A clearer path from vision
to timber frame reality.
DesignMax is Oakbridge Timber Framing’s proven design process — a guided, collaborative approach that transforms ideas into a fully realized timber frame home before a single timber is cut.
Through artistic renderings, advanced 3D rendering, expert guidance, and intentional decision-making, DesignMax allows you to see, refine, and understand your home long before construction begins.
Step 1
Site Visit
Generally a DesignMax begins on your land. The Oakbridge Planning Team visits your site to understand the unique characteristics that will shape your home.
Areas of consideration:
- Topography, views, and orientation
- Natural features of the property
- How you plan to live on and around the land
- Your lifestyle, preferences, and personal tastes
This step ensures the design responds to the land and your life — not the other way around.
Step 2
Visualizing
With a clear understanding of your site, vision, and wishlist, the creative process begins. An Oakbridge artist uses pen, pencil, and hand-applied color to create custom illustrations that:
- Capture the character and proportions of your home
- Communicate architectural style and overall feel
- Help you visualize your project in a real, personalized way.
These hand-drawn concepts transform ideas into something you can see, discuss, and refine. DesignMax is like getting a suit custom tailored to fit you, rather than buying off the rack.
Step 3
Feedback
DesignMax is intentionally collaborative. You review the drawings and provide feedback, allowing us to:
- Refine layouts and proportions
- Adjust features or details
- Explore ideas and answer questions visually
Ensuring the design aligns with your expectations. This step allows changes to happen early — when flexibility is highest and decisions are easier to make.
Step 4
3D Modeling
Once the design direction is established, your home is developed into a detailed 3D timber frame model. This model allows you to:
- See the timber frame in full detail
- Understand how structure and architecture work together
- Visualize scale, flow, and spatial relationships
- Gain clarity before construction begins
DesignMax combines the warmth of hand-drawn artistry with the precision of modern modeling.
Step 5
Estimating
With the design clearly defined, accurate pricing can be established. Because the scope, structure, and details are understood, pricing at this stage is:
- More transparent
- More accurate
- Based on informed decisions rather than assumptions
This final step gives you confidence in both the design and the investment before moving forward. Estimate includes: Engineering, construction documents, timber frame production and installation, SIPs package, and T&G.