Post And Beam House Plan: Timber Framing Advantages and Disadvantages

Whether you go with "traditional" post and beam house plan timber framing (which the Timber Frame Guild likes to call "contemporary timber framing") or "timber framing for the rest of us," certain advantages and disadvantages are common to both systems.

Strength

Timber framing by either method is strong.

It is not only strong in real structural terms, but it exudes a sense of strength in the architecture.

It is hard to visit a half-timbered framed house or country pub in England and not be impressed with the atmospheric power of the structure, a power that owes much of its strength to the visual impact of the beautiful exposed timbers, especially the big old gnarled ones.

Heavy-timber frames for a post and beam house plan, with or without infilling, are more resistant to trauma from earthquakes, wind uplift, and snow load than light-frame construction.

In areas prone to these natural calamities, care must be taken to meet local building code with regard to tying the frame to the foundation, as well as the roof to the frame.

Conducive to infilling.

As already stated, heavy-timber framing is more appropriate than stick framing as regards infilling with the various natural building methods popular today.

With infilling, it is not critically important that exactly 14!^ inches (36.8 centimeters) is left between vertical members, either studs or posts.

Masonry for a post and beam house plan and cob can fit any space.

Straw bales can be made to fit almost any space and baling twine is described in various straw bale construction manuals.

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