In Northfield Minnesota Martha and Rogers house was a mail order timber house bought from I think it was Marshall Field's in the late 19th century. The original square core has been extended over the years. It is totally timber construction and despite the savage Minnesotan winters, was always warm. Very well insulated with I think it was a paper based insulation layer inside the walls. The original timber cladding was as sound in 2000 when I stripped it all back to bare wood for painting as it was when installed 140 years before. It was protected originally by two heavy coats of boiled linseed oil on all sides of the timbers. It sat on a stone foundation and basement which was very poor quality rock.
Another advantage of a well built timber framed house is that house moves are literally possible. This house was bought for $10 after it was submerged in an industrial estate, transported by the haulage firm to their yard and sold to the next owner for a profit and the cost of re-installing it on a foundation. I watched this move in Northfield over three days and was impressed. When they got it on the new foundation all the doors and window still functioned normally. I've seen far larger timber houses than this moved in San Francisco.