An Ohio Timber Home's Striking Design

When a custom-home build comes to a close, it’s often hard for the folks involved to pinpoint their favorite thing about the finished product. Not so in the case of Ron Marhofer and his Ohio timber frame.

“My first vision for the house was an impressive timber-framed great room,” he recalls. “From there, everything else was just built off of that.”

Indeed, the show stopping white oak frame paired with the equally stunning view of the northern Ohio landscape creates a beautiful central hub for the house that Ron’s son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren now call home. “It’s a true hybrid design, with a structural frame in the main living space that’s carried out to the home’s exterior,” explains Johnny Miller, co-founder of OakBridge Timber Framing in Loudonville, Ohio. “That large frame with the king post and strut truss system creates a grand feeling that’s really something to see.”

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The rest of the 4,400-square-foot house is conventionally framed, with wings off both sides of the great room housing a first-floor master suite and classic white kitchen. Three more bedrooms, a garage with a second-story bonus space and a spacious walk-out lower level finish off the home.

While Ron was the general contractor on the project (a “hobby” he says he’s picked up over the years), he did work closely with an architect and his daughter-in-law to come up with the light and airy feeling that works so well in the home. “All of the cabinetry, woodwork and trim is a flat, shaker style, which gives the house that Craftsman look,” says Ron. “The white finishes make the house feel even lighter and brighter.

The finishes chosen for the outside of the home, including a blend of gray and brown Cultured Stone, white board-and-batten vinyl siding and gray shake siding, reflect the interior’s classic feel. A spacious deck that’s been partially screened to shield the space from the elements is one of the family’s favorite spaces. “I know they love to sit out on the deck, especially during the cooler months and enjoy the view of the pond.”

For Miller, it all comes back to that great room. “That space is the top for me,” he says. “The unique contrast of the frame with the water right out back — you can sit there and just take it all in.”

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Home Details

Square footage: 4,400

Timber provider: OakBridge Timber Framing