Timber Frames - Built to Last

 

 

If you're planning on a new country home, think about a timber frame. If you're planning on a new barn or country outbuilding, think about a timber frame too. Your great-grandchildren's great grandchildren will be glad that you did.

Deacon Job Lane built his house in Bedford, Massachusetts in the early 1700s. His home, at 295 North Road, has been lovingly restored by the town and a group of dedicated volunteers called the Friends of the Job Lane House, Inc. It's now a landmark museum open to the public.

When the Friends decided to create a barn similar to the one that originally stood on the site, they asked timber framer Tom Musco to design it. Tom studied 17th century Eastern Massachusetts barns, their English precedents and the work of framer Job Lane, the deacon's grandfather. Tom cut a frame with authentic details: jowled posts, canted tie-beams, tapered rafters and naturally curved oak braces. The frame was raised in a traditional barn raising by the Bedford community.

The body of the barn is 30' wide, by 20' deep. A 12' deep, one-level shed stretches across the back. It's a classic American "English" style barn, popular throughout New England and the east coasts of the US and Canada until the 19th century. It has a center aisle - an open bay used as a work or storage area that includes a ladder to the loft. Two additional bays, on either side of the center aisle, were for animal pens and grain storage.

Now, not many of us want a building that was originally created to serve the needs of a 1700s family. However, it's fascinating to know that Tom found many three hundred year old examples to study when he was recreating the Job Lane Barn. Timber frame buildings last forever. It's also fascinating to know that there are more than a thousand professional timber framers, like Tom, who are building barns, homes and commercial buildings to last for the next three hundred years.

If you're planning on a new country home, think about a timber frame. Combined with modern SIPs ( Structural Insulated Panels ), which form the outside walls and roof, they can create tight, energy efficient houses that are beautiful inside and out. The Timber Frame Business Council offers a free guide with useful information. You can download Building a Timber Frame Home at: http://www.timberframe.org

If you're planning on a new barn or country outbuilding, think about a timber frame too. Your great-grandchildren's great grandchildren will be glad that you did.

Visit Tom Musco's web site to learn more: www.RoyalstonOak.com