We established Heartwood in 1978 to teach the skills and knowledge it takes to build an energy-efficient house. Since that time, we have expanded our programs to include all aspects of the homebuilding crafts, particularly timber framing. We have also learned that the people who come to Heartwood, varied as they are, together share a clear determination to empower their hands, to train their eyes for quality and beauty in the design of things, and to question and explore the ways we might live in a more honest relation with our planet.
Since our founding in 1978, Heartwood students have built dozens of houses, additions, cabins and other projects in the Berkshires and around the world. Our focus over the past three decades has been on timber framing and related homebuilding crafts. In 2020 the Timber Framers Guild, a non-profit educational organization dedicated to the art and science of timber framing, will assume ownership of the Heartwood program while maintaining the same campus, curriculum and excellent instructional team that has sustained us since we began.
In our Timber Framing, Cruck Framing and Scribing hands-on courses we actually build timber frames with all of the joinery one would find in a typical house. The projects are smaller, though, to guarantee that we will be able to go through the process from start-to-finish and give everyone a chance to try different joinery. Our timber framing class projects are usually sold ahead of time, but occasionally we have one or two timber frames that are still available at the last minute. We also like to plan in advance, so if you've ever wanted a timber frame now is your chance to reserve one for the future.