New England Real Estate Journal

Project of the Month: Timberline Construction Corp. delivers advanced veterinary facility for Ethos Port City in Portsmouth, NH

March 27, 2026 - Northern New England

Portsmouth, NH Ethos Port City Veterinary Hospital (Ethos) is redefining what advanced animal care looks like – and Timberline Construction Corp. (Timberline) played a key role in bringing that vision to life.

Partnering with Ethos starting in 2023, Timberline completed a multi-phase project that transformed an existing office building into a highly specialized state-of-the-art veterinary hospital, followed by a complex expansion and infrastructure upgrades – all within a fully operational 24/7 facility.

The work began with the full conversion of the existing structure into a 24,000 s/f veterinary hospital designed to support advanced specialty and emergency care. From the outset, the project required a high level of coordination and technical expertise, as Timberline delivered a complete interior demolition and rebuild, including new structural elements and mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems.

Purpose-built clinical spaces include surgical suites, a full MRI suite and control room, a CT suite with supporting infrastructure and specialty medical lighting – all designed to support the evolving needs of veterinary medicine. Timberline also provided design-build structural steel services to accommodate complex imaging equipment and overhead systems, requiring extensive field verification and rapid response to late-stage design adjustments.

Building on the initial transformation, Timberline then completed a 2,500 s/f Linear Accelerator (LINAC) addition – a highly specialized structure designed to support advanced radiation oncology treatment. Constructed with four-foot-thick cast-in-place concrete walls and six-foot-thick ceilings and roof, the addition also includes a lead-lined vault door and dedicated electrical systems for accelerator controls. The team seamlessly integrated this addition into the existing hospital, allowing Ethos to expand its cancer treatment capabilities while maintaining uninterrupted operations.

In parallel, Timberline executed targeted infrastructure and system upgrades throughout the facility to support performance, safety and long-term operational efficiency – all while the hospital remained fully active.

“Timberline was a true partner throughout every phase of this project,” said Mackenzie Dowdy, hospital director at Ethos Port City Veterinary Hospital. “Their team understood the complexity of working in an active hospital environment and remained focused on communication, coordination and quality. The result is a space that fully supports our team and the level of care we’re committed to providing.”

Together, these projects represent more than 51,500 s/f of highly technical healthcare construction and underscore Timberline’s ability to deliver complex, phased work in active, highly specialized environments.

For Ethos Port City Veterinary Hospital, the result is a facility equipped to meet the growing demand for advanced veterinary care – and a space designed to support both the clinicians delivering that care and the patients who depend on it.

The project team included: