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Tucked among the hardwoods in a quiet neighborhood just outside Charlotte, NC in Davidson is a house that leads a double life. The gracious front porch of the pale yellow low-country residence seems made for idling away mild evenings from the comfort of a wooden rocking chair.  The home’s columned front facade and brick stairs blend well with the traditional architecture of the surrounding homes.  But when you walk through the antique front door, you leave the low country far behind.

The substantial wooden beams and intricate joinery bear the unmistakable stamp of a timber framed home designed by Timberframe Carolina.  When most people think of timber frames, they picture walls of windows overlooking a spectacular mountain or lakefront.  This 3,000-square-foot residence artfully demonstrates that timber frames are equally home on a .5 acre lot in a suburban neighborhood.

Kaye and Ben never really considered building anything but a Timberpeg.  They built their first Timberpeg in 1981, selecting from plans the company offered at the time.  “This time around, they began with ideas from a conventional plan they liked, redesigned it to fit their lifestyle, and had it engineered to Timberpeg specs,” explains Bruce Hafley of Timberframe Carolina.

The result is an open floorplan that reflects Kaye and Ben’s informal lifestyle. The centerpiece of the home is a two-story great room that features a remarkable stone fireplace. “It’s a Rumford fireplace - the style dates back to the late 1700’s.  It has a shallow but tall firebox with angled sides that reflect the heat better than modern designs,” Hafley explains.

The floors underfoot are antique heart of pine reclaimed from an abandoned warehouse in Uptown Charlotte.  There are no interior walls hampering the view of the room from the balcony above. “We decided to leave the walls as open as we could to reveal the beams and the fireplace,” Kaye says.  The intricate mission-inspired staircase was built on-site from heart of pine.  Its banister incorporates carefully crafted copper cutouts, while its framework appears to flow through the home’s substantial beams.  Over time, the heart of pine will darken as it’s exposed to UV rays, giving it a deep red patina that will reflect warmly in the glow of the fireplace, Hafley says.

Elsewhere on the first floor, the kitchen features cabinets that were also built on site from the same heart of pine.  The wall cabinets feature glass backs and doors to make the space blend with the adjoining dining room.  “One of the features of a Timberpeg is the openness, we didn’t want a lot of chopped off rooms,” Ben says.

Since the timber frame structure bears the home’s weight, interior walls can easily be eliminated or moved, a fact not lost on the homeowners during construction.  As it was being built, Kaye and Ben borrowed space from the master bedroom to create a luxurious master bath.  

The home’s interior and overall design complement the unique nature of a timber frame.  Since heating and electrical can’t be hidden in the ceiling as in a conventionally framed house, window seats and storage areas were used to conceal the ductwork.  The rafters that normally would be hidden behind drywall create interesting angled walls, and the beams were left visible wherever possible to add architectural interest.

ll in all, the house has surpassed its Kaye and Ben’s expectations.  “I wanted a place that made people say ‘Wow” when they looked at it.  The outside looks very conventional, but the inside is where the magic is with the heart of pine floors and the fireplace.  We’re very happy with it.”