Bill Sturm

My father introduced me to the possibilities of wood and construction as a kid. You could often find me at a homebuilding site as school let out raiding the waste piles for materials to haul off into the woods to build a fort or up a tree for a Swiss family Robinson house. In high school, I wasn’t allowed to take shop but a compromise was struck and I took a drafting class. 

This sent me to Georgia Tech’s school of architecture and an eventful year in Paris. There were many tours of timbered roofs and the forest that was Notre Dame. Eventually, I was saved from a desk job in architecture and headed out west where I started building custom homes. Soon thereafter, I was given an opportunity by a young wide-eyed Steve Morrison to timber frame a house, and I never looked back. I have been a timber framer and Guild member since.

I love the craft of timber framing and plan to continue professionally as long as my body will last. My favorite aspects of this trade and the Guild are the people. All the incredible people I’ve met along the way, the opportunities offered, and the information and knowledge everyone so freely shares with one another. I love learning new things and we as a group and guild have plenty to offer. I would like an opportunity to give back to this by serving on the board.

I am passionate about education and projects. I stay involved in projects as much as life allows and have been fortunate to participate in a few as a volunteer, as an instructor, and was a project manager for the Oso Memorial Portals Community Building Workshop.

It is a goal of mine to work with and create more opportunities for both projects and education of people coming to the craft and already in it. I would love to make it easier for us all to find ways to involve timber framing into our local communities and schools to further the craft, thereby allowing others to experience our passion and new, beautiful timber frame spaces—and perhaps discover the passion for timber framing we all share.