Building Traditions

I just wanted to brag on my brothers a little--Whit and Gabel Holder. As some of you know, they began their own timber-framing company 9 years ago—Holder Brothers Timber Frames. They worked hard at honing their skills, producing unique, superior work and building their business, and have formed a highly reputable name for themselves in the timber framing world. In fact Whit was just elected to serve a three year term on the Board of Directors for the Timber Framers' Guild. Needless to say, I am VERY proud of them and admire them so much for doing what they love and being so good at it.

So, here's a little more about what they do...

They design, build, and repair residential, commercial, and historic timber frame structures throughout the Southeast, specializing in unique projects that require uncommon skills, hard-to-find materials, and challenging logistics. Their workshop is in Monroe, GA, just down the street from where we grew up, and from there they've built timber frames in medieval, colonial, 19th century, and contemporary styles. (From their website: http://www.holderbros.com/)

Here is a sampling of some of their work...

In 2006, they built this historic reproduction of a seventeenth century colonial slaves quarters for the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism. It is built on the original site of the English colony of Charles Towne in Charleston, South Carolina.

They built this Gothic-inspired heavy timber truss system in Paul The Apostle Catholic Church in Cleveland, Georgia, for the Archdiocese of Atlanta.

Built entirely of white oak, this home is a timber frame reproduction of a sixteenth century English cottage.

This is a residence they built in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, modeled after barn framing that was typical in the 1800's.

They just finished repairing a historic hand-hewn log cabin believed to have been built in the late 1700’s, located at Sesquicentennial State Park in Columbia, South Carolina. The work involves replacing several of the cabin's wall logs with newly hand hewn yellow pine logs. All of their carpentry work is done with the same kinds of tools and building methods that were used for this type of home during the 18th century. You can read more about their work in this article that came out a couple of weeks ago in The State, South Carolina’s largest newspaper: http://www.thestate.com/local/story/341501.html

And one of the most exciting opportunities for them is their upcoming appearance on the History Channel. A few weeks ago, a film crew came out to their shop to interview and shoot some footage of them in action, focusing on the use of axes in their work. My brothers were recognized because of their skill and their use of period-appriate tools for each project. The show will be part of the Modern Marvels series and is scheduled to air sometime in May.

It's so awesome to see the work they have done and the opportunities that they have had, and I am excited to see them succeed and excel on so many levels. I love you, bros!