Photos by Kris Miller, courtesy OakBridge Timber Framing
At OakBridge Timber Framing in Loudonville, Ohio, business is a family affair. Three generations of owner Johnny Miller’s family currently contribute to the operations, and the fourth, Johnny reports, simply can’t wait to be old enough to join. Like many growing families, OakBridge found themselves running out room after nearly 40 years in business and 27 in their most recent location. It was time for a fresh space.
“We were either going to have to do some drastic changes on the [current] farm to get enough space or find an updated space where we could all work together. In the past, we’ve always had our woodshop and offices apart. This was an opportunity to bring the two together and become even more efficient,” explains Johnny.
Luckily, this family knows a thing or two about building and design. In December 2022, the team broke ground on seven acres (on what happens to be one of Johnny’s daughter’s farms), and one year and three days later, the new OakBridge facility was complete.
Inside, each office has been outfitted with a different scheme. Various combinations of timber styles, wood species and finishing details showcase the all the different possibilities homeowners can choose from.
“Clients come in and say, ‘Oh, I like dark timbers with light tongue and groove overhead.’ But then maybe they decide on the opposite after walking to the next office, where there are natural timbers and dark tongue and groove,” says Johnny.
It’s also a way for people to grasp the scale of room sizes and how materials or furnishings can impact that. On a typical tour, after visiting the offices, prospective clients will ascend a timber staircase to an observation room overlooking the woodshop where they can watch the team at work (like Johnny’s 85-year-old father, who is OakBridge’s master craftsman). Next, inside the woodshop, visitors get up close and personal with the wood. “It’s nice to get in there and touch and smell the wood – it’s just a really fun process for everyone.”
After that, clients who are ready to build can post up in a conference room or office with the OakBridge team to dig into sketches, ideas and design details.
Even on the exterior, Hardie plank siding over SIP panels and a large porch helps visitors envision the possibilities for their own home. Inside, details like radiant in-floor heating and an industrial-esque windmill fan immerses clients in the subtle elements that make custom timber frame homes so alluring. Even the kitchen is a showcase of selections from which a client may choose, from cabinetry styles to colors.
“We’ve only been here for two months, and already, we have clients come in and say, ‘Oh, that’s exactly the kitchen I’m looking to do,’” says Johnny. “And that was the goal with this new campus: to help clients figure out what they do and don’t like. Being able to see it all in person is just really, really helpful — and fun.”
Plan your own visit and learn more at Oakbridge's website.
