Portico Timber Frame Construction

The village of Dorset sits on the shores of the beautiful Lake of Bays, and is home to one of the Haliburton Highlands most innovative businesses. Portico Timber Frames Construction is owned and operated by Brad and Elizabeth Johnson. On their Highway 35 property they operate a series of businesses under the Portico umbrella, each of which is innovative and creative.

Brad’s family has cottaged in the Highlands since 1947, but it wasn’t until the 1990s that Brad, Elizabeth, and their children decided to leave Guelph and make the permanent move to the county. While Brad had an employment history in the science industries, he began to work as a contractor when he arrived in Dorset. At the same time, Elizabeth worked as a teacher at the local elementary schools. After working as a general contractor for a decade, Brad created Portico Timber Frames Construction with Elizabeth.

“We’re primarily a timber framing company,” Brad said. “Timber framing means we use heavy timber beams and posts to create a supporting structure that is visible from within buildings.” While there are many carpenters and general contractors in the Highlands, there are few timber framers. Therefore, opening a timber frame business had a degree of risk, but after many years of successful business, it is evident that it has paid off.

Using the knowledge he amassed when previously working as an engineer, Brad is able to design and construct timber frames that bring a profound sense of elegance and grace to a home. Vaulted cathedral ceilings, proud entranceways, and beautiful white pine timber make the homes constructed by Portico true works of art.

Aside from the beauty of timber frames, it was precision that attracted Brad to the industry. “Timber framing is a high end form of construction that demands a lot of skill and precision. I have a background in engineering, so I found this very appealing. I also find timber framing very satisfying, because I have a love of joinery. I love solving equations to make pieces of wood fit together properly.” To help design their frames, Portico uses a high tech computer software system that builds models in a 3D analysis environment. “The computer software isn’t common around here,” Brad said. “It helps a lot with our designs, and also acts as a great selling tool. Customers really like being able to see what they’re buying before it’s even been built.”

Portico Timber Frames currently employs a staff of nine, who work both at the Portico shop where the frames are designed and constructed, and on location where the frames are assembled and the homes are built. The Portico shop on Highway 35 is not limited to timber framers, however, as the Johnson’s operate a number of projects on the location.

This summer Brad and Elizabeth’s daughter Sarah Jane is opening her own pizza shop in a building attached to the Portico shop. The restaurant is called Pizza on Earth. “I’m currently attending university, but I wanted a summer job that had something to do with food service. I love to bake and serve people, and I realized that Dorset needed a place to buy pizza. So why not open a pizza shop,” Sarah Jane said.

Realizing that she needed to offer more than just pizza to attract customers, Sarah-Jane decided to build an Italian outdoor clay oven with her Dad. “All of the pizzas will be cooked in the oven, and will be wood fired. Not only does this allow me to create a thin crust, Italian styled pizza, that tastes better than typical pizzas, but the stove itself is an attraction. It’s fun to watch the pizza’s cook.”

The dome shaped clay oven itself is visually and architecturally impressive, as it was built using a design from 79 AD found in the ruins of the ancient Roman city of Pompeii. The spectacular oven and the cooking process, combined with the superior taste of the pizza are an extremely innovative way to ensure that the customers keep on coming to Pizza on Earth.

The Portico property is also home to the Dorset community gardens. With the help of Donald master gardener Murray ‘Mick’ Clarke, Elizabeth and several Dorset community members have built a series of plant cribs beside the pizzeria. “There is a high demand for gardens in the community,’ Elizabeth said. “There’s lots of enthusiasm. People are welcome to take participate in the gardening, and we have cribs for individual families.” The community garden was largely facilitated by a grant from Sobeys provided to Abbey Gardens, a local not-for-profit organization dedicated to sustainable local food production. The Johnsons were more than willing to have the garden on their property. “It not only beautifies the property, but it’s a great place for people to gather. It’s a way to eat healthier food and make a healthier community, while also lowering our carbon footprint.”

As if a timber framing business, a pizzeria, and community gardens on one property weren’t enough to keep a family busy, the Johnson’s are also opening an art studio on location. Elizabeth has long been a passionate painter and she is eager to open her own studio space. There is also a large room with a high ceiling in the back of the Portico building that would be an ideal workplace for many local artists. “The space in the back will be available to rent soon, and we hope an artist occupies it.”

As a final display of economic diversification, the Johnsons run a self-storage facility next door to the Portico shop. This has given the people of Dorset a much-needed place to store a wide assortment of personal goods.

With so many businesses operating at one location, and being managed by one family, the Johnsons are a prime example of innovative thinking. They have built a successful timber frame business, and branched out into several different industries and sectors. This has not only ensured their own economic well-being, but has also provided Dorset and the citizens of the county with a greater range of services. In this manner, the Johnsons are another innovative family that is making the Haliburton Highlands a better place to live.

For more information about  Portico Timber Frame Construction visit their website: http://porticotimberframes.com/ or visit their showroom on HWY 35 in Dorset, Ontario