Photo courtesy of Eris Creative 

For thousands of years, timber frame construction and its principles have been utilized across the world.

And it’s no wonder why, considering the material’s quality, immense strength, durability, and beauty. One leading entity that has mastered this method in the twenty-first century is the DC family of companies: DC Builders, which primarily crafts heavy-timber homes, barns, and other facilities, and its sister company, DC Structures, which specializes in pre-engineered barn and home building kits.

Taking his years of hands-on construction experience, president and CEO Dustin Gruetter, with the help of vice president Cole Hansen, founded the former in 2002 and the latter in 2015, turning what was originally a local Oregon endeavor into nationwide enterprises. Learn about each company, their amazing projects, and the overall mission behind it all to get a glimpse of the possibilities and impact of this time-honored craft.

DC Builders

The DC Builders arm of this duo does design and construction work with an emphasis on creating high-end timber frame and post-and-beam structures, both for people and horses as well as for residential and commercial purposes. The company’s primary focus is on quality craftsmanship—one look at its hundreds of completed projects makes that quite evident—but it also prides itself on its innovation and passion for the trade. It’s the go-to of the pair if you want your home to be planned and built from the ground up. Its other service offerings include framing, installation, and general contracting.

DC Structures

If you’d prefer to go with a predesigned building rather than starting from scratch, DC Structures has you covered. Its line of pre-engineered heavy-timber packages offers customers a huge range of building models, from barns to cabins to homes to garages, making the choices feel virtually endless. After getting through that difficult but fun selection process, you can customize your kit any way you like; there’s even the option of bringing on DC Builders to do it for you. The materials, including windows and doors, are then procured and every piece of lumber for the project is precisely cut before being packed and shipped to your property for your general contractor or one in DC Structures’ own network to assemble.

Beautiful builds

As touched on earlier, the sheer array of projects completed by these companies is breathtaking—not only because of the quality, craftsmanship, and beauty but also because of just how much each one was fine-tuned to suit a client’s every whim.

As an example, consider a barn-style home DC Structures made for a client living in Durango, Colorado. Beginning with an open-concept building model, the company worked closely with the homeowner to reshape it with personalized touches and turn it into something uniquely dazzling. Some of the more notable changes included making post-and-beam design the focal point of the main floor, staining the siding, and adding a drive-through garage bay and a huge deck.

Then there’s the impressive equestrian-focused project in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, where DC Builders constructed not one but four timber frame buildings for the residential community, including a riding arena that’s almost 13,000 square feet. And a few hours north in Bethel Island, California, lies a DC Structures–DC Builders masterpiece: the Delta Coves Community Center. For this project, the former provided six pre-engineered kits as the starting point and then the latter took care of the custom alterations and construction. The end result includes a jaw-dropping main building complete with a club room, gym, and open-air picnic pavilion.

Perhaps the best example of what can emerge when these two companies join forces, though, is the largest structure the DC team has built to date: a 36,290-square-foot, totally customized, painstakingly detailed home and equestrian facility in Oregon City, Oregon. Among its unique features is the overall layout. The whole bottom floor is the equestrian facility and contains every imaginable need for horse owners, and the 5,000-square-foot-plus house sits atop it. The home even has a balcony that overlooks the riding arena.

Creating and contributing to community

The final piece of the DC puzzle is its focus on family, one of the duo’s core values. Many people on both teams have worked together for several years while also building lasting client relationships, creating strong bonds within and outside the companies’ shared walls in Damascus, a town just outside Portland. As the DC Builders website puts it, being part of the DC family means “cultivating meaningful relationships to create a deeper sense of purpose and community within our company.” Proving that “family” and “community” extend to the surrounding area, DC Builders also gives back to Portland by helping Habitat for Humanity build homes, partnering with the child-focused Maurice Lucas Foundation, and hosting an annual holiday toy drive.

What once started as a humble means to help others has, much like the majestic buildings they offer and create, become a symbol of quality and durability across the nation. In this way, DC Builders and DC Structures carry on a centuries-old craft that’s custom-made for life in the twenty-first century and beyond.

For more info, visit dcbuilding.com and dcstructures.com