Timber House
The Timber House is a comprehensive renovation of a 120-year-old, three-story wood-framed townhouse in South Slope, Brooklyn. Our team transformed it into a warm, energy-efficient, and environmentally responsible home for modern life.
Photography by BlueSlateFilms and reBuild Workshop
The Plan
The 16-foot-wide townhouse needed to be reconfigured for a single family. We organized private functions — sleeping areas and a home office — on the lower and upper levels, while the primary living and dining spaces occupy the second-floor parlor level. The interior was tailored to the owners’ specific programmatic needs, yet remains flexible enough to accommodate a variety of future living scenarios. At the parlor level, the design prioritizes daylight and a strong visual and functional connection between indoors and outdoors, taking full advantage of the generous rear yard.
We selected timber as the primary material for its sustainability, versatility, and inherent warmth. It is used throughout the project — from new structural framing to pre-finished hardwood flooring, custom white-oak kitchen millwork, doors and windows, interior stairs and railings, as well as the exterior cedar fence and deck.
Sustainability
Sustainability was a central driver of the project. We converted the house to an all-electric system, eliminating natural gas entirely, and paired it with a rooftop solar array that supplies the majority of the home’s energy needs throughout the year.
High-performance windows and a carefully air-sealed, heavily insulated envelope at the exterior walls and roof further reduce energy demand. High-efficiency heat-pump systems provide heating, cooling, and domestic hot water, while an induction cooktop, energy-efficient electric appliances, and LED lighting complete the low-carbon interior.
