However you plan to use your timber frame pavilion, think carefully about the size of the structure and how much protection from the weather you will need. Design your structure with furnishings and other fixtures in mind. If you want to use your structure in inclement weather, consider the possibility of partially enclosing the structure and adding supplemental heat. Be mindful of the effects of wind-driven rain in sizing and orienting your structure. Consider a screened-in approach, if protection from insects is a concern. The addition of a ceiling fan is a nice feature when the breeze is not blowing in hotter climates. 

At Harmony Timberworks, we are experts in traditional mortise and tenon joinery, but with the industries most capable engineers, we can design and fabricate a system with any kind of timber joinery that you can imagine. Go ahead and cut out some magazine pictures of what you want…If it can be built with heavy timbers, it will be built right by Harmony Timberworks. Contact us today, and let's get started with your project.

It is true that pavilions of all shapes and sizes can be built with conventional wood or steel framing, however only timber frame construction delivers a combination of design flexibility, true character of materials, and enduring beauty and functionality. The more traditional uses of the outdoor pavilion have been as public picnic shelters, community park shelters, and residential gazebos. While Harmony Timberworks has produced numerous examples of these, we have also helped to re-define the idea of the pavilion with some less traditional uses.

One of the more popular choices presently is an outdoor dining structure with an integrated kitchen. Not just a nice masonry BBQ, mind you, but a full kitchen with refrigerator, range, sink, and storage. Furthermore, the outdoor kitchen is a popular concept as an attached, rather than free-standing, structure. Either way, the outdoor kitchen and dining area is an investment worthy of building with heavy timbers.

Another recent trend has been the construction of community shelters in private residential developments, usually as part of a shared "green space" that is available to all members of the neighborhood. Useful for picnics, parties, sales events, and just plain shade, such structures can also help to architecturally unify a development by incorporating design elements that are prevalent in the surrounding homes. The beauty and functionality of heavy timber construction is bound to be popular with the people who use it.

The simple family gazebo of yesterday has given way to the outdoor family shelter of today. How is it different? For one, it is no longer the tiny, "run of the mill" pre-fabricated offering delivered by the local home center. Rather, it is carefully designed, manufactured, and built on site according to the aesthetic and functional goals of its users. No longer just a cozy place to curl up with a book, it is now a place for family and friends to gather and create new memories, while sharing old ones. The residential pavilion of today often includes a stone wood-burning fireplace, and furniture that might otherwise be found inside the home.