Seasonal Maintenance Tips for Your Outdoor Timber Frame Structure
When it comes to your outdoor structures, you want the best. Whether it’s a pavilion that’s large enough for events, a roof over your outdoor kitchen, a pergola in the garden, or a poolside cabana, you have no interest in flimsy construction. That’s why you invested in the best construction option out there: timber framing.
And boy, did it pay off!
Your outdoor structure is stunning. Better than you dreamed of. But it makes you wonder—what’s the best way to care for and maintain your timber frame structure so it lasts for generations?
At Tuscarara Timber Frame, we’ve been making custom timber frame structures for over 18 years. We know how important it is, not just to create things with meticulous attention to detail, but to maintain them with the care they deserve.
Today, we’ll walk you through seasonal maintenance tips for your outdoor timber frame structure, so you can protect the beautiful timbers from the ravaging elements.
TL;DR - Seasonal Maintenance Tips for Your Outdoor Timber Frame Structure
- Spring: Clean the structure, inspect for cracks or damage, fix issues, and reapply stain/sealant if needed.
- Summer: Finish any skipped spring tasks and trim back weeds or vines to protect the wood.
- Fall: Clear fallen leaves/branches, check for UV damage, and make repairs before winter.
- Winter: Monitor snow loads (clear at 6–12 inches), check for storm damage, and remove ice carefully.
Keep reading for more details about how to develop a good maintenance routine for your timber frame structure.
What Makes Timber Frame Structures Special?
Timber framing is a building method that goes back thousands of years. Instead of using modern dimensional lumber with nails, bolts, and fasteners that can rust or otherwise deteriorate over time, timber framing uses heavy timbers joined with traditional joinery methods. Specifically:
What does that mean?
Not only does timber framing provide a gorgeous, majestic frame, but it also distributes the load evenly, making the entire structure robust and secure. (And if you want to know more, we’ve written a blog about how timber framing compares to other construction methods!)
In general, timber framing is a low-maintenance framing option. Its strength means it won’t deteriorate easily, and it has no metal parts that might bend and corrode. Still, it’s made of wood. Although well-built wooden structures have been known to last over 1,000 years, wood is still susceptible to rot, insect damage, water damage, and UV damage.
That’s why it’s crucial to maintain your outdoor timber-frame structure, whose beams are exposed to the elements!
Let’s break down how to do that, season by season.
Spring Maintenance Tips
After months of winter, the warm sunshine breaks through. Tulips and daffodils spring up from the earth. After a winter hibernation, it’s time to prepare your property for brighter days ahead.
And that includes your timber frame structures.
Winter is the harshest month, so spring is a fantastic time to check over the structure, fix any damage, and make sure it’s ready for the long, warm days ahead, when you’ll live outdoors as much as you can.
1. Clean the Structure
Dirt and mildew may have accumulated over the winter, so start with a good spring cleaning! First, clear any debris that may have accumulated on the roof, around the posts, or in the gutters. Then, wash your structure with a mild soap or wood cleaner.
2. Check for Damage
After cleaning, check over your structure and see if it’s sustained damage. Look for:
- Posts – cracks and splits in the wood
- Roof – missing shingles or damaged flashing
- Foundation – settling, cracks, or erosion
- Drainage – look for pooling water
3. Address Issues Promptly
If you do notice issues, address them promptly. To fix them, you may have to:
- Fill small cracks in the wood with wood filler
- Replace shingles or damaged flashing
- Fill small cracks in the foundation or flooring with concrete filler or polymeric sand
- Consider slabjacking sunken concrete
- Add gravel to eroded areas
- Install better drainage systems
4. Call an Expert for Major Structural Issues
Although most repairs are fairly simple—you can fix them yourself or call a local handyman—keep an eye out for major structural issues that require the attention of a timber frame professional or structural engineer. This may include:
- Large splits or cracks that are wider than 1/4th of the timber’s thickness or run deep through the beam, especially if these cracks are near joins
- Cracks in the foundation that could undermine stability
5. Reapply Protective Coating If Needed
Your structure will need to be periodically stained and sealed to protect it from rain, UV light, and everything else.
If the finish looks worn, if the color is graying, or if the structure looks dingy and faded, it’s probably time to re-stain, and if water soaks into the wood instead of beading up, consider adding a sealant.
Summer Maintenance Tips
Ah, summer—the season of weddings, backyard barbeques, and whole days of unstructured play for your children. Your pavilion gets lots of use in summer, which is why you want to get your maintenance done in the spring if possible.
That leaves you with a gorgeous pavilion to use all summer long, virtually maintenance-free!
