Firmitas Timber - 2025

Firmitas

During my internship at Firmitas (formerly known as Trillium Dell) in Galesburg, Illinois, I gained a broad and highly practical experience in restoration, repair work, and adaptive construction across historic and large-scale structures. While I initially expected a stronger focus on traditional timber framing, I was instead exposed to a wide variety of preservation and renovation projects that required flexibility, problem-solving, and careful work within existing, often aging structures. This shift ended up being extremely valuable, as it taught me how to think critically about structural integrity, material limitations, and how to safely work within buildings that were constantly moving or deteriorating. From epoxy repairs on Douglas fir trusses to full structural replacements on historic buildings, I learned how important preparation, sequencing, and attention to detail are in restoration work.

One of the most impactful projects was working on the "Wakely house in Wisconsin", where I helped replace white oak sills on a structure originally built in 1841. This involved carefully stripping siding, lifting sections of the building with jacks, and replacing critical load-bearing elements while maintaining structural stability throughout the process. I also worked on the "Manhattan round barn restoration near Chicago", where I gained experience supporting and rebuilding a shifting structure using jacks, winches, and temporary framing while replacing joists, rafters, and beams. These projects taught me how to manage complex structural movement and coordinate work within a team under challenging conditions.

In addition to restoration work, I also gained experience with material preparation and problem-solving tasks, such as milling reclaimed oak and repairing log cabin dovetail jigs that had not been used in over 20 years. I also had the opportunity to begin conceptual design work on a timber frame guest house using existing materials, which challenged me to work with limited direction and adapt to real-world constraints. Working with extremely dense hardwoods like Cumaru further expanded my understanding of material behavior and tool performance. Overall, this internship strengthened my skills in restoration, adaptability, and structural problem-solving, while giving me a deeper appreciation for the complexity of working on existing and historic buildings.