For over four decades, the Skinner family has stood behind a singular conviction: when you build with heavy timber and authentic mortise & tenon joinery, you build an heirloom that outlives generations.
In 1984, Bill Skinner founded The Barn Yard with a set of chisels, local pine, and a refusal to cut corners. While the broader construction industry shifted to lightweight 2x4 framing, plywood trusses, and throwaway materials, Bill doubled down on New England timber framing traditions.
Today, second-generation leaders Chris and Todd Skinner carry forward that legacy, pairing traditional mortise & tenon timber craft with the most advanced robotic CNC joinery technology on the planet.
From local handcrafted outbuildings to an internationally recognized post & beam brand.
Bill Skinner opens the original Ellington, CT workshop, handcrafting custom storage barns and post & beam frames for local farms and estates.
To meet growing demand in Fairfield County, Westchester, and the Hudson Valley, The Barn Yard establishes its premier Route 6 Bethel design showcase.
The Barn Yard commissions a state-of-the-art 37,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility and installs the German-engineered Hundegger K2I robotic joinery center.
Precision pre-cut timber kits, stamped by in-house licensed Professional Engineers (P.E.), are delivered to job sites across all 50 states.
Unsolicited feedback from homeowners, general contractors, and timber raisers.
"Thank you so much for stacking the trusses in reverse assembly order and all the little details you guys do. That helps out big time when the crane arrives. We were all super impressed with how nice it went together. The nicest truck driver I've ever dealt with!"
"When our local building inspector saw the P.E. stamped calculations and the 10x10 Douglas Fir posts with oak trunnels, he said it was the best engineered structure he had inspected in 25 years on the job."
"We ordered a 24' x 36' Alpine Pavilion kit delivered to Montana. Every mortise and tenon joint lined up to the millimeter. Our crew had the entire frame raised and pegged in two days. Truly majestic."
Walk through over 25+ fully furnished timber frame buildings at our Ellington and Bethel display parks. Smell the fresh white pine and feel the hand-hewn oak pegs.
