Blog - Page 89 of 123 - Handmade Houses with Noah Bradley

My recipe for a good chimney or fireplace

My recipe for a great fireplace and chimney…
I’ve never worked from any special drawings when building a chimney or fireplace.
The inner workings (smoke shelves, flue liners, air intake, etc) on my projects are basically the same as those found in most modern masonry units.

The uniqueness of my chimneys and fireplaces that I build is all about the careful selection, shaping, and arrangement of the stone that composes the finished product… which I tend to model from other structures that I have admired over the years, mostly vintage.
With the vast sources of the internet I’m sure you can find some technical drawings, and then just come up with some photos of the fireplace that you most admire and copy it to perfection.

Originally posted 2016-05-03 14:12:39.

My recipe for a good chimney or fireplaceNoah Bradley2019-06-29T10:08:25+00:00

A fireplace vs a woodstove

I was recently asked by one of the dear members of this community about my thoughts with regard to woodstoves… as I always seem to write of my admiration of a good fireplace. I thought I might share my response here in a new posting…

You will never get an argument from me with regard to the benefits of having a woodstove. I love them and have had them in every home I’ve ever lived in with the exception of my early childhood home (which was a brick rancher located in suburbia). I love the ability to be able to heat ones own home comfortably with locally gathered and often free fuel.

The last two homes that I’ve built for myself have had both… a woodstove and an open fireplace. They can both be built into the same chimney (with separate flues) and be in located in opposing separate rooms. It’s tough to choose between the two, sort of like having to pick owning a car, or a truck, both are handy at what they do. I think having one of each is worth the effort and expense.

If a person is building their own home and has to choose one or the other I recommend a fireplace. A woodstove can be added to a fireplace (and later removed if desired). A fireplace cannot be added to a woodstove location. When it comes time to sell a home many people want a fireplace, not nearly as many with a woodstove.

Yes indeed, a lot of the heat of a fireplace goes up the chimney. But certainly not all. I have an in-law who believed (through his reading) that fireplaces actually removed heat from a home, so upon one of his visits to my home I cut all the heat off and demonstrated that I can easily heat a couple of rooms in my house with my fireplace and afterwards the warmed masonry continues to give off heat many hours after the fire dies down and the damper has been closed.

But the main reason to have a fireplace in a home isn’t about the heat that it provides. It’s about the experience. I rank sitting by an open fire right up there with watching a sunset, a rainbow, the first snowfall, or a summer lighting storm… maybe even more so. This old world we live in can often be harsh so I gather much needed comfort in watching those flames, stirring those embers, and warming a pot of Brunswick stew. It’s something humans have been doing for a very long time and unfortunately so many today are missing out on.

Originally posted 2016-05-01 15:42:53.

A fireplace vs a woodstoveNoah Bradley2019-06-29T10:08:24+00:00

Timber frame company recommendation

On occasion I am asked which timber frame company I recommend.

My number one source that I recommend is…

You!

Why let someone else have all the fun?

If the idea of doing the joinery on an entire home or barn is intimidating… consider starting with a small outbuilding first. You will find that the process is quite enjoyable. I have found that most timber frame companies showcase elaborate and highly complicated joinery, but the fact is that timber framing does not need to be overly challenging. Farmers and homeowners have been building their own homes and barns for centuries and with today’s reference materials and power tools it’s easier now than ever.

Even if you decide to go with a timber frame company (and there are quite a few good ones out there) it pays to have a bit of hands on experience and thoughts on designs before approaching them.

Originally posted 2016-04-30 17:13:28.

Timber frame company recommendationNoah Bradley2019-06-29T10:08:23+00:00

Log Home apprenticeship opportunity

How would you like to work with me? To give me a hand? To become an apprentice? Or, to join my crew?

I get multiple requests or offers every week to do just that. Sometimes, I get several per day. I’m humbled, flattered, and a bit overwhelmed by it all.

Over the years I’ve had several hundred young people work beside me… as well as a few who were young at heart, if not quite so with regard to the calendar.

My response to the current requests is…

Thank you for your interest and your offer!…

I’m currently taking a sabbatical from hands-on building… a time-out of sorts, after doing it nonstop for quite a few years. A time to share with a broader audience what I’ve learned through several decades of building unique homes, houses where owner involvement has been of key importance. I’ll be putting the tool-belt back on in the near future with plans to build my next home which I hope to share the process with everyone. Maybe… the timing of that project will be right for you to lend a hand? I urge you to sign up on my email list here on this site if you want to keep better posted on my dreams, plans, and ideas. And please, consider taking the Handmade House Academy when it becomes available in a couple of weeks… those who take the class will be given first options at future offerings. Notification of the release of the Academy will be sent out to those on the email list! Noah

Originally posted 2016-04-30 16:08:54.

Log Home apprenticeship opportunityNoah Bradley2019-06-29T10:08:22+00:00

On building a barn or garage first

“I’m thinking about building a garage (or barn) first… and then later, I’ll build the house.”

I probably hear this comment from half of the people I meet who have recently bought a piece of land.

I always caution them against taking this path and that’s because I’ve seen it fail on plenty of occasions.

There are several reasons why people want to “build the barn” first. The main one is that they feel unsure of their ability to build a home and feel that a barn or garage might serve as good first step towards learning the skills needed in building a home. To some degree they are correct, experience is a great teacher, but the limited skills needed to build a barn can be gained in building a much smaller and less expensive building like a shed.

Some people imagine building a barn or garage and making part of it a habitable place that they can live in while building the home. I’ve lost track of the number of people that I’ve met who have lived above their garage for years now. Folks who either blew their budget on building the garage and have no funds to move forward on their dream home, or who have become comfortable with this style of living. It’ my humble opinion that one’s main focus should be on housing the family, not the cars. It’s admirable to do without now in order to benefit in the future, but foolish to choose to live your life in garage when a home can be had for the same effort and price.

“But”… (and there is always a but it seems)… “I want a place to store my tools, and building supplies as I acquire them, a place where I can set up a shop, a place where I can work on inclement weather days”. Well now, that is a good point. I have had several clients whose budgets were ample in size, and whose desire to live in the garage was zero… (as in the photo seen here where we built this garage while framing the home). The garage did prove to be a valuable asset for storage and as a workshop during construction of the home.

Plans change in this life. Unexpected events often occur. People often experience an unexpected want or need to move. If a person has built their own home on a piece of land, and they did a great job at designing it and building it, they can likely expect to get all their money back and likely make a profit from it. But, if all they have to show for their efforts is a habitable outbuilding they will likely have a hard time selling the property, and will most certainly be unable to recover their investment.

Originally posted 2016-04-30 15:22:26.

On building a barn or garage firstNoah Bradley2019-06-29T10:08:21+00:00

One step at a time

One step at a time.

That’s how a house is built.

The stone mason doesn’t focus on all the details and steps required to build a chimney.

It’s all about the next stone.

And after that’s in place.

The next one.

Originally posted 2016-04-30 14:33:29.

One step at a timeNoah Bradley2019-06-29T10:08:20+00:00

Timber frame and log… together

For those who love the idea of a home built of massive timbers, but also want bright interior spaces, tall ceilings, and superior insulation (three things that log cabins are not known for), a timber frame home is the ideal choice.

Here we have a vintage timber frame that we added to an existing log home… an amazing combination.

The two had never met… the log cabin… and the timber frame… but it was easy to see once they stood next to each other, that it was a match made in heaven.

Originally posted 2016-04-28 13:12:30.

Timber frame and log… togetherNoah Bradley2019-06-29T10:08:19+00:00