Lighting a timber frame home has a few specifics you may not find in other homes. Having just done one myself, I’ve discovered the use of chandeliers, track lighting, up lighting, pendant lights, wall sconces, floor lamps and table lamps were all necessary for properly lighting different areas of my carriage house. Here are 3…
Exterior Do’s & Don’ts Part 3 Do Give That Wonderful Deck A Great Body – Or At Least Great Legs! Maybe you’ve seen one of my personal favorites (she says sarcastically); the deck off the first or second floor of a home with spindly-looking four by four posts as its only means of support. They look…
Exterior Do’s & Don’ts Part 2 Do Concern Yourself With Window and Door Placement. While many of us spend time pouring over drawings of our floor plans, picturing where walls will be, how furniture will fit, the layout of the perfect work triangle for the kitchen; this thought process does not necessarily include how…
As promised in my previous post, The Design Dilemma, I’d like to talk aboutthe exterior aesthetics of a post and beam home. I’ll do this over the course of three blog posts so as not to cause your eyes to cross and/or your mind to go numb! Exterior Dos & Don’ts Part 1 Often…
Here’s a virtual video of my Carriage House. This was created as we finished the design phase at Yankee Barn Homes to help us get a feel for the interior. We’re thrilled with how the 5ft kneewalls give us an intimate feeling of space on the second floor. Enjoy! [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-XhtQp1H34] Want more information about Yankee Barn Homes?…
Planked kitchen ceiling by Yankee Barn Homes One of the beauties of a timber frame home is the gorgeous planked ceiling contrasting with the beams. It really complements what a post and beam house is all about. But the 2 ½” planks used by some builders for second floors leave the homeowner with quite…
The other day I asked a friend of mine what would be important to her should she design a house at this stage of her life. Her response was so funny I asked her to write it down. Here she is in her own words: “First, I feel that I must admit something: the…
Many people see the terms academic help “post and beam” or “timber frame” as synonymous with log home living. Nothing could be further from the truth. Log homes tend to be more rustic with a sometimes overwhelming amount of wood exposed on the interior. Post and beam homes expose the timber structure in the interior while still allowing for the warmth…
Lesson # 7: If Structure Matters, Aesthetics Are Paramount. This is where I’m probably going to insult some people and those who know me will never believe it, but tossing insults and sarcasm around is truly not my objective; at least not here. That being said, I have strong opinions on aesthetics in general and…
Lesson # 6: Structure Matters. The beauty of post and beam design is the number of options you have. The structure may be designed using either interior bearing walls when privacy is desired or a simple bearing post where openness is what you want. Instead of an entire wall, a post will suffice. This is…
Lesson # 5: Make It a Collaborative Effort: aka The Poker Game. As the women, I once believed I had exclusivity over all things aesthetic of our new post and beam home. My husband could have his indoor garage faucets, car attachments for the central vacuum and even a recycling shed. No problem. But…
Lesson # 4: Be Ready To Compromise. No matter how prepared you are, how many budgets you’ve formulated, or how many times you’ve reviewed the numbers, changes will occur that you never saw coming. Some may even turn out to provide you with a better structure than you’d have thought possible, but all will…