True
Square, straight and cut to the plan.
Bones that last.
Residential & CommercialMinnesota Wood Framing Services
A clear plan. A sound frame.A better starting point for the next trade.
Our standard, every wall
Plumb
Walls stand straight up and down.
Level
Plates and floors sit flat.
Verified
Checked before the next crew walks on.
From plan to next trade
Good framing makes the next decision clearer.
Whether you coordinate the job or are building your own property, start with the scope, the drawings and the questions that matter.
For builders
Plan revisions, deliveries, access and handoff details belong in one conversation.
Plan the framing scope →For homeowners
Know what you will see on site, what to ask, and why a frame is more than straight-looking lumber.
Understand framing day →Layout
Confirm the current plans, key dimensions and intended openings before the frame takes shape.
Framing
Coordinate members, connections and trade routes with the project’s drawings and product requirements.
Verification
Review alignment, unresolved details and required inspections before the work is covered.
Handoff
Clarify remaining items, access and readiness so the following trades know what comes next.
Told by the saw: 66 seconds
From standing pine to a finished frame.
The boy who once learned beside his grandfather now raises the ridge in his memory.
For builders
The Frame Is the Promise
Framing is the skeleton every trade after us inherits. If it's off, everyone downstream pays for it.
- The roofer chases a ridge that isn't straight.
- The drywall crew shims walls that aren't flat.
- The plumber cuts around framing that isn't where the plan says.
Our standard, every wall
- TrueSquare, straight and cut to the plan.
- PlumbWalls stand straight up and down.
- LevelPlates and floors sit flat.
- VerifiedChecked before the next crew walks on.
For homeowners
We Speak Your Language
Start with these six essentials, then explore 26 practical guides to framing in Minnesota. Visit the framing guide.
The idea
Raised heels
Lifting the roof framing where it sits on the outside wall, so there's room for full-depth insulation right out to the edge of the attic.
The product
Raised-heel trusses
Roof trusses built taller at the wall, so full-depth attic insulation reaches the outer edge, which helps prevent ice dams and cold edges along your ceilings.
The wall
Double top plate
Two 2x boards stacked along the top of a wall that tie the walls together at the corners and help carry the load from above.
The parts
Framing identification
Studs are the vertical members; plates connect them at the top and bottom. A header spans an opening. This simplified wall diagram identifies parts, not an engineered framing plan.
The material
Treated vs. untreated wood
Preservative-treated lumber is selected for specified exposure conditions; untreated lumber has no added preservative treatment. Check the end tag for the treatment and intended use. Color alone does not prove treatment or suitability.
The measurement
Wood sizes explained
A “2 × 4” is a nominal name. Common dry, surfaced lumber measures 1½ × 3½ inches. Actual dimensions vary with the product, surfacing and moisture condition—check the material specification.
The journey
From Tree to Frame
Forest and mill photographs illustrate the wider timber industry; they do not depict Timberline operations or suppliers. Image acknowledgments
Built to last
The finish gets noticed. The frame makes it possible.
Straight walls and a clean roofline are the visible part. A durable frame also depends on the decisions, connections and protected materials behind them. Here is what those details mean for the home you are building.
Start with a plan that fits the whole house
A wider opening changes more than the view. A beam needs the right supports, and those supports need a clear path to the foundation. Plan-led framing coordinates room layout, structural members, windows and trade routes before a convenient-looking change becomes an expensive surprise. Ask how the current drawings and accepted revisions reach the people doing the work.
Make the connections count
Lumber provides the members; connections make them work together. Sheathing, bracing, hangers and specified fasteners help transfer forces through the building. Their value depends on the complete detail, not how much metal is visible. Ask which connection details apply to your project and how any proposed product substitution is checked before installation.
Build true, plumb and level
Alignment gives the next trades a dependable starting point. Walls, openings and floors need to follow their intended lines and dimensions so windows, doors, cabinets and finishes can fit as designed. Good questions are practical: what has been checked, what remains to be corrected, and when will the framing be ready for the next stage?
Protect the work before it disappears
A dry-looking surface is not the whole moisture story. Storage, weather protection, drying and readiness for enclosure all deserve attention. So do the air-sealing transitions that become difficult to reach later. Before insulation or drywall, ask what remains open, who owns each correction and what approval releases the next layer of work.
The goal is a frame that supports the design and gives the rest of the house a sound starting point. Bring your plans and your questions. A clear conversation about scope, materials and details is a useful place to begin.
Discuss your framing projectExplore the details
Planning & Budget
Cut, Connected and Raised: How a House Frame Takes Shape
From layout lines to standing walls, see what is checked as framing is cut, assembled, connected and brought plumb, level and square.
