take pride in our easy building design process, making every step of our client partnerships as simple as possible. It’s what we refer to as The Process, and what it means is that we will be with you at every step of the way.

The Process begins with you, and figuring out exactly what you’re looking for. If you don’t already have a kit in mind, our project coordinators will collaborate with you one-on-one to narrow down the specific features you want included in your structure. This will allow our design team to identify which of our several pre-fabricated kits will best meet your needs. After that, they’ll walk you through our countless upgrades and options that let you make your kit uniquely your own.

Once you’ve selected your kit and upgrades, our design team will get to work producing your final design and creating the blueprints for your structure. They’ll work closely with your project coordinator to make sure everything you asked for is present in the final design. Once ready, we schedule a final review with you and your contractor to make sure everyone is on the same page before moving forward with your pre-engineered building materials package.

Next, we pre-construct your structure using the finest sourced materials available, and ship the kit to your building site by your desired deadline. But, the process doesn’t end there. As an experienced and innovative construction firm, DC Structures provides building support throughout the construction process.

At DC Structures we understand that building a new barn, home, riding arena or work space is a major investment, and we do everything in our power to make sure you are satisfied with the finished product. Our process, based on principles of communication and customer service, ensures that we are as helpful to our clients as possible, and that your structure is completed with care and craftsmanship. Request a digital catalog today to begin your very own building process with DC Structures.