Portfolio
Our Past and Current Residential Building and Framing Projects
Home : Green Building
This grand Bellingham home overlooking the Sound was built green by incorporating Rastra, recycled foam built concrete forms, for the foundation and a living roof. The homeowner general hired Tightline Construction to help him finish this complex project. The flat 2x12 living roof systems will have sloped foam insulation added over the roof sheeting followed by a special waterproof membrane.
After the membrane has been welded tight then a layer of pea gravel will be added, followed by a weed barrier and then some planting soil. Finally the roof will be ready for some native grasses and other low maintenance perennials. Other features of this outstanding home are: a round master bedroom with stick framed roof and a wrap around cantilevered deck, a curving concrete flight of steps to the main entrance, cantilevered steel beam supported front deck, and a half story loft office overlooking the living room/kitchen out to the salt water.
Home : Two Story Addition
This two-story addition to a historical home in Bellingham, overlooking the bay, was a great project for details. The addition design was drawn with a real emphasis on matching the addition to the existing home by using the original roof pitches, exposed rafter tails, matching knee braces, terrazzo floors and even new windows custom built with sash weights in the walls.
We also spent some time fixing some of the long 2X12 old growth barge boards that had soft spots by Z splicing in new sections of old growth fir. I felt like an old time furniture craftsman using such wonderful wood. The general contractor for this project was also the homeowner-- what a great eye for detail.
Home : Single Story New Construction
This single story home in Sumas has nice large windows, vaulted ceilings, two car garage, slab floor and trussed roof system. Our three man crew framed this home in about 7 working days plus another half day for setting the windows. This home was contracted by a general contractor for resale.
Home : Single Story New Construction
This single story home in Sumas has nice large windows, vaulted ceilings, two car garage, slab floor and trussed roof system. Our three man crew framed this home in about 7 working days plus another half day for setting the windows. This home was contracted by a general contractor for resale.
Home : Single Story New Construction
This single story home in Sumas has nice large windows, vaulted ceilings, two-car garage, slab floor and trussed roof system. Our three-man crew framed this home in about 7 working days plus another half day for setting the windows. This home was contracted by a general contractor for resale.
Home : Historic Home Remodel and New Construction
This home was originally planned to be an addition to a Sumas farmhouse. After finding crumbling concrete, the homeowner general decided to level the entire home and then start over with the same historic shape along with a large garage including a bonus room. Half of the home is built with a truss roof, the other half is stick built. The front porch seems to have lent it self well to relaxing on wicker furniture after a hard day on the farm.
Outbuilding : Fancy Chicken Coop - New Construction
Tightline Construction built this deluxe chicken coop from the concrete to the siding. We even built the gate and clipped a few wings just for a change of pace. The homeowners have dubbed this structure the "Pollo Palace" So far the new occupants have been quite happy not saying a peep… well, ok, they peep a lot, but they are quite happy.
Outbuilding : Rustic Chicken Coop - New Construction With Recycled Materials
This is a great little Everson/Sumas home for a batch of egg laying machines. Thanks to the Re-store and some salvaged fence boards, this chicken coop was built with at least half recycled materials. Tightline Construction usually builds with new materials, though we can build with whatever materials you would like us to.
Home : Lake Whatcom New Construction
With a powerful view over Lake Whatcom this home boasts over 4000 square feet of space including timber framed truss work over each entrance and in the living room. ¾ of the complex roof system is made with pre-fabricated truss', the rest is 2X12 rafters. Notice the 5-sided rooms jutting out from either side of the main gable section of the house. The sealed back deck has floating cedar decking built in modular units for removal and cleaning.
All of the metal brackets on the timber frame trusses were designed and installed by Tightline Construction also. The husband and wife homeowners, with the help of a general contractor, did a spectacular job planning and implementing all of their visions to create one of the most comfortable homes you will ever visit.
