Comparing Heavy Timber Construction and Round Post and Beam Homes

Sue | February 9th, 2012 - 7:41 pm

The Heavy Timber Construction that we offer is in the form of Heavy Timber Framed homes, garage, and commercial buildings. Heavy Timber Construction is another name for Heavy Timber Framing. This is the art of taking a timber and handcrafting it to fit into the timber superstructure. Traditional timber framing uses the old world style of mortise and tenon, dovetails, and other hand made joinery.  Now to compare the two style of Heavy Timber Framing and Round Post and Beam Homes.

square heavy timber roof system

Timber framing focuses on square or rectangular timbers. A ban saw is used to cut each timer to a square profile before any of the joinery begins. The art of Round Post and Beam Homes is the style whereby the logs are left round and are hand peeled with a draw knife pattern. The handcrafted logs range in diameter with wider bases and narrower crowns. The Post and Beam style also can have character posts or accent posts made with flared bottoms, such as this photo depicts.

western red cedar flare on staircase

For the joinery, both styles of home use the same mortise and tenon, dovetails, and other hand made joints. Metal plating is also used at times depending on the location within the home and the style the owners desire. Timbers can also be used for accents. In some locations within the home the owners may want more timber beams or exposed rafters to give more of a rustic feel.

When planning to build a handcrafted post and beam or timber frame home it should be noted that both dryin packages cost about the same. With a handcrafted log home the logs themselves serve as the finished walls for the interior and exterior. The post and beam is simply the superstructure, or skeleton, that the home is build onto.  Standard finish material or SIPS panels are used to finish between the log framework.

So for Heavy Timber Construction or Round Post and Beam the choice is yours. If you don’t like solid logs everywhere, but desire a bit of the rustic woodsy look, then one of these styles might be just for you. The use of sheet rock between the timbers lighten up the color of the walls. Natural light is reflected off of white or light colored surfaces, but solid logs do not reflect the light. This makes the logs feel a little darker on the inside, especially if the homeowners stain the logs a dark color.

Cowboy Log Homes

 

Any projected costs, cost estimates, material costs, and estimated construction/ building costs, are only the opinion of Cowboy Log Homes and are drawn from our experience. Every home is custom tailored to meet our individual client's wants and desires. The construction of a log or timber home is based on two primary costs: material provided by the log home company and construction costs contracted with Cowboy Log Homes as the builder or another builder of the customer's choice. Final costs are obtained and contracted with each respectively. Cowboy Log Homes is simply the "glue" that helps bring these two together to provide a final culmination of a customer's project. * Please note photos and elevations may differ some from accompanying floor plans.
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