Springhill Suites

Building a commercial porte cochere is an exciting challenge for a timber framer. These large structures require thoughtful design, engineering, and execution.

In 2022, Dick Anderson Construction was hired as the General Contractor to build a new Springhill Suites hotel in Ponderay, Idaho. They hired us as a subcontractor to design and build the exterior timber features of the hotel, including the porte cochere and extra large soffit braces.

Springhill Suites provided design inspiration to us that included modern colors, stone accents, and timber features that included metal components. We were able to coordinate the design process with our engineering partners and the Springhill Suites team to secure engineering stamps and CAD drawings that met the commercial requirements needed for permit approvals.

This porte cochere is large enough for several cars to be parked under it, with trusses spanning 27 feet. Assembling the trusses required several steps. First, the wood members were cut and joined. Then a metal webbing system was slid into place and bolted into the wood. Finally our metal-working partner welded the various metal to metal connections for extra stability.

We also built four 14’ soffit braces for the primary entry and thirty 7’ soffit braces as accents around the rest of the hotel. These massive braces grab your attention as you drive by the hotel and the natural wood provides a beautiful contrast to the modern color scheme of the hotel.

This project was only a few blocks from our shop and it was very rewarding to be part of a beautiful addition to the Ponderay area.

Featured Partners:

• Dick Anderson Construction

• Mountain Metals