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.