Timber Frame Window - Hull Millwork, LLC
The key to creating traditional architecture lies in historically accurate details that look authentic but are a seamless fit for life in the 21st century. There are, of course, always compromises to make the centuries meld, something Hull Millwork has been doing for three decades.
In the case of a new-construction early-1800s farmstead, however, the company got the rare opportunity to pull out all the historic stops.
The Texas farmstead, designed to look as though structures were added over time, has a main clapboard house plus two later-looking additions—a barn/garage and a guest house—that are modeled after early 19th-century stone structures common in Pennsylvania.
“The whole has a rambling character,” says Brent Hull, owner and founder of Texas-based Hull Millwork. “We always talk to our clients and make suggestions that are filtered through a historic lens. Typically, people go for about 20 percent of our suggestions, but this client responded to the historic opportunity and wanted to do all of them, which made things challenging.”
This is particularly apparent in the windows Hull Millwork designed and fabricated.
During the early 1800s, window openings were not always supported by stone arches and keystones, but often by large timber frames. These frames, built with mortise and tenon joinery, were not fastened with nails and screws. Often as well, these historic windows were not operable or double hung but rather single hung with a sash that might be held open with a peg or short stick.
The heavy-timber window frames Hull designed and made are historically accurate up to a point. Although they feature mortise and tenon joinery and are pegged together to ensure stability, the side timbers were hollowed out to allow for a traditional weight pocket with brass pulleys and iron weights, and the sills were hewn and sloped to shed water.
The wavy glass panes are divided into muntins, creating a striking contrast with the massive frames.
“We did two styles of windows in white oak, which is long lasting,” says Hull. “The ones in the clapboard section of the house sit proud—they project two to three inches, while the ones in the stone additions are recessed.”
Hull Millwork’s custom hand-built windows, historic, beautiful, and made to last for generations, contribute to the architectural authenticity of the farmstead.
“The project challenged our designers and craftsmen,” Hull says. “The final execution is unique.” Although seemingly simple, the judges applaud the preciseness of the even the smallest detail. TB
Key Suppliers
Window Designer and Fabricator
Window Glass
Window Hardware
Design
Heritage Design Studio; Shavawn’s Design and Details
