I realized it's more the Post and Beam look that I'm interested in than the log look and just the little info I found online says that they are more expensive than stick built. I like some of the look of post and beam and don't need it throughout whole house. Is there anyway to incorporate both? Would it be less costly to incorporate vs. going full post and beam?

There are books on the subject that you might want to look at. They are more expensive. They are also require giving a more thought earlier in the process to plumbing and HVAC.

Hybrid homes of conventional construction with one wing or great room being timber framed are not unusual.

If you go all timber frame you are a little bit more limited in terms of layout, but I don't think this is a big issue in most homes. We considered building a timber frame home, but in the end decided that the modest scale of our cabin would not take full advantage of the drama of timber framing and we went with square logs.

All other things being equal, the costs would be:

full timber frame > hybrid construction > all conventional (stick built).

But, of course, all other things are never equal. A timber frame home with SIP panels will probably be more energy efficient and you may tend to chose less expensive moldings and trim, since a large part of the interior design is inherent in the frame and doesn't need to be added on later.

You should google bensonwood, yankee barn homes, riverbend, classic post and beam.

Different frame producers will provide different degrees of support in with regards to design (make sure plumbing and HVAC have been addressed), erection, and turn-key construction.

I've built timer frames and log homes. Yes, the initial cost is generally more expensive; but the ones I've worked on would be considered ultra-energy effecient, so there is a cost-savings down the road in some cases. And there are many different methods, accents, etc that you can incorporate into that kind of home.

Timber frame homes are definately more expensive to build, but if you want that lool there is no way around it.
As far as energy efficiency you can build either timber or stick frame to be ultra energy efficient.

I just want my great room to have some beams in the vauted ceiling. Perhaps some cross beams too.

Is that terribly expensive? I hope to avoid using false beams.

I did a house two years ago with those details. A regular trussed roof with a parallel vault, not a scissor truss, and then added actual beams underneath to give a timber framed look. Put a wood ceiling in between the rafter beams also.
Would have cost about $3000 in labor and another $3000 in materials.

diva - We are building a TF home. As solie mentioned they are more expensive than conventional build. We also have the SIP exterior walls. This is an unconventional means and therefore entails a lot of of unconventional routes for the plumbing and wiring. that took us forever to finish.
The link shows some pics. I must take the time to bring them up to date. Since they were taken we have finished the kitchen, the siding, front porch ceiling and bedroom FP.
We used Northwoods Joinery as our frame supplier. They do excellent work.

Here is a link that might be useful: Our Timber Frame

Sorry to hijack the thread - flowerchild, how was your experience with Northwoods Joinery? We are contemplating building a post and beam and they are one of the companies I am looking into...you can contact me off the forum if you'd prefer. Thanks! Lucy

Lucy, their Craftmanship is superb, they were right on schedule with delivery had the frame up in 2-3 days. My DH had a problem communicating with our contact there. He thought maybe he hadn't been working there that long. Since we are self GC DH had a lot of questions so maybe the guy got tired of that??? Also, DH was not pleased with the way they did the dormers. He had to have a contractor come and make them fit into the design properly. Overall I would recommend them.

Thank you Flowerchild! Did you consider anyone else? I emailed them last week for some more information but we have others that we are looking into as well. May I ask where you are building? You can email me through my page if you'd like....Thank you!