Blog - Page 66 of 123 - Handmade Houses with Noah Bradley

The perfect porch roof

Such a wonderful cabin isn’t it?

One unique feature of this cabin is the combination of a metal roof on the main cabin… and a wood shake roof over the porch. I’ve seen plenty of cabins with metal roofing installed all over, and just as many with nothing but wood shingles. I’ve also seen (and built) quite a few homes with a shake roof on the cabin and a metal one over the porch. But I don’t ever recall seeing this reversed combination.

Both forms of roofing (metal or wood shingle) work well, and look great, on the steep pitch roof of a cabin like this. But on the shallower pitch roof of a porch, wood shakes can be prone to leaking. In many areas of the country a roof pitched as shallow as this, covered in wood shingles, would be forbidden by the building code for that very reason.

So, one has to ask… other than code considerations… and aesthetics… and roof leakage issues… is there any other reason to consider having, or not having, a wood shake roof over a porch?

Yes.. there is one… metal roofs are loud… really loud, when you are outside under them during a heavy rain. The rain is all you will hear, unlike a wood roof which will be pleasantly quiet.

But, on the flip side of that coin, a lot of people like to hear the rain striking a metal roof and are often disappointed to find that by putting a metal roof on their well-insulated home that they don’t hear the rain at all. Whereas if they put a metal roof over the non-insulated porch, well, it might be loud outside under it… but inside the home the homeowners would experience the perfect volume level to hear that summer rainfall coming in from the porch area.

What’s my recommendation? Metal, for sure. But then again…

Originally posted 2016-03-18 16:54:58.

The perfect porch roofNoah Bradley2019-06-29T10:28:10+00:00

Farmhouse living

A person hasn’t truly lived until they have slept under sheets dried on a clothesline.

(and… oh, yeah… I do need to stay on topic… lol… the house is wonderful too)

Originally posted 2016-03-18 15:21:03.

Farmhouse livingNoah Bradley2019-06-29T10:28:09+00:00

The Poor House

She’s called the “Poor House”, but I believe anyone living in such a fine home would be anything but poor.

How can such a simple home be so attractive?

Perhaps… there is great beauty to be found in simplicity.

Originally posted 2016-03-18 15:04:41.

The Poor HouseNoah Bradley2019-06-29T10:28:08+00:00

Blue and grey

This cabin impresses me in how well all the colors from various building materials blend together so well.

Originally posted 2016-03-18 14:45:23.

Blue and greyNoah Bradley2019-06-29T10:28:07+00:00

No chinking

No chinking required on this old tobacco barn. The owner chose to fill in all the gaps between the logs with wood making the barn easier to maintain and to keep animals out.

Originally posted 2016-03-18 14:36:37.

No chinkingNoah Bradley2019-06-29T10:28:06+00:00

Hobby time

Imagine, if there was an enjoyable hobby to be found, one that provided a person with a good bit of exercise and fresh air, one where a person could create something beautiful… something that would last for centuries. Wouldn’t it be great if there was something like that?

Originally posted 2016-03-16 21:48:06.

Hobby timeNoah Bradley2019-06-29T10:28:05+00:00

Cozy cabin

This is about as small as a cabin can built and still be useful for habitation.

Originally posted 2016-03-16 21:37:58.

Cozy cabinNoah Bradley2019-06-29T10:28:04+00:00

The same height

One of the “rules” in architecture is that the tops of doors and windows should be at the same height. Obviously the builders of this cabin hadn’t read the rule book. lol
Sweet little place, don’t you think?

Originally posted 2016-03-16 21:33:02.

The same heightNoah Bradley2019-06-29T10:28:03+00:00

An epiphany

I received a great inquiry this morning from a member of this community who made a comment about how she had considered the merits of cob construction but now was leaning towards log construction. I thought I might share my response…

There are many alluring alternative methods of construction out there… including cob.

I’ve “experimented” with many of them. They all have their appeal, as well as their drawbacks. It seems that each form of construction has it’s hardcore advocates… individuals who become authorities of their chosen method, those who promote the positive features of that type of housing, but never mention the negative, and go on to dismiss all the other types.

After building homes for a decade, employing all manner of techniques I eventually came to an epiphany and that is that homes that were originally built locally, centuries ago, using minimal tools and locally sourced materials, were not only proven to endure but were also timeless in their visual appeal. I discovered that new homes built using these early designs and techniques, along with modern features and techniques, made tremendous homes, ones which were in strong demand, with promising resale values, and easy financing (if desired), and proven longevity.

In my area (and that of NC) those types of homes would be log cabins, timber frame, farmhouses, and stone. I also have found that by combining these styles of construction into one home that we can create a striking home that is warm and inviting.

I am currently on the “downhill side” of creating a free mini-course on 12 steps that anyone can take now, at nearly no cost, that will take them from the “dreaming about, but don’t know where to begin” stage to being well on the way towards living in that dream home. I’m also wrapping up the Handmade House Academy… eight hours of my sharing all that I’ve learned through decades of building handmade houses. You ought to think about signing up for that… this first offering of the course will be at a discount price with lots of added freebies. Make sure and sign up to the mailing list at handmadehouses.com for updates. Noah

Originally posted 2016-03-16 14:54:09.

An epiphanyNoah Bradley2019-06-29T10:28:02+00:00