However, there are a couple of things you should keep in mind during the summer:
1. Complete any Spring Maintenance Tasks You Skipped
We get it—spring can be busy, with unpredictable weather. If some of the spring maintenance tasks remain unfinished, early summer works fine too.
2. Trim Back Foiliage
Weeds and climbing vines can damage the wood over time by retaining moisture, working their way into cracks and joints, and attracting insects. Be sure to keep weeds, vines, and other foliage trimmed back from your timber frame structure over the summer.
Fall Maintenance Tips
As the weather cools and the trees change color, you’ll still find plenty of uses for your outdoor structure. Maybe it will host a family wedding under vibrant trees, provide a cozy space to cook outdoors with friends, or shelter you as you soak in your hot tub.
But even though fall is many people’s favorite time to be outdoors, winter is coming, and that means you need to ensure your structure is in good shape for the harshest season.
Here is a maintenance checklist for fall:
1. Clear Leaves and Debris
Leaves, branches, nuts, and other debris will fall from the trees and collect around your timber frame structure during the fall. Make sure to clear debris before it retains moisture and causes damage. In particular, clear the roof, gutters, and around the post bases.
2. Check for Issues, Especially UV Damage
Before winter rolls in, it’s a good idea to check over your structure again, as you did in the spring. Although summer isn’t harsh on your structure the way winter is, the UV rays may have faded or deteriorated your stain or sealant, so keep a particular eye out for that and reapply as needed.
3. Make Everything Ship-Shape for Winter
Address any issues you find before winter storms roll in and make them worse!
Winter Maintenance Tips
Winter is usually the time to pack up the outdoor furniture and let your structure hibernate until spring. That’s not to say you’ll never use it. It might be the perfect place to set up the hot chocolate station on a sledding day—especially if there’s an outdoor fireplace in your timber frame pavilion!
But most of the time, your structure will take a break. But just because it’s out of sight shouldn’t mean it’s out of mind. If any drastic weather happens, be sure to check your pavilion afterwards to fix any damage as soon as possible!
Here’s the list of winter maintenance tasks you should keep in mind for your timber frame Pavilion:
1. Monitor the Snow Load
Don’t let snow pile up on the roof. If it gets more than 6-12 inches deep, clean it off.
2. Check on the Structure after Storms
Look for wind damage, ice buildup, or fallen branches, and take care of the issues as needed. If ice is building up on your pavilion, try to knock it off carefully, since large sheets of ice can damage the roof surface or loosen shingles.
If ice dams form and trap melting snow, water can seep under the roofing and cause leaks or rot.
Year-Round Best Practices
Although this guide gives you an idea of what maintenance tasks you’ll do each season, it’s not set in stone. Based on your schedule and the local climate, you will probably develop a maintenance routine that differs slightly from the one spelled out here.
With that in mind, we’d like to leave you with some final tips—general things to keep in mind as you work out a maintenance plan.
1. Make a Habit of Inspection
Whether once a year, twice a year, or every season, the most important thing you can do for your timber frame structure is make a habit of looking it over. That way, if an issue crops up, you’ll see it immediately before it becomes a much bigger problem.
2. Fix issues promptly
In the same vein, if you see an issue, you should immediately make a plan to fix it—or at least keep an eye on it.
3. Call a professional
If you see an issue that’s beyond your ability to fix, want a second opinion, or just want to make sure the fix is done correctly and professionally, it’s a good idea to call in an expert.
This is especially true if you suspect that the structural integrity may be compromised!
4. Keep a log
Finally, keep a notebook or spreadsheet of when you add stains, sealants, hire professional maintenance, etc. That will help you develop good maintenance habits and plan for the future.
Printable Checklist
Spring:
- Clean the Structure
- Check for Damage: Posts, Roof, Foundation, and Drainage
- Address Issues Promptly
- Call a Professional for Major Structural Issues
- Apply Stain or Sealant as Needed
Summer:
- Complete any Spring Maintenance Tasks You Skipped
- Trim Back Foiliage
Fall
- Clear Leaves and Debris
- Check for Issues, Especially UV Damage
- Make Everything Ship-Shape for Winter
Winter
- Monitor Snow Load
- Check on Structure After Storms
Where to Find Timber Frame Structures
Are you looking for an expert timber frame builder to construct an outdoor pavilion, pool cabana, event space, or similar structure?
If you live in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, or New England, consider hiring the talented, detailed, hardworking builders at Tuscarora Timber Frame!
Our team of seasoned artisans and innovative designers would love to use our years of experience to construct the building you dream of.
Besides our custom pavilions and outdoor structures, we also build:
- Timber frame homes
- Timber frame barns
- Commercial timber frame projects
- Timber frame renovations and additions
Contact us today for a meaningful conversation about your vision!