Timber Frames and Historic Restoration
New Timber Frames, Historic Designs
Fitzgerald's Heavy Timber Construction, Inc., is a full-service timber framing specialist furnishing elegant, cost-effective building solutions by combining traditional craftsmanship and technical innovation. Our core business is the application of heavy timber framing techniques for new timber frame construction and the restoration of historic landmarks. Using both modern equipment and vintage machinery, our dedicated timber framers faithfully reproduce the most complex period joinery and hand hewn finishes. We operate our own "Frick" brand sawmill so we can control the quality and availability of the timbers we use. To remain completely accountable to our client, we furnish complete design, general contracting, and sheet metal roofing services, too. This comprehensive approach enables us to bring efficiency to the design and production of custom post and beam structures.
Historic Restoration and Preservation
FHTC is also a complete historic restoration services contractor, and an EPA Certified Lead-Safe Firm. Throughout our experience we have found that historic building technologies can create unexpected issues for designers and project managers not used to adapting them to modern requirements. We are a complete consulting and contracting company dedicated to helping clients find durable solutions to historic preservation and period construction issues. Make us responsible for the success of the project, and be assured of adherence to costs and schedules from the design stage through the installation of modern mechanical systems. From planning to project completion, our seasoned project management team can help you to control costs, will deliver projects on time, and will ensure that our restorations and new structures alike emulate the work of the master builders of the past. Fitzgerald's Heavy Timber Construction, Inc., works as a subcontractor or general contractor, often producing turn-key projects. We are in this business because we love what we do, and find great satisfaction in leaving behind us a trail of cherished and durable landmarks.
Custom, Traditional Sheet Metal Roofs
Standing seamed metal was the roofing material of choice for all types of structures for more than a century, including barns, churches, covered bridges and public buildings. Its addition to a timber frame structure adds beauty and durability and is reminiscent of the classic historic buildings our founding fathers built. Metal roofing is paintable, lightweight, rigid, and remarkably versatile. It has a lifecycle surpassing one hundred years, if properly maintained. It can be installed on a large variety of surfaces to meet most design requirements. The economics and aesthetics of metal roofing have again become extremely favorable, and we have installed these traditional roofs on high-end custom homes as well as the historic building types already mentioned. Our clients love it and we believe it is a material whose time has come, again. We can install almost any available roofing metal, including copper, terne and steel with only minor variations in labor cost. Our roll-forming equipment can make roof pans on-site that are the full length of the roof "run", allowing us to produce work with no horizontal seams.
"Quality Construction and Preservation that Spans Generations"
We promise that whether your project is historic preservation or new traditional timber frame construction, we have the commitment, experience and specialized resources to ensure durable, cost-effective results. The traditional construction and building restoration methods we practice offer clients superior structures at a far lower lifecycle cost than any now being built. The beautiful and historic architectural legacy bequeathed to us by our predecessors endures today because of the integrity and foresight which they built into it. We promise to continue in their footsteps and to never abandon the standards of craftsmanship and performance which have enabled our historic built heritage to endure so well. With the advantage of a century or two of hindsight, we can sometimes even improve upon the work of the original builders.
Fitzgerald's Heavy Timber Construction, Inc. is proud to participate in a vibrant, ongoing building tradition that mixes old world craftsmanship with modern technologies to create lasting works of art. It is our goal and our promise to restore and build truly beautiful, truly economical buildings. Although our clients predominantly come from Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia, we have traveled as far as Ireland for projects. No job is too large, too small or too far away. Dean Fitzgerald, president of Fitzgerald's Heavy Timber Construction, Inc., is looking forward to hearing about your important historic building project. Call today at 301-898-9340 or e-mail us through this website.

"It is unwise to pay too much, but it is worse to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money...that is all. When you pay too little you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the things it was bought to do. The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot ... it cannot be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder it is well to add something for the risk you run. And if you do that, you will have enough to pay for something better. There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell for a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey." -- John Ruskin
|