December 2015
Owner Evan Taubes began his timber frame business in Charlotte, VT.
About
Our Story
If it involves heavy timber, we’ll do it.
Scratch Builders specializes in crafting timber frame structures that range from pavilions to classic barns and homes. We also offer mass timber installation and restoration work on historic timber frames. Our team guides clients through the completion of their timber frame design, then we hand cut the timber and mass timber, and install their building.
March 2016
He moved to a new, more spacious shop in Monkton, VT. This allowed him to expand his capabilities and offer a wider range of services to his clients.
June 2023
The timber frame company is now in Williston in a shop with 5x the room of the original building. It helps them work more efficiently and serve more customers with the same excellent service.
Quality Craftsmanship and Service
We are the only builders in Vermont that will do it all, including new timber frames, historic preservation, and mass timber, and we accomplish our client’s goals with excellent communication. A project’s success is almost exclusively dependent on good communication between the stakeholders: client, architect, engineer, general contractor, and the sub-contractors.
Good plans and good communication lead to good outcomes.
We are always looking to improve and learn from others, which allows our projects to be dynamic. Scratch Builders works with the most talented timber engineers to create innovative plans tailored precisely for every client. Whether it is a new design, joinery solution, or client’s wish we strive to stay open-minded, allowing us to always improve.
Community Values
Championing sustainability and local collaboration in every project.
Non-Profit Partnership
Using our past experience with working with nonprofits, we work hard to meet their specific needs, in order to help other organizations with important missions build the infrastructure that they need to further their missions. We understand that the changing climate affects many people much more acutely than many of us living in Vermont, which is why we take sustainability and green building so seriously.
Climate Justice
We believe in using our craft to promote social values such as climate justice and inclusivity in the trades and education. We are also proud to partner with non-profit organizations to help build stronger communities. We strive to use our knowledge and experience to create a better world for us all.
Inclusivity in Trades and Education
One way we have been able to share our knowledge and help people get into timber framing is through education and community building projects. We participate in timber frame building projects all over the country, helping people learn and gain the confidence to pursue timber framing as a career.
About the Owner
After receiving a Bachelor of Arts from New York University in 2012, Evan Taubes enrolled in the Preservation Carpentry program at The North Bennet St. School in Boston, MA. A modern day apprenticeship, this two year program teaches traditional architecture and building practices, emphasizing hand work and exacting standards.
After working for a few timber frame shops across the country and in England, Evan started Scratch Builders in December of 2015. Evan is an active member of the Timber Framers Guild, and an avid participant in its volunteer community building projects.
When Evan is not building with timber, he enjoys all the beauty that Vermont has to offer. He is an avid snowboarder and cross country skier, spends time on Lake Champlain and rides his dual-sport motorcycle. He also has a golden retriever, Honey, who is absolutely a Scratch Builder.