If you are going to build a timber frame home from scratch, or if you choose to use timbered roof framing for your cabin or home, make sure and dovetail the collar ties into the rafters… not only is the result aesthetically pleasing, but the strength of roof is well beyond anything that could ever come against it.
Originally posted 2015-02-05 14:57:05.
Screen porches used to be standard on most homes in the south, but are often overlooked today… they are wonderful places to spend the evenings. Though certainly free of charge, they are obviously much cheaper to build than interior rooms and I found that they get just as much use and enjoyment as any living space… and if notice in this photo, they can actually improve the aesthetics of the exterior of a home.
Originally posted 2015-02-05 14:51:21.
Overall the most striking aspect of a replicated Virginia house frame is the abundance in the size and number of timbers.
I designed this frame based upon historic standards of houses built 200 years ago in Virginia. The building inspections office still insisted upon having an engineers stamp on the plans, so I brought one in. His report stated that this frame was somewhere between 5 to 10 times stronger than needed. And that is one of the main reasons houses built this way still stand centuries later.
Some of the details that I’d like to point out in this photo is the number and size of the rafters (Virginians don’t scrimp) (no Yankee purlins to be found). And, notice some of the joinery, like the beam the rafters are setting on has a scarf joint in it to create a beam long enough to span the length of the house. And finally, how all the horizontal members are “shouldered” into the posts.
I could look at this photo all day, but then, I’m just wood junkie.
Ted Benson, noted author, has put together an attractive book on timber frames but, he is a New Englander, as most timber framers are. There is no regional author/expert from the Virginia/Carolina area to rise up and bring our work to public awareness. It’s a shame, Virginia is loaded with historic timber framed homes from the 1700’s and early 1800’s. New England frames are mostly built with a “bent” method and Benson writes as if that is the only way to build a timber frame but I’ve never seen a bent built Virginia frame.
All the frames I’ve encountered in Va, whether they are two stories tall or one, have been laid out such that there is a center hall and a room on each side. Sometimes the home is larger such as a four over four, but you will have the same center hall, and sometimes one of the center walls is eliminated to make for a large room and small room with eliminating the center hall, but all of the above are framed the same way. This results in having eight main supporting posts for the house, the four outside corners and the four corner posts of the central hall… these are key posts. Next in importance would be the posts on each side of the doors, windows and chimneys, while not holding up the house they are important for added strength. After these any further framing is entirely to add nailers to hold up plaster.
Originally posted 2015-02-04 15:49:18.
The most prominent feature of a Virginia timber-frame is the corners where you will find huge “hog trough” posts with angle bracings going down instead of the much more common version of them going up.
We created these corner posts by extracting 10″by10″ posts out of the corners of 14″by14″ beams. Pretty slick huh? No waste at all, and we ended up with very strong, very stable, very attractive, historically accurate, corner posts.
With regard to the corner bracing going down instead of up… I have stood on both types of frames on multiple occasions and I can tell you that the Virginia method is more stable, with noticeably less movement.
Originally posted 2015-02-04 15:15:17.
This is the only newly built timber frame that I am aware of (other than museums) that is based upon historic Virginia timber-frame standards. Most of the timber frames that are manufactured today are overly engineered for stresses and loads and then aesthetics are added back in, sort of like how MSG goes into Chinese food. There are some folks up in New England that reproduce their style framing (it’s pretty nice)… but I’m not aware of anyone that produces our historic style. And yes we do have a style, and yes it is wonderful (better than those Yankees, thank you very much).
Notice the tree branch on top for luck… gotta have that. Look for other articles here that illustrate what makes a Virginia frame unique.
Originally posted 2015-02-04 14:27:16.
Here’s your humble host, standing out front of the timber frame that we put together for the front section of the Middle River house. It’s all made from locally cut timber, purchased at a nearby sawmill for a bargain price. I realllly like this frame, it’s doable, it’s friendly, it’s not some elaborate showpiece of huge scale. It’s down to earth, something each of the men who played a part in building it could imagine one day doing for themselves.
Originally posted 2015-02-03 14:37:09.
In my mind what would look best would be a rustic log cabin, but these folks didn’t like cabins, nor old wood. So, I came up with a design using the proportions of an old cabin and then we incorporated natural wood siding. I think it worked. What do you think?
Originally posted 2015-02-03 14:17:38.
Here’s the side profile of the Middle River house… this is where you park your car and enter the home. The front section features a stone chimney placed so that you can enjoy it’s beauty every day when you arrive home. Solid stone chimneys, built well, are not inexpensive so when you design a home make sure you place the chimney in a location where you will see it when you approach the home and park. You don’t want to hide something like this from view.
The section to the right is built using standard framing techniques (fast and easy) and where you will find two bedroom/ two bathrooms, one stacked over the other.
The section of the house behind the chimney is timber-framed using wood that we harvested locally and then cut and assembled. (That’s about as green of a construction as you can get!) This area with a cathedral ceiling serves as a kitchen and living area and connects to the front porch… all offering tremendous views.
Originally posted 2015-02-03 13:56:20.
Years ago I had a wonderful couple get in touch with me and they strongly wanted me to design and build their house. They had an incredible piece of land that was steeply pitched and offered amazing views. Their concept drawings were just awful, not appropriate with the lay of the land at all, and on top of that they told me that they didn’t want to use any salvaged antique materials… which is what I am known for… that’s my specialty.
I did my best to dissuade them, telling them that I was clearly not their builder, but they were persistent, and for that I am ever so thankful. It was a pleasurable experience serving these kind people. I take pride in the finished home, and they have remained dear friends all these years.
The thing I want to point out to all my online friends today in looking at this photo, and the photos to follow in the next few days, is that this is the back of the house, on most homes the backside is the ugliest side of the house.
Most homes designed and built today have one attractive face and the other three sides are given little thought. I do my best to make sure a home has three great profiles… if I get four, I am tickled.
In this photo we are still “working away” on her. The chimney is going up. The redwood siding is nearly finished. And the copper roof will be completed once the stonework is done.
Originally posted 2015-02-02 19:45:21.
It’s not very pretty… lots of dirty lumber and mud, but this is the reality of what a new/old structure looks like when you begin the process. Keep in mind that building a handmade house is sort of like having a newborn baby… you can’t let the poop scare you.
When building a home or a cabin the process often starts with the purchase of an antique structure. You want to buy the BEST there is out there on the market. You are going to spend a lot more money finishing the structure than this initial purchase, but this purchase is the core, is the heart, is the most visible piece. It’s what you are after most of all. DO NOT buy the cheapest, shop around, find someone with plenty of experience to help you determine if it’s the best, don’t rely on the guy selling it to you to tell you the truth. And with all that said, keep in mind that the best antique structure out there is old, in need of repair, and it’s very dirty. Trust me, it can be scary when the material is delivered, but have faith, it’s going to be wonderful when finished.
I’d also like to point out in this picture my wonderful 1988 Ford truck. I bought her new for $9,000 and it took me a couple years to forgive myself for paying that much for a truck. Well, I still drive that same truck today, with 450,000 miles, and antique tags, on her. I no longer beat myself up about what I paid for it.
I saw a commercial during the 2015 Super Bowl that revealed that men look better standing next to a truck. It is so, so true. 😉
A man needs a truck. If you don’t have one, get one today.
Originally posted 2015-02-02 17:06:36.
