Post and Beam Western Red Cedar homes are some of the most sophisticated of log and timber homes. This style is more refined than a stacked log and allows for a blend of logs and standard finish material. So let’s compare the two styles.

Handcrafted Post and Beam Verses a Handcrafted Log Home

Have you ever walked through a log cabin and been charmed by the logs, but soon you feel a bit overwhelmed with all the wood? Solid stacked logs serve as the finished interior and exterior walls of the house. There are some walls inside the cabin that are typically framed and covered with sheet rock, so this breaks up the solid log atmosphere to a degree. But still, all log exterior walls and even a few interior log can be more than some people desire. If this is the case for you, then a Post and Beam home may solve your problem.

Post and Beam Superstructure

A sketch of the log superstructure of a post and beam home shows the intricacy of all the log supports and roof system. It also reveals that the logs are limited to the structure of the home. To keep some of the rustic look the logs are left round and then hand peeled with a draw knife pattern. Traditional joinery of mortise and tenon and dovetails are used to craft the shell together. Now let’s look at how and interior finished wall looks.

Our next photo shows the kitchen from the loft above. The solid timbers are visible in along the edges of the ceilings. The ceilings are finished with 1×6 Pine tongue and groove.  The walls are finished with drywall and painted a light beige. And wide wood trim is used for the windoes Notice the wall is highlighted by the logs and softened by the paint.

Our next photo is of the master bedroom of timber home. The bed is tucked into the shed dormer. The ceiling is tongue and groove pine, the flooring is a solid hardwood, and the wooden bed frame all fit into the photo nicely. The post and beam work is showcased in the rafters and continued in thought with the wood window trim.

Western Red Cedar Wood Species for Post and Beam Homes

Now for a look at wood species. Western Red Cedar can be used for both small and large Post and Beam homes. Wide flared bottom log posts accents are used for the support posts, at the end of header beams, and sometimes within a log truss. The western red cedar is the only wood species some log home companies use for their post and beam homes.

In our next segment of Post and Beam Homes Western Red Cedar we will look at some more examples of colors, sizes, and features of these homes.

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