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With mortise and tenon joinery, the structural system becomes an integral part of the architectural expression. Exposed beams, braces, and joints articulate the load paths, creating spaces where structure is on display and celebrated. The scale, craftsmanship, and tactile presence of heavy timber establish a spatial richness and aesthetic depth unattainable with conventional light framing.

Liberate your design intent by concentrating loads in posts and beams rather than walls. Window placement, interior layouts, façade composition, and vaulted or trussed roof forms can all be executed without structural compromise. This flexibility makes timber framing ideal for barn homes, rural estates, lodges, and contemporary open-plan residences.

With structural loads carried by the timber frame rather than walls, interiors gain remarkable openness and flexibility. This allows for expansive living spaces, cathedral ceilings, generous glazing, and adaptable floor plans. Historically, timber frames enabled the construction of large halls, barns, and temples, demonstrating their capacity to span significant distances with elegance and strength.

We have a range of truss and barn designs that can conveniently bring character to any project. Handmade here on our farm in Hawke's Bay from locally sourced timber, each structure is tailored to your design specifications, combining functional strength with striking aesthetics.

We source premium logs from Hawke's Bay. The area's dry summers produce famously tight growth rings, resulting in exceptionally strong and durable timber, including Elm, English Oak, Japanese Cedar, Lawson Cypress and Douglas-fir. Offering beautiful grain, durability, and cost-effective alternatives to imported Australian hardwoods.

Our timber frame system allows seamless integration of glazed gable ends into architectural designs. The combination of structural strength with exposed timber aesthetics can enable expansive openings, abundant natural light, and striking architectural statements without compromising performance.

Over the past 20 years, we have undertaken extensive research into alternative timber species that balance natural beauty with compliance under New Zealand’s durability requirements. This work has resulted in an established Durability Statement Document, accepted by councils nationwide, giving architects confidence in specifying our systems.

This enables the use of untreated heart macrocarpa in external applications such as verandas and trusses - achieving both performance and a natural, untreated finish. Douglas-fir can also be utilised where required, with appropriate treatment to meet durability standards.

In addition, our sister company, based on-site, supplies a range of durable, locally suitable cladding options, including Japanese cedar, macrocarpa, and redwood - providing a cohesive material palette across both structure and envelope.

Mortise and tenon joinery has been trusted in architecture for centuries, from Ancient Egypt and Rome to Scandinavian stave churches (pictured) and North American settler barns. When expertly crafted, these tight-fitting joints distribute loads efficiently and resist separation, creating timber frames that are not only strong but built to last - often for hundreds of years, as many historic examples still demonstrate today.

We offer a low-maintenance solution for exterior timber through the application of a specialised salt-based treatment. This promotes a natural greying of the timber while inhibiting fungal and lichen growth.

As a result, beams and cladding can be specified without the need for ongoing oiling or re-staining - significantly reducing lifecycle maintenance and associated costs.

Importantly, the treatment supports a more consistent weathering process, allowing timber to develop an even grey patina across both UV-exposed and more sheltered areas, like under eaves. The result is a cohesive, natural aesthetic that improves with age, without the burden of upkeep.

We manage the entire process from tree to finished frame, making it straightforward for architects like you to incorporate New Zealand’s finest timber into your projects. Working directly with private plantation owners on local farms, we carefully select and harvest sustainably grown trees, prioritising quality, grain, and structural performance.

Once harvested, the timber is milled and graded to precise specifications, ensuring stability, durability, and optimal workability. Using premium species such as English oak and elm - timbers rarely available in New Zealand - we craft each component to the exact requirements of your design, whether modular or bespoke.

This meticulous approach allows architects to fully express their vision, from exposed structural elements to subtle detailing, while benefiting from a reliable, locally sourced supply of exceptional timber. By controlling every step of the process, we ensure consistency, precision, and the ability to bring ambitious, open-span, or glazed designs to life with ease.

Our mortise and tenon joinery - including oak pegs and connections - has been tested in New Zealand, allowing our engineers to accurately assess load capacities for gravity, wind, and seismic conditions.

Timber framing efficiently carries gravity loads, while lateral performance is addressed through a combination of timber diagonal braces and conventional bracing systems (like plasterboard), tailored to site conditions and design requirements.

For alternative construction systems like straw bale or adobe, the timber frame can act as the primary structural and bracing element. In higher wind and seismic zones, this may involve strengthening connections with steel plates, bolts, or screws to meet performance demands.

With over 20 years of experience delivering timber frame homes across New Zealand - including high wind and earthquake-prone regions - and working with councils nationwide, our systems can be confidently integrated into a wide range of architectural projects.

Building with us is an immersive experience - one where both you and your client are invited to be part of the process from the very beginning.

Set on a working farm in Hawke’s Bay (between Taupo and Napier), our workshop is central to this experience. We encourage our clients to spend time here on-site - seeing, up close, how the timber is felled, graded, milled, and crafted specifically for their project.

We also have three handmade mortise and tenon timber frame barn show homes right here on our farm, available to explore, ranging from entry-level through to high-end builds. We invite clients to stay, walk through the spaces, and speak directly with the craftsmen who have been honing their skills here for over 20 years.

For those unable to visit, we maintain that connection by sharing regular photo updates and progress insights, ensuring you remain part of the journey as your frame takes shape.

On-site, you and your clients can:

- View the milling process firsthand
- Explore timber selection and grading
- Gain insight into traditional joinery and modern fabrication
- Build a direct relationship with our team

- Walk through and view up close three completed handmade barn homes

It’s a hands-on, transparent process that brings clarity to construction - and a deeper connection to the finished architecture.