Roof & StructureWall Bracing and Shear Walls: Why That Short Wall Matters
Big windows and open rooms are possible, but the remaining walls still have work to do when the wind pushes sideways.
Lumber & MaterialsFraming Connectors and Fasteners: Small Parts, Important Jobs
Hangers, straps, anchors and their fasteners are part of the structural system, not optional hardware-store extras.
Cold-Climate PerformanceRain on the Framing: What Needs to Dry Before the Walls Close
A wet jobsite is a reason for a plan, not an automatic demolition order. Here is what homeowners should ask after rain or snow.
Inspections & WalkthroughsThe Minnesota Framing Inspection: What Homeowners Should Expect
Understand the inspection sequence, the documents worth keeping, and what a correction notice means for your project.
Project galleries
The Craft
The saw tells the story.
Every frame starts as a tree and ends as the bones of a building. In between is a crew, a stack of lumber and a set of tools that have barely changed in decades, because they work.
Five nails. One solid board.
Told by the saw: 66 seconds
A boy with a toy saw. A grandfather's hand on pine bark. A teenager's first nail. A wall that's plumb on the first check. The last ridge cut. The saw set down.
Tool philosophy
Five tools. No shortcuts.
Why we reach for these, in plain terms.
Rear-handle saw
A heavy saw with torque behind it holds a straight line. Weight keeps the cut steady.
22 oz hammer
The milled face grips the nail head instead of glancing off. It marks the wood, so it stays on the frame, not the finish work.
Speed square
A square, a protractor and a saw guide in one triangle. A square cut starts here.
Framing nailer
Speed matters on a crew, but it never replaces placement. The nail goes where the plan says.
4-ft level
A wall isn't done because it's standing. It's done when the bubble says so.
Our Story
Framed from the forest.
Built to last.
David's story
It's four in the morning and the rain hasn't stopped since Tuesday. The temperature's dropped into the thirties, and the ground's gone from mud to ice to mud again. Your boots are soaked through by the time you hit the site, and the cold doesn't just bite your hands — it settles into your bones and makes itself at home. The saws are screaming before the sun's even thought about showing up. That high-pitched whine of a circular blade cutting through frozen lumber, the hammer hitting nails like it's got a grudge. And the smell — that's the thing nobody tells you about. Fresh-cut pine and diesel and wet canvas and coffee that's been sitting in a thermos since midnight. It's not pretty. It's honest.
Most people drive past jobs like this and never think twice. They see the frame going up and think, that's just wood. But you know better. You know that every stud has a purpose, every joist is a promise. Somebody's kid is going to sleep in that house someday. Somebody's going to come home from a hard day and walk through that door, and the walls are going to hold because you didn't cut corners when the rain was coming sideways and your fingers were too stiff to feel the pencil.
That's the thing about this work. It's not glamorous. It's not going to make you famous. But it's real, and it's yours, and when you stand back at the end of a long week and look at what you built — straight lines, tight joints, a roof that won't leak — you feel something most people never get to feel. You made the world a little more solid than you found it.
If you're hiring on the lowest bid, we're probably not your crew. But if you want a frame that holds when the weather turns ugly and the years roll by, give us a call. Timberline Framing. Bones that last.
The Timberline film
Contact
Let's talk about your frame.
Builders and homeowners: tell us about the project and we'll get back to you.
Project inquiry
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Services
Wood framing, with the next step in mind.
Tell us what is being built, what is changing and which plans are ready for review.
New construction
Discuss the wall, floor and roof framing scope, the current structural drawings, delivery needs and coordination with the rest of the project.
Additions and remodeling
Existing conditions and transitions deserve early attention. Share what is staying, what is changing and which design questions are still open.
Commercial and residential inquiries are welcome for scope review. Specific services, contracting arrangements, availability and project requirements must be confirmed for your work.
See the work in progress
Explore all project photographs →From plans to handoff
Layout
Confirm the current plans, key dimensions and intended openings before the frame takes shape.
Framing
Coordinate members, connections and trade routes with the project’s drawings and product requirements.
Verification
Review alignment, unresolved details and required inspections before the work is covered.
Handoff
Clarify remaining items, access and readiness so the following trades know what comes next.
For builders
A frame the next trade can work with.
Bring the current drawings, the scope boundaries and the schedule questions. A useful handoff starts before the first delivery.
Get the scope into focus
- Identify the current plan set and accepted revisions.
- Separate framing scope from design decisions and work by other trades.
- Confirm who resolves openings, connection details and proposed substitutions.
Make room for the work
- Discuss delivery access, staging space and protected material storage.
- Coordinate lifting, site access and active work areas with the project lead.
- Share target start windows and dependencies; confirm timing after review.
