our farm

Surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains, our family farm has a waterfall, fruit orchards, hiking trails, and black bear. We have ten post and beam and timber frame structures on the property including a covered bridge, syrup boiler shed for making molasses, tractor barn, workshops, small cabins and a timber frame and straw bale combination cabin. Our vision is to integrate into the farm and the surrounding mountain landscape, a small, romantic community of timber frame and post and beam buildings, creating an environment that reveals/expresses/articulates/exhibits craftsmanship and the art of timber frame.

history

The founding of Cowee Mountain Timber Framers goes back to 1993 after Steve Smith returned to his family's 300 acre farm in Western North Carolina.   His passion for timber frame construction was sparked when he bought a sawmill and built his large post and beam home. Five years later all of Steve's experience in home building came to fruition with Cowee Mountain Timber Framers.   Steve employed a more traditional approach to timber framing creating Cowee Mountain's apprenticeship program.

Apprentice cut frames allowed for Cowee Mountain Timber Framers to offer their frames at a lesser cost than that of the larger timber frame companies. Through the school and the low overhead provided by the family farm, CMTF's desire to carry on this traditional craft has been able to answer the call for affordable handcrafted homes. Apprentices come to Cowee Mountain to learn the art of timber framing through hands on experiences. Our frames are cut by driven individuals pursuing thier interest in this established craft.

steve smith

Steve Smith, founder and owner of CMTF, has been in the timber frame business since 1993. Steve has a hands-on perspective concerning his business, still being personally involved in the production and raising process. Steve is also involved in our apprenticeship and workshop programs, providing his years of experience to students and customers alike. He has personally led over 30 workshops and on-site projects including a workshop in Mexico and the production and raising of a frame for a $2 million home in Georgia.

our operation

At Cowee Mountain, our skilled craftsmen, apprentices, and students fashion one frame at a time. We work primarily with green timber, both planed and rough sawn, and can cut frames from a number of wood species including Oak, Eastern White Pine, Yellow Pine, Cypress, Douglas Fir, and Cedar. Our shop can perform chamfering, curved bracing, and other decorative embellishments to your frame. To make our frames cost efficient, our apprenticeship program exchanges labor for education, helping to reduce the labor costs of our frames. Homebuilders/contractors also have the opportunity to have their frames cut at a reduced cost during one of our quarterly workshops and we can also provide on-site timber framing and timber frame trusses for conventional homes. A 56' x 56' timberframe acts as our workshop, providing an inspiring environment for our craftspeople and apprentices.