Home : Sun Room Addition - Bellingham, WA
This addition of a sun-room to the back of a Bellingham home adds some much needed space and a wonderful room to relax in after a long day at work. Most of the hard work was spent making sure that the new addition meshed seamlessly with the old home to ensure a great look and feel upon completion. This addition was built by a general contractor that does mostly remodeling and calls upon Tightline Construction for his new framing needs. They think the sunroom was added to bring more light into the house, but we know it's really to be able to see the spectacular flower beds from inside the house.
Home : Lake Whatcom Residence New Construction - Bellingham, WA
Built right next to Lake Whatcom, this Bellingham home brings a crisp modern feel to a large residential house. This house has two stories and a three-car garage with a large bonus room above. The roof system of the house is manufactured trusses and the section above the garage is a beam and rafter roof with a shed dormer and a gabled dormer. The living room ceilings are two stories tall with plenty of glass to take in the view from the lake. With lumber and material costs such a important part of home building, we were always trying to use our supplies as efficiently as possible. The homeowner general did an excellent job keeping things flowing smoothly while she juggled the kids, tools, and volunteer work at school.
Home : Three-Story New Construction
This three story Bellingham home has all the charm of a older house with the strength and usability of a new home. Officially a remodel, (one wall remaining) this new home has two floors of living space plus a bonus room office in the third floor. We fought through a rough patch of weather to frame this great place, if it wasn't one of two huge windstorms, it was the foot of snow that came when the truss package was delivered. The homeowner general did a great job salvaging wood from the old house to mill into trim and cabinets for the new home. All of the other usable materials from the old house were donated to Bellingham's Re-Store. Tightline Construction also built the front and back deck and it's railing.
Home : Duplex - Repair and New Construction
Originally hired by a large framing contractor to come in and repair some floor framing by a previous crew, Tightline Construction then completed the left side of this duplex while a separate framing crew worked on the left side. This duplex was one of thousands built by a nationwide home seller. Each home came in bundles of lumber each labeled and laser inscribed with its wall and location; "paint by numbers" framing style.
This method of framing was invented by nation-wide homebuilders to replicate homes with very little waste and very little labor cost. We found that trouble shooting and problem solving to be very important as the home kits rarely had the correct amount of pieces and replacement parts for sub par lumber were difficult to obtain. In the end, we were able to build a very sturdy duplex in a nice quiet neighborhood.
Home : Country Style Home New Construction - Custer, WA
Situated in the trees, this Custer house with its prow gable living room, makes a great place to live. The homeowner general (and cabinet maker) added his own touch to the framing of this home by cutting the front porch beams into soft routered arches giving the front of this house a nice craftsman touch. The stick framed living room roof ties in with a large open hipped roof truss system, including a Dutch gable over the three-car garage. Many of this home's closets were built-ins made by the homeowner with the precision of a watchmaker.
Home : Daylight Basement One-Story New Construction
Situated in the trees, this Custer house with its prow gable living room, makes a great place to live. The homeowner general (and cabinet maker) added his own touch to the framing of this home by cutting the front porch beams into soft routered arches giving the front of this house a nice craftsman touch. The stick framed living room roof ties in with a large open hipped roof truss system, including a Dutch gable over the three-car garage. Many of this home's closets were built-ins made by the homeowner with the precision of a watchmaker.
Condo : New Construction
Tightline Construction was part of a small army of framing crews working on 2 new condo buildings in Bellingham. We built two units on the main floor, 18 flights of stairs, and all of the window and door awnings for both buildings, plus a couple of mechanical rooms. Each awning was built on the ground and installed using a lift to ensure the quality of each individual piece. When working on a project of this size we kept safety at the top of our list due to the amount of activity and commotion at such a large job site.
This is one of the few chances for us to work with other framing crews from different companies. It was a great chance to learn some new tricks of the trade and teach a few too. Framing something over and over production style gives us a place to hone our efficiency and quality to a sharp point.
Home : New Construction - Lynden, WA
Backed up against the Airport in Lynden this two-story home is a dream for the aviator. The trussed roof system helps add a complex line to the top of this high quality spec. home. Plenty of windows and a grand stairway with a skylight add to the nice comfortable feel of this home. The three-car garage is balanced by the double post front porch and entry. This home was built by Tightline Construction as a spec. home for a local general contractor.
Home : New Construction - Lynden, WA
This nice Lynden home has a tall entry with a smooth transition into a roomy living space. The two-car garage has a nice office above in the bonus room that is attached to the second floor of the house. The roof system is made of trusses and over-framing. This home was built by Tightline Construction as a spec. home for a local general contractor.
Home : Addition and Remodel - Bellingham, WA
This smooth Bellingham addition/remodel has kept the form of a historic home while giving the function of a new construction project. The left side of this house is the addition and the upstairs shed dormer with attached gabled dormer is part of the new remodeled look. Tightline Construction worked along side of this homeowner general to keep his project moving along quickly avoiding weather damage while the house was open to the elements. The entire roof system is stick built helping to give the upstairs rooms more height and character while blending the new construction to the existing.
Home : One-Story Home New Construction - Bellingham, WA
Just outside of Bellingham in the county, this single-story home was built by Tightline Construction for a married homeowner general team. This home was their first shot at being general contractors. With sheer determination and hard work these two did a super job making this project come to fruition. The roof system of this home is built using vaulted trusses and high ceilings. The open living-room flows into the kitchen and hallway by going under massive reclaimed timber headers.
The view of Mount Baker and the surrounding pasture is unavoidable with the nice large windows placed centrally in each room. Tightline Construction also did all of the rough framing for the two decks attached to this home.
Deck : Wheelchair Access - Bellingham, WA
An elderly couple called us to rebuild the front porch on their Bellingham home. The old porch was beginning to decay with time and exposure. After the homeowner removed the old porch, we went to work setting new post piers and a small concrete landing for the ramp section. Using a small handmade set of plans drawn up by the owner, we built this sturdy and safe porch with the addition of a ramp for better access as the owners were not as agile as in the past. Pressure treated posts and cedar decking, railing, and skirt boards were used to ensure that this porch will last for many years to come.
The homeowner did a great job staining the cedar. She does good work. Tightline Construction can always do the demolition and removal of old structures before starting new projects, though it may be a great place for homeowners to save money.
Home : One-Story Home New Construction - Bellingham, WA
This custom home overlooking Lake Whatcom was built by Tightline Construction for a general contractor. The home features a large open living room with attached kitchen, a bonus room office with a small dog house style dormer, over the two-car garage and a nice clean roof line built with trusses and over-framing. The back of the house also has an attached dog kennel with doggie door entrance into a grooming room off of the garage. Those pooches are living in the lap of luxury, and so are the owners.
Home : Two-Story Home New Construction - Sumas, WA
Tightline Construction built this custom home in the Sumas/Everson area. The large open living room with over 20 ft. ceilings were possible by building the front gable wall first with a steel moment frame and then wood framing inside the steel framework to make the window openings. The ridge down the middle of this home is built with an 10 by 24 glulam that spans the entire depth of the house. The beam was split once on a steel post in the center. The center portion of the home has a stick built roof attached to the big glulam. The roof on either side of the stick framing is made with trusses and then over-framed to complete the entire roofline.
When walking in the main door, your view out the front windows is unobstructed due to some tricky beam loading that spreads the upper floor loft's weight away from the main entrance. After the cedar siding and dental work on the trim was added, you get the feel of a rustic lodge when approaching this house.
Garage/Shop : New Construction - Sumas, WA
This simple Sumas/Everson shop was built with bonus trusses to add some office space on the second floor. A wooden chimney chase was incorporated into the roof to make room for the woodstove pipe. One bathroom and a set of stairs were added to the interior. Plenty of work will get done in this shop.
Home : New Construction - Custer, WA
Built by Tightline Construction for a homeowner general, this Custom home in Custer has a grand entrance with high ceilings, two-car garage, and a tall open living room. The hipped roof is made from trusses and over-framing with a large hidden cricket behind the garage peak. The homeowner (a stone mason) did all of the rockwork around the house.