Coordinate before the next crew arrives
Window and door openings affect installation. Service routes affect mechanical, electrical and plumbing work. Alignment and enclosure readiness affect insulation and finishes. Resolve conflicts through the appropriate project professionals rather than changing structural members to make something fit.
Layout
Confirm the current plans, key dimensions and intended openings before the frame takes shape.
Framing
Coordinate members, connections and trade routes with the project’s drawings and product requirements.
Verification
Review alignment, unresolved details and required inspections before the work is covered.
Handoff
Clarify remaining items, access and readiness so the following trades know what comes next.
One-page planning tool
Framing checklist for builders
A conversation checklist for plans, materials, access and handoff. It is not an inspection record or engineering approval.
Download the builder checklist · PDFUseful before the walkthrough
For homeowners
Know what good framing makes possible.
Your rooms, roofline and future finishes start with decisions you may never see once the walls close.
More than a wall that looks straight
The frame follows a structural plan. Members, supports, bracing and connections work together. A larger opening or moved wall can affect more than the space in front of you.
Why the next trade cares
Correctly coordinated openings help windows and doors fit. Clear routes help the service trades. Drying and enclosure readiness matter before insulation and drywall hide the work.
What to expect on framing day
Expect deliveries, equipment, cutting and changing work areas. Arrange any visit with the project lead. Stay outside active work zones and keep children and pets away from the site. Weather, deliveries and unresolved design questions can change the sequence; ask for an updated plan rather than assuming a fixed duration.
Layout
Confirm the current plans, key dimensions and intended openings before the frame takes shape.
Framing
Coordinate members, connections and trade routes with the project’s drawings and product requirements.
Verification
Review alignment, unresolved details and required inspections before the work is covered.
Handoff
Clarify remaining items, access and readiness so the following trades know what comes next.
Take it to your next conversation
What to expect on framing day
A one-page guide to access, questions and the next stage of work.
Download the framing-day guide · PDFQuestions worth asking
- Which drawings and revisions are being used?
- Who should I speak with before requesting a change?
- What checks and inspections happen before the walls close?
- What still needs to dry, be corrected or be coordinated?
For remodelers
Framing that respects the house you’re working in.
Additions, second stories and reworked floor plans start with what is already there. Bring the drawings, what has been opened up so far and the schedule you are working toward.
Know what’s behind the walls
- Share the current plans and any engineer’s details for beams, headers and posts.
- Flag walls that may be load-bearing before anything is removed; temporary support follows the engineer’s direction.
- Note what has been opened up, what is still hidden and what may change once finishes come off.
Protect the occupied home
- Discuss access, dust control, weather protection and where material can be staged.
- Agree on working hours and how the homeowner’s living space stays usable.
- Share your trade schedule so framing fits between demolition and the next crew.
Tie the new to the old
Existing framing is rarely perfectly plumb, level or square. New walls, floors and roof lines have to meet it cleanly, carry loads the way the drawings show and leave openings sized for the windows and doors that were ordered. When something does not line up, the question goes back to the designer or engineer rather than around them.
Assess
Walk the existing structure against the plans and note conditions that need an answer first.
Support
Follow the drawings for temporary shoring, beams and posts before load paths change.
Frame
Build additions, openings and reconfigured walls to the current plans and product requirements.
Hand off
Confirm openings, inspections and remaining items so finishes can move forward.
One-page planning tool
Framing planning checklist
A conversation checklist for plans, materials, access and handoff. It is not an inspection record or engineering approval.
Download the checklist · PDFUseful before the walkthrough
For developers
Framing planned at the scale of the project.
Multi-home phases, townhomes and commercial wood-frame projects depend on sequence. Bring the plan set, the phasing and the milestones the frame needs to meet.
Line up the plan set
- Share the current drawings, truss and engineered-lumber layouts, and the revision log.
- Identify repeat plans and the differences between them early.
- Confirm who answers questions and approves substitutions on each phase.
Plan the site and the supply
- Discuss building or lot sequence, crane and delivery access, and staging areas.
- Talk through material ordering, weather protection and how deliveries line up with each start.
- Share inspection milestones and the trades that follow framing.
Consistency across every unit
Repeating a plan well means the same layout, connections and openings every time, and catching plan changes before they reach the field. Snow loads, raised-heel trusses and wall bracing are settled in the drawings; framing follows them and raises questions through the project team.
Plan
Review the plan set, phasing and site logistics before the first start.
Stage
Coordinate deliveries and material protection so each start has what it needs.
Frame
Frame each building or unit to the current drawings and product requirements.
Turn over
Close out open items and inspections so the next trades can follow on schedule.
One-page planning tool
Framing planning checklist
A conversation checklist for plans, materials, access and handoff. It is not an inspection record or engineering approval.
Download the checklist · PDF