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 Bradley2019-06-29T09:51:01+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

Start small, think small… consider a corn crib

Above is the corn crib of Ephrain Bales.
I want one just like it!

And below is Bob Johnson’s corn crib…

One more…

What is it about corn cribs that makes them so endearing?
A structure like this would look great in anyone’s back yard,would be handy to have, inexpensive to build, and would give anyone who built one the skills and confidence to build their own log home.

Originally posted 2015-10-31 14:49:54.

Start small, think small… consider a corn cribNoah Bradley2019-06-29T10:03:21+00:00

A home that stirs the soul

I often catch myself pausing for a few minutes when I look at a photo like this… there is an unusual mix of calm and wonder that I feel.

I’m at home.

And, the intensity of these feelings is only magnified when I stand before a place like this in person.

Why is that?

What is it about these vintage structures, made of natural materials, and assembled by hand, that captures me so?

Why is that so many homes fall short of achieving this reaction?

Should this be the goal of someone building a home?… that this be the bar that determines whether a home has passed the test, or not?… it’s a concept worth considering that a home not only serve as a source of habitation, but also as something that stirs the soul?

Originally posted 2015-10-31 13:34:10.

A home that stirs the soulNoah Bradley2019-06-29T10:03:20+00:00

A stone chimney without a smoke shelf

A big beautiful stone fireplace.
Notice how much light is coming down the fireplace?
A common feature in old fireplaces where that many were just a straight shot up from the fire to the top of the chimney.
Of course that made it easy on Old Saint Nick to pay a visit.
But, without a damper and smoke shelf, these old fireplaces would on occasion fill the home with smoke when the wind changed directions the wrong way.

Here’s the proper way to build a chimney.

Originally posted 2015-10-30 18:16:04.

A stone chimney without a smoke shelfNoah Bradley2019-06-29T10:03:19+00:00

Stone… building for the centuries to come

Press here to watch video…

https://youtu.be/v60wfCj2gBs

Originally posted 2015-10-30 13:58:03.

Stone… building for the centuries to comeNoah Bradley2019-06-29T10:03:18+00:00

Early entry hall

A nice interior hall entry way.

Originally posted 2015-10-30 13:40:44.

Early entry hallNoah Bradley2019-06-29T10:03:17+00:00

Is it a log home, or a stone home?

For those who can’t decide if they want a log house… or a stone house.

I’ve never seen another like it.

Early log homes were “chinked with stones or scraps of wood and then a layer of mud and fiber was applied over that on each side to keep the cold and rain out. This is the log home that I’ve seen where a mason carefully applied and chinked around these stones. The result, while not common, is rather attractive.

Originally posted 2015-10-30 13:08:03.

Is it a log home, or a stone home?Noah Bradley2019-06-29T10:03:16+00:00

An old log gristmill

What a great mill… a lot of human power went into the effort of harnessing water power.

Originally posted 2015-10-28 17:19:35.

An old log gristmillNoah Bradley2019-06-29T10:03:15+00:00

Two patterns of stonework in the same house

An ancient home in Peru… The same stone laying technique, of carefully laying the corners in a horizontal pattern while filling the space in between with a random pattern, can also be found here on some early American structures.

Originally posted 2015-10-28 17:00:58.

Two patterns of stonework in the same houseNoah Bradley2019-06-29T10:03:14+00:00