Born to Construct

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“There's something remarkable about taking a brand new piece of wood and making it look like it's 100 years old.”
– Dave Brinkmann

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Dave Brinkmann's idea behind the creation of Missouri River Timber Company was a simple one – to offer the best in timber frame construction.

Although the business may still be in its youth, less than four years old, it nonetheless offers an experienced, talented and passionate crew. One may even say that Dave was born to do this kind of work. Since the age of 13, he has been in the construction business. “It's pretty much all I know,” says Dave, the company's president. “I've been in it my whole life.”

Dave grew up working on farms and observed how other companies rebuilt old farmhouse beams. Eventually, he decided to start his own company with a determination to produce the best in non-structural, real wood beams and give them an Old World look.

“There's something remarkable about taking a brand new piece of wood and making it look like it's 100 years old,” says Dave. He and his crew employ a seven-step finishing process, devoid of any machinery, to give the timbers the look of vintage construction.

The company uses reclaimed wood, cedar and pine, which are finished with water-based, eco-friendly indoor finishes. And because the hollow beams are roughly one-eighth the weight of a solid beam, “you don't have to beef up the existing structure,” according to Dave. “The installation is easier on the crew.” Another added bonus: a proprietary glue makes nails obsolete in every finished beam. “Carpenters don't have to worry about nails flying up and hitting them while they're cutting,” says Dave.

From the company's three basic colors – harvest brown, burnt amber and Yorkshire brown – to custom colors that can match a home's existing décor, every plan is unique. From a custom mantel to a project with a beam order numbering in the hundreds, Dave remarks, “the projects are always fun.”