Yankee Barn Homes builds timbered houses. The post and beam frame is visible within each home. The frame is not only beautiful, it structurally holds up the house. The post and beam frame is a work of art, and Douglas fir timbers are our medium.
Douglas Fir Specifics
Yankee Barn Homes uses only kiln-dried Douglas fir for all of our post and beam homes. We use Select Structural or #1 Grade wood.
What is kiln-dried? To reduce the amount of movement of the frame as it dries, Yankee Barn Homes uses kiln-dried timbers. Large kilns dry the timbers over the course of several weeks, reducing the moisture content to around 18 to 20 percent.
Select Structural is the highest grade of lumber, used for its strength and durability. You’ll find the least number of defects in this grade. Knots are permitted in certain sizes, as long as they are sound, firm, tight, and well-spaced.
No. 1 Grade – With this grade of lumber, few defects are allowed. Just like the Select Structural grade, knots are only permitted if they are tight and well-spaced.
Douglas Fir Appearance
Those outside the business may have questions regarding the appearance of the timber. Douglas fir is a product of nature, therefore, variations in grain and color exist. Checking and knots are also to be expected.
A “Check” is a long crack that appears as the sapwood of a timber shrinks around the heartwood over time. Checking is not a structural problem and usually occurs only on one or two sides of a beam. A key thing to remember is these checks do not affect the structural integrity of a timber. In fact, a check usually makes the wood stronger because it releases the tension built up internally.
Variations in color create subtle differences that provide visual appeal in a timber frame. Wood grain varies, so stain color absorption is not uniform. This creates depth and tonal shading within each timber. Notice the difference each stain brings to the grain in the accompanying photographs.
