Blog - Handmade Houses with Noah Bradley

We are currently working on the creation of the Timber Framing Academy!

The Coronavirus can’t stop us here at Handmade Houses! It has made things more difficult… and it has certainly slowed progress down though. But together we are going to make it through these challenging times… and create an amazing Timber Frame Academy course… and demonstrate the construction of small home for you soon!

If you dream of owning your own Handmade House you have found the right place!

If you want a handcrafted home… one made of log, timber, or stone… We can help you!

If you want a home that blends into the environment, one that compliments the landscape… oh yeah!

Here you will find a TON of free insights that you won’t find anywhere else… from our videos… to our FREE newsletter!

Originally posted 2019-06-26 19:42:04.

We are currently working on the creation of the Timber Framing Academy!Noah Bradley2019-06-29T10:31:41+00:00

A Writer’s Cabin

I once had a well known writer ask me to build her “a little primitive shed where I can get away from the main house to collect my thoughts and do a little writing”.

And this is what I built.

And she loved it.

And we all lived happily ever after.

And no, I cannot tell you who she is. lol

One final thought of the day…

I am so thankful that so many unique individuals have come into my life, each wanting me to build them something special to meet their dreams. I’ve built barns, timber frames, silos, log cabins, stone homes, mills, and yes, sheds and outhouses. From two thousand dollars… to two million dollars.

All my projects share a common theme. They were all built to last a century or more, and they were all designed to look “as if they had always been there”.

Thanks to all for coming along.

Originally posted 2015-03-09 15:44:07.

A Writer’s CabinNoah Bradley2019-06-29T11:18:48+00:00

Strength

One of the great features of living in a classic log home is in the knowing of the strength of the structure… you fear no ill wind.
Take a look at the size of this barn and imagine the weight these logs must bare when the barn is full.

Originally posted 2015-09-16 14:13:30.

StrengthNoah Bradley2019-06-29T10:41:39+00:00

Log and stone

Such a clean design on this cabin.
No frills.
She is a classic.

Originally posted 2015-09-16 14:05:41.

Log and stoneNoah Bradley2019-06-29T10:41:38+00:00

White cabinets

I’ve always admired white farmhouse-styled kitchen cabinets. There is something “homey” feeling about them. Especially when there is a grandma in the photo.

White cabinets might not be as rich looking as natural wood cabinets but they are universally loved, easy to clean and hold up better than natural wood finishes.

Originally posted 2015-09-16 13:38:11.

White cabinetsNoah Bradley2019-06-29T10:41:37+00:00

Staircase size

Problem solved.
I’m often amused when I see hand sketched floorplans from folks that have drawn their future home plans on the back of an envelope and I notice how small they have scaled the size of their staircase.
Often these stairs are shown to take up about the same amount of space as a closet, or less. Not once have I seen someone draw the staircase too large, rather they are always too small.
The reality is that staircases are hogs when it comes to eating up our interior square footage.
One trick is to throw the beast outside like this stone building has done.
Of course this does make life “more interesting” when venturing from the bedroom to the kitchen. lol

Originally posted 2015-09-15 22:02:59.

Staircase sizeNoah Bradley2019-06-29T10:41:36+00:00

The power of the number 18

Tall and Proud.
Almost all farmhouses that I have encountered are 18 feet wide.
And I’ve been in hundreds of them.
Anyone care to guess why eighteen?

Well, there are several reasons…

One, is that an 18 foot floor joist provides a stout floor… and a 20 foot floor joist is “bouncy”.

Two, is that 18 foot floor joists tend to stay straight and true for centuries, whereas anything longer tends to sag.

And three, an 18 foot sill log is manageable to put into place with the aid of two men, buy it takes four men to move a 20 footer.

Originally posted 2015-09-15 15:16:18.

The power of the number 18Noah Bradley2019-06-29T10:41:35+00:00

Texas log cabin

Clearly, Texans know how to build a log cabin.
And of course, by their very nature they just have to do things differently than everyone else.
Folks in New England often build their chimneys on the inside of their homes to get every ounce of heat they can from the warmed masonry.
Here in the Mid-Atlantic and further South everyone builds their chimneys on the outside of the house (the theory being that the chimney can be pulled over to save the house in case of a bad chimney fire)
But Texans… if you look at this cabin… want it both ways. This chimney is half inside, and half on the outside of the home.
God Bless Texans.

Originally posted 2015-09-15 15:05:22.

Texas log cabinNoah Bradley2019-06-29T10:41:34+00:00

A free log cabin

You can build a log cabin for free, all it takes is a bit of effort, and a stand of trees. The expense starts when folks start thinking about a large home, one with lots of extras, and having someone else build it.

This fellow has a nice cabin… I hope he has a freezer in there big enough to handle all the venison that he has brought home.

Originally posted 2015-09-15 14:51:24.

A free log cabinNoah Bradley2019-06-29T10:41:33+00:00

Board and Batten construction

Board and batten… cheap and easy.

A fast form of construction that makes use of local materials.

Here we see that it was so cheap and easy that the baby get’s his own house.

I wonder how he opened that door?

Originally posted 2015-09-15 14:17:59.

Board and Batten constructionNoah Bradley2019-06-29T10:41:32+00:00

Three wonderful features

This little home offers three features that are well worth your consideration when building your next home.
(ok make that four features… if you count the wonderful gardens right out your front door)
1) a parged, or stucco, exterior… attractive, cost effective, historically common, low maintenance, air tight, easy for the do-it-yourselfer, and adaptable to many forms of construction.
2) a small addition off of the main structure providing visual interest (in this case timber framed… but log, stone, or brick would work just as well)
3) the well designed open shed on the other end of the house to keep the firewood dry and provide shelter for those who enter on that side. (I bet there are openings in the home designed for easy pass through into the house of that wood, perhaps even to a stove in the lower level of the house).

Originally posted 2015-09-14 18:12:40.

Three wonderful featuresNoah Bradley2019-06-29T10:41:31+00:00