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…
Lesson # 3: Know what you need. Know what you want. Consider interior & exterior. Bring pictures. This will assist both you and your designer/planner (whether it’s an architect or a post and beam design specialist) immensely. People often know the amount of money they’re willing to spend but many don’t really know how they’d…
I love magazines for design ideas! The Design Dilemma: 7 Lessons Learned When my husband and I agreed to build a new home, I knew it would be a post and beam. In the last few years I’d become more familiar with the post and beam style through work, overseeing quite a few…
I must confess: I’ve not always been a fan of the boys and their over the top opulence. But you know what they say about those who come late to something. I’m so pathetic; I decorated my home without consciously realizing I was totally creating a Louis XVI French Country Look. How sad is that?…
This fantastic seaside home sits on a half acre lot! Consideration 1 – It’s true – size matters…but not that much. It’s not the lot size that matters; it’s the aesthetic of the lot. There must be a good marriage between the site and the structure being built on it. Where people often go…
A really cute “Not So Big” post & beam house It seems that everyday, all day, we are hearing about this tough economic climate and how we should conserve. Last night, I ran across my dog-tattered copy of a remarkable design book, The Not So Big House by Sarah Susanka, which discusses simplifying and reducing…
I love-love-LOVE this Cumberland, Maine post and beam carriage barn! 1. The Classic Little Red Barn Just like the Little Black Dress, the Little Red Barn never goes out of style. It doesn’t fall victim to fads and trends. It doesn’t scream and shout for attention. But never mistake the eye-grabbing beauty of the simple,…
Our Carriage Barn For those of you who have realized you want to live in a post and beam structure, good for you! You’re already way ahead of where I was when the idea of post and beam living came into my life. As of today, I am a year and change